When I started to realize the value of storytelling, I gathered a group of friends to meet regularly to improve our storytelling. I read a bunch of books on storytelling and distilled their essence into a few parts -- mainly characters, conflict, struggle, and goal, which I memorize as CCSG. All the books I read described these four elements as the most important, which my experience confirms.<p>I wrote a few posts on the basics of storytelling (not all independent). While no substitute for practice, observing, and reading comprehensive books, people have told me they helped improve their storytelling. Storytelling improves persuasion and a lot more.<p><a href="http://joshuaspodek.com/model-great-story" rel="nofollow">http://joshuaspodek.com/model-great-story</a><p><a href="http://joshuaspodek.com/communication-skills-exercises-4" rel="nofollow">http://joshuaspodek.com/communication-skills-exercises-4</a><p><a href="http://joshuaspodek.com/improve-public-speaking-storytelling-part-1" rel="nofollow">http://joshuaspodek.com/improve-public-speaking-storytelling...</a><p>Speaking of practice, look up <a href="http://themoth.org" rel="nofollow">http://themoth.org</a> for great storytelling events and podcasts. The Moth is amazing. (If you search my blog you can find video of me telling stories at the Moth).
Correspondingly, when you're being <i>told</i> a story, bear in mind that your rational thought is essentially being compromised, because we really do have enormous reactions to stories. Our brain's reaction to stories have little to do with whether they are true, or whether they are pushing a moral or idea that is beneficial to you or anyone else.
The question is why story telling often works so well. This wsj.com article answers it: it's about emotion.<p>It's important to evoke emotion in your story. To be able to evoke emotion, you must do your homework. You must learn what makes your audience tick. What do they care about. Create a story that hooks into their world. You need to create a bridge between their and your world.<p>Maybe I myself don't have a story to tell right now, but I want to say that I believe that emotion is vital. Much of my guidance and initial decision making is often based on (gut) feeling. My emotions tell me that I'm not on the right track, forcing me to think and reason why I feel this way and figure the reasons out cognitively.
Narrative, it's all about the narrative!<p>As an educator, I don't teach the book, I don't teach the chapter, I don't teach the lesson. Because that's not what you remember. What you remember is the story. It's about big stories, small stories, stories that link together in a narrative. That's what sticks.
Before humans learned to write, and before the scientific method, stories and songs were the method that knowledge was passed on from generation to generation. Memorization was the storage medium, and since there was no controlled experimentation, that knowledge was always of the form "Once, X happened, and then Y happened."--in other words, a story.<p>Thus, humans evolved to hook into storytelling very readily--especially aural storytelling. This American Life is perhaps the best example of this medium.
This is very evident when you start watching TED Talks.<p>Nearly every single one starts with a personal story, which probably means they are trained to use this technique.
That's the key to the "Robin Hood Morality Test":<p><a href="http://www.talisman.org/quizzes/robin-hood-morality.shtml" rel="nofollow">http://www.talisman.org/quizzes/robin-hood-morality.shtml</a><p>(Read the disclaimer on the website, and also this one here: It's not a real test, it's just a neat idea that sometimes gives insightful answers)
I only realized this truth within the past couple of months. It has absolutely transformed the way I communicate not only with groups of people but also with individuals. I think framing advice in stories based on personal experience causes people to be much more receptive once you provide a call to action.
I think this "tell a story" has been extremely generalized, it will work in some cases, it won't in some other cases. Stories are good to get attention and for entertainment (blogs/seminars/presentations), but there are not too many who are able to sell their product just on the basis of story. Telling stories is nice as long as you have something solid to back it up.
It is through storytelling that we teach children to read, write, think and learn. All of us owe our education to storytelling and I don't know what it is that makes people suddenly think storytelling is the new big thing.
Truth/facts in a engaging or engrossing way is the key.<p>If you tell a story which is not true i.e if you gas around, you loose credibility.
True story gives credibility and BS would put the other person off totally, so be careful.
I remember reading about this in Paul Smith's 'Lead with a Story' book. It genuinely makes a lot of difference to make people listen to you.
OTOH, whenever somebody tries to tell me a story, I know (s)he's selling something and automatically get turned off.<p>I suspect that the story trick (as all tricks that appeal to anything other than critical thinking) will backfire soon enough.
I wrote an article on story telling too.
<a href="http://blog.krmmalik.com/its-the-story-you-tell-not-the-product-you-sell" rel="nofollow">http://blog.krmmalik.com/its-the-story-you-tell-not-the-prod...</a>