When you want to convince someone, influence them or make a business case, you probably think of presenting strong facts and evidence—but telling a story can be significantly more compelling. It turns out storytelling is good for your communication, but also your career.
People are overwhelmed today. And the overwhelm isn’t just because of the amount of information coming at us, it’s also because it’s typically negative and it’s usually presented as urgent or breaking. But storytelling can actually help cut through the noise—because stories tend to be more meaningful and more memorable.
When you’re trying to get things done at work or if you want to build your career, storytelling can drive terrific results.
Storytelling Works
Storytelling works to convince people and compel them for a few reasons.
First, we’re wired to remember stories. From the earliest times—and in particular before the written word—people used stories to communicate and connect. We tend to remember the details of stories and identify with the characters.
In fact, storytelling activates seven different parts of the brain—including those devoted to language, movement, touch, emotion, decision making, for example. Hearing stories also releases multiple chemicals like dopamine, cortisol and oxytocin. The implication of all this? Storytelling allows for deeper, more comprehensive processing and memory.
Fascinatingly, super bowl ads that tell more complete stories get better ratings, more views and more shares—and drive greater sales. This was demonstrated in a study featured in the Journal of Marketing Theory and Practice.
Second, stories tend to increase cooperation because they reinforce the norms of a group—and they communicate what happens when people in the group violate expectations. In addition, those who are great storytellers tend to be the most popular in the group—people that others would choose to spend more time with. All of this is based on research published in the journal, Nature Communications and based on research of hunter-gatherer groups that use storytelling significantly.
Third, stories connect us and give us shared language—and this can build both collegiality and friendships.
How to Use Storytelling at Work
There are a few ways to leverage storytelling at work—and use it in ways that aren’t cheesy or career-limiting.
1. Use Elements of a Story
You can use the primary elements of a story to guide a presentation or discussion you want to lead—things like setting, character, conflict, plot and theme.
For example, if you’re making a recommendation to a group, establish the setting with a description of the context you’re in (a talent shortage, the competitive environment). Talk about the situation or challenge you’re facing (product failures, turnover, disengagement) and how it’s affecting the characters in the story (employees, customers, stakeholders). Then, talk about the main action (your recommendation) and the ending (a happy one, if your recommendation is accepted).
Using a story format will engage people more deeply and make your case more memorable and convincing.
2. Use Characters
One of the main reasons that stories are so compelling is because people tend to identify with the characters and feel empathy toward them. And they are especially moved when they can recognize parts of themselves in a story.
Interestingly, regardless of how stories are told (through hearing a story or seeing it with gestures or drawings), the characters are what move people the most, based on research published in the Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience.
When you’re trying to convince someone or influence them using story, you’ll be especially successful when you talk about how people are affected.
Share examples of employees who struggle with wellbeing, disengagement or unclear work expectations—and how things could improve with the new wellbeing program or the leadership development program. Or talk about the customer who had a bad experience with the product or service, and how it affected them—and how your solution will improve their experience.
3. Use Surprise or Mismatch
People tend to remember better when they have to work harder to think about something, or when they experience surprise. Give the audience something they don’t see coming, something that is counter-intuitive or a mismatch to what they are expecting.
For example, you might talk about the trouble you’re having hiring great candidates and your recommendation to tighten your selection standards. It seems counterintuitive, but will actually improve talent retention because you’ll more effectively match candidates to roles.
Or you might discuss the complaints people are making about your automated customer response system, and your recommendation to actually expand its use—because it will free up agents to do better work on the more complex issues that customers raise.
You can also use analogy as a way to create memorable speed bumps in people’s processing. When you’re talking about bland or direct business issues and make comparisons to unexpected things (think broadly: eagles, farm equipment, the solar system), it will give people pause and cause them to think about the issue in new ways.
4. Use Themes and Reinforce Values
Another important element of story is a strong theme, and you can apply this in your storytelling at work as well. Consider the business direction or the values you want to reinforce—and the word pictures or stories that will help carry the message. Also keep in mind the power of stories that are told repeatedly to communicate a key priority.
In one company culture, people regularly reference the idea of a spouting whales that get harpooned—reinforcing the value placed humility and the avoidance of arrogance. In another company, people repeat the analogy of boats that don’t make waves when they’re not moving—to communicate the value on dialogue, debate and healthy disagreement and their impact on great performance.
Be selective and intentional about what stories you develop, tell and repeat.
5. Use Stories in the Right Amounts and the Right Times
You’ll also want to use stories with the Goldilocks rule of just enough—in the right times and right places and with the right length.
You can use stories at the beginning of a presentation to engage people and draw them in, and then consider referencing back to the story at key points of inflection or as you close. You can also use story at the end of a discussion to cement information or emphasize your point.
Also be sure to use stories that are concise, meaningful and connected to what you’re trying to convey. Keep in mind that only a few words can convey significant messages. Like this story, originally published in 1906, “For Sale: Baby shoes, never worn.” Or consider this example, “Painfully, he changed is to was.” Or, “Head on pillow, not sleeping.”
Use storytelling judiciously and wisely for the greatest impact.
Storytelling Makes Things Sticky
Consider the stories from your childhood that have stuck with you. They might be true stories about yourself, your friends or family, or imaginary stories that engaged you.
Chances are, they surprised or delighted you—or triggered your emotions—making you afraid or hopeful, for example. In addition, they were likely long enough to provide detail and short enough to remember. And they probably also conveyed something about values, cautions or expectations.
Stories are powerful, not because they tell you how to think, but because they give you things to think about.
Use your memorable stories as guides for how you incorporate storytelling into your professional life and unlock new levels of communicating, compelling and influencing others.