03 Sep Storytelling: What it is, Why it Matters, What You Can Do
Storytelling, a core career and life strength, is the art and science of influencing others, not just by telling great stories but being a great story.
I write tips on how mindfulness, learning agility, and storytelling can help you love your career. As a bonus, most of these tips will also enhance your overall quality of life, in the face of constant change and disruption.
Why Storytelling?
Stories are part of what makes us human, and we’ve been telling and re-telling stories as long as we’ve had language. They have the ability to hook us in, connect with us emotionally, and inspire us.
Furthermore, stories are “sticky,” remaining in our minds and easy to share socially. And the best stories create links with our lives; pictures, emotions and voices in our heads. We feel the storyteller is speaking to us in particular.
Stories With Data
Regarding career success, telling effective stories while using data is especially important. Here’s three sites that will help you get stronger at that particular dimension of storytelling:
As implied in my definition of storytelling, I truly believe this strength goes beyond “telling stories,” through common formats (oral, presentations, visual, written, TED Talk, etc.), to include the reality of each of us being stories…being, even more specifically, brands that tell a story.
“Brand” is a long-established marketing term referring to what a company, product, or service is “known for.” This knowing can be cognitive, emotional, and even subconscious, as this article implies. Since each of us is known for something, whether we like it or not, we are “storytelling brands.”
Our Common Challenge
Our volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous world is distracted, and this situation worsens every minute as more information and choices become available. The executives, managers, and peers we’re presenting to in conference rooms are distracted, glancing at their phones every few minutes and daydreaming, because they’re stressed and overwhelmed. The best storytellers will gain two gifts that are both precious and fleeting: other people’s attention and permission to tell the stories in the first place.
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