As a CPR instructor, how do you instill confidence in your students so they will be willing to act in an emergency situation? How do you convey the importance of the life-saving skills they are learning so it truly resonates long after they leave your CPR class? One way to do this is through the power of storytelling.
A Harvard Business article entitled "What Makes Storytelling So Effective for Learning" explains:
"Organizational psychologist Peg Neuhauser found that learning which stems from a well-told story is remembered more accurately, and for far longer, than learning derived from facts and figures. Similarly, psychologist Jerome Bruner’s research suggest that facts are 20 times more likely to be remembered if they’re part of a story."
The article goes on to explore how storytelling provides individuals the opportunity to envision how they would act in a similar scenario:
"...Because people identify so closely with stories, imagining how they would have acted in similar circumstances, they’re able to work through situations in a way that’s risk free."
Our ECSI team has found that it is one thing to tell students about the importance of emergency care training with facts and figures, but the message truly resonates when they actually experience a life being saved or when real-life examples are shown in class.
We know researching these stories takes time so we've compiled ten inspirational success stories that you can use as real-life examples in your next CPR class:
1. This Miami bus driver performed CPR on a passenger. It was the third time she helped save someone.
"Laronda Marshall was making her daily rounds in Miami last month, threading a 30,000-pound, 40-foot public transit bus through the heat in busy South Florida traffic. All of a sudden, a passenger who was getting off the bus told her that a man in the back was slumped over and seemed ill. Marshall, 50, quickly parked the bus and walked back to take a look. The passenger, who she guessed was in his mid-30s, was unconscious and nonresponsive..."
2. Dad Uses CPR Skills Learned From ‘The Office’ To Save Daughter
"When Matt Uber found his daughter Vera Posy collapsed, his inner Michael Scott kicked in and he immediately performed chest compressions and breaths."
3. A Mom Is Encouraging Parents to Learn CPR After Her 8-Month-Old Choked on a Piece of Apple
"Courtney Patterson-Manfredi, a mother of two from Wichita, KS, recently detailed the terrifying experience she had when her 8-month-old son Stelio began to choke on an apple slice. Home alone with the kids, Courtney had to rely on the basic CPR training she received when she became a parent."
4. Daughters Save Dad's Life With CPR After Heart Attack
"Kalie and Cora Sagan were enjoying a last weekend at home in Deerfield, before heading back to college at the University of Minnesota, when the family movie night there were having with their parents took a dramatic turn."
5. Dramatic body camera video shows officer helping family with choking baby
"Dramatic body camera footage shows a South Carolina officer who was pulling a car over for speeding when he found a 12-day-old baby inside the car and was not breathing -- and frantically worked to save the child."
6. His heart stopped while playing hockey. Revived by CPR and an AED, he’s determined to save more lives.
"If Jib Street’s heart had to stop, the perfect moment was on Jan. 18 while he was playing hockey at the Pineville Ice House in Pineville, North Carolina. An emergency room doctor also was playing..."
7. Stranger helps bring man back from the dead after 45 minutes with CPR
"When Jose Alvarado’s heart stopped for 45 minutes, doctors at Methodist Hospital said he was essentially dead. Luckily, Jacob Colunga was there to bring him back with CPR."
8. Teen honored for CPR that saved father in cardiac arrest: 'He's a hero'
"Molalla Fire District honored a 15-year-old Friday who used CPR to save his father's life...The incident happened at the family's home..."
9. Mother Searching For Daughter’s Guardian Angel Who Saved Her Life With CPR
"Keri Hoag-Maier says her daughter decided to walk home after they tracked down their dog who escaped their Southern Highlands home during the community yard sale. Emily didn’t make it home, landing in the hospital instead..."
10. How two ordinary dads used CPR to save a 12-year-old boy at pool party
"Only one in three parents know how to perform CPR but Xavier was lucky enough that two dads with that skill were on hand when he went into cardiac arrest. Xavier was at a friend’s party on December 9 when he climbed out of their pool, lay down and stopped breathing."
For more information about training with ECSI, please visit our website today.