We all love a great story.
Since ancient times, storytelling has been a part of human nature, as we sat around campfires, sharing tales of a time long ago.
As time passed, stories have become part of our everyday lives. They’re in the adverts we see, the movies we watch, the songs we listen to, and even in the short reels, we scroll through.
They make us feel, think, and imagine something deep within, and in this process, we are persuaded to take action.
Why the brain loves good storytelling
So what exactly is happening in our brain when we hear a good story?
According to MRI scans, countless areas of the brain are activated when we are listening to a good narrative — from language processing to other neural circuits as well. For example, in one study, they found that the networks involved in processing emotions and movements were activated. This became particularly true when we’re listening to the emotional parts of a story.
When we say a good story helps us become immersed, this may literally be the case with our brain, as according to Uri Hasson, a professor of Psychology and Neuroscience at Princeton University, our brain waves actually begin to synchronize with those of the storyteller. In his study, Hasson and his team discovered that when getting two people together — one telling the story and the other listening — the greater the listener’s comprehension, the closer the two people’s brain wave patterns became.
In regards to this synchrony that the brain does to listening to a compelling story, Hasson explains,
“[It’s as though] I’m trying to make your brain similar to mine in areas that really capture the meaning, the situation, the schema — the context of the world.”
The persuasive power of stories
It’s not only listening to that taps into this our brain.
When we read, the areas of the brain involved in prediction are also activated, as we try to imagine ourselves in the character’s shoes or attempt to guess what will happen next. This act of imagination and decoding of what next helps us to look at things from a different lens, which inevitably can help to shift our beliefs, behaviors, and eventually core identity.
This can happen even more so when we think about the given story and talk about it with others, as this act of sharing helps to reinforce it into memory. As time passes, this has the potential to drive change in attitudes as well.
Stories can help influence behaviors so much so, that it may even elicit you to take action in things that you would otherwise not take from simply hearing facts, numbers, and general information. Melanie Green, a communication professor at the University at Buffalo, speaks about how anecdotes can make health advice more personal and impactful, as noted from her studies on the power of narrative. Think about it: when you hear about stories of someone familiar that has taken a given action, you may be more likely to do and stick with the action yourself. This is why we may feel more motivated to do similar to what celebrities and influencers say. Despite not knowing them directly, these parasocial relationships we have to them create familiarity, and in turn, a sense of trust to do as they do.
When we tell someone what to do or speak in a way that sounds like a command (even if it is well-intended advice), our messages aren’t well received. Yet, when you tell a story about a time you too, struggled through the pain of a breakup or attempted to quit cigarettes, for example, the information can be more persuasive, viewed as personal truth instead of pointless lecturing.
Storytelling for better business
The power of storytelling is extremely important and relevant for business as well.
Studies have shown that character-driven stories that contain emotional content lead to a better understanding of the key points of a message conveyed. Not only does it help to make the message more memorable, it also solidifies motivation to act.
In fact, character-driven stories are so powerful that research has shown that they cause oxytocin synthesis, which is important to note as oxytocin itself can be linked to lowering stress and anxiety, regulating emotional responses, and encouraging positive behaviors like trust, empathy, and bonding. Oxytocin, after all, is closely linked to your warm feelings when falling in love.
Even within an organization, stories help to solidify purpose, giving employees and everyone else involved a sense of transcendental purpose. This is why many people find a company’s greater mission so important — sometimes even more so than compensation.
How to tell a great story
In order to motivate a person to take action through a story, you need to tell the story right.
Great stories, after all, sustain attention. By creating tension and emotion, you are likely to get the listener, reader, or watcher to share the emotions of the characters within, creating a sense of synchrony as noted above.
Beyond that, a great story needs to have the following characteristics:
- Vivid imagery — People are visual creatures. If the medium is not a video, make sure that whatever story you’re telling can be easily imagined. People synchronize better the closer they get to finding themselves in the story themselves. Brain studies have shown that vivid imagery lights up the brain as if the listener or reader were performing those same actions themselves.
- Understandability — A story needs to be understood. If its too complex or deep, it may go over their head and all hopes to relate are out the window. Persuasive storytelling, after all, needs to be relatable to some degree.
- Context and content — No matter how great a story may be, in the wrong context, it won’t do much. Think about the story’s content and how it lends itself to the greater context of the audience you’re speaking to. What are they thinking? How are they feeling? Where are they from?
- Delivery — Just like any joke, how a story is told can make or break it. Pacing, effective use of language, and good structure are the markers of good delivery.
