Before man learned to write, he had to rely on his memory to learn anything. This required being a good listener. A good storyteller was always respected as he passed on the ideas, values and stories that define and bond humanity.
Stories captivate us. They make us think and have the ability to connect with our physical being, our heart and spirit in a way that no other media can. Storytellers create bonds with their audiences on many levels. As a manager, leader and coach I've seen that through the stories you tell audiences connect on many different levels. Perhaps the audience member shared a similar experience; stories allow listeners to derive what they want from the story, somewhat leaving your comments open to their interpretation.
We are hardwired for stories. As children we love bedtime stories, as teenagers the stories turn dark, as adults we tell jokes, which are stories, and we respond to a good story that resonates with a problem or challenge that we face. The individual who uses gestures, facial expressions, sounds, accents and body postures can create a total theater of the mind in connecting with his audience. A story told face-to-face is more persuasive than its print or screen equivalent. It is the oral telling of the story that makes it genuine and authentic.
Having been the keynote speaker at industry events and special occasions over the years I am constantly amazed how people will come up to me and recount stories that I told 15 to 20 years ago. The challenge is to make your story relevant to a take-away or key point you want to make. The power and impact of a good story is ageless.
My grandfather was a carpenter and had a wood shop; as a young boy I spent a great deal of my time with him in that shop. When customers came in to order items we would take a break to discuss a project for the customer. My grandfather was a master storyteller who would engage customers with stories of his home in Kentucky and spend time learning about them. His stories always had a purpose and he would weave it back to what the customer needed and what they really wanted--which was often much more then what they originally described. Over the years I realized purposeful storytelling wasn't show business, it was good business.
Stories captivate us. They make us think and have the ability to connect with our physical being, our heart and spirit in a way that no other media can. Storytellers create bonds with their audiences on many levels. As a manager, leader and coach I've seen that through the stories you tell audiences connect on many different levels. Perhaps the audience member shared a similar experience; stories allow listeners to derive what they want from the story, somewhat leaving your comments open to their interpretation.
We are hardwired for stories. As children we love bedtime stories, as teenagers the stories turn dark, as adults we tell jokes, which are stories, and we respond to a good story that resonates with a problem or challenge that we face. The individual who uses gestures, facial expressions, sounds, accents and body postures can create a total theater of the mind in connecting with his audience. A story told face-to-face is more persuasive than its print or screen equivalent. It is the oral telling of the story that makes it genuine and authentic.
Having been the keynote speaker at industry events and special occasions over the years I am constantly amazed how people will come up to me and recount stories that I told 15 to 20 years ago. The challenge is to make your story relevant to a take-away or key point you want to make. The power and impact of a good story is ageless.
My grandfather was a carpenter and had a wood shop; as a young boy I spent a great deal of my time with him in that shop. When customers came in to order items we would take a break to discuss a project for the customer. My grandfather was a master storyteller who would engage customers with stories of his home in Kentucky and spend time learning about them. His stories always had a purpose and he would weave it back to what the customer needed and what they really wanted--which was often much more then what they originally described. Over the years I realized purposeful storytelling wasn't show business, it was good business.
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