Walter Fisher's Narrative Paradigm

Narrative Paradigm is a concept in communication theory and was developed by Walter Fisher in 1984. It is more interpretive than objective and is under the rhetorical tradition. The concept of this theory was adopted from the earliest form of communication- storytelling. In narrative paradigm, narrative rationality is a way to evaluate the worth of stories based on the twin standards of narrative coherence and narrative fidelity and how humans judge a story. Together, narrative coherence and fidelity measure a story’s truthfulness and humanity. Fisher realized that for many years logical rhetoric made the world more rational. Walter Fisher believed that the rational world paradigm was too limited so he created a shift from a rational-world
Burns, the author mentions how using stories that have high levels of narrative fidelity and probability may help prospective students to better visualize themselves in a particular institution, which may then influence their decision to attend that university. In order for the students to determine which school they want to attend the stories they hear must make sense, match their own experiences, beliefs and world views. Humans use stories to connect with people in various ways whether it is stories about experiences, love, religion, cultures, beliefs or more. Narratives provide persuasive power and are capable of “influencing people’s behaviors because people can identify with characters (current students), transport themselves into the world created by the story (college life), visualize themselves in the setting or situation (campus), and block counter arguments (other institutions) from forming as long as the story matches personal values and beliefs” (Burns, 2015). In other words, a story can lead someone in a certain direction as long as the information is relatable, reliable, and matches their