Storytelling is an ancient art form that allows us to understand better the world we live in. Ancient civilizations would seek out storytellers, works of visual art, and written fables to hear tales of hardship and triumph. From cave drawings and hieroglyphics to oral traditions, stories were passed down from generation to generation by word of mouth.
As humans, words are perhaps our most powerful tools. Words have crushed souls and built empires. The true power of words resides in how you tell your story.
To learn how to tell a great story, you must first understand how the art evolved. Since the dawn of human history, we have used the following types of storytelling to tell better stories:
- Oral storytelling is one of the oldest forms of storytelling. It passes traditionally through generations revolving mainly about lived stories that forge an emotional connection with the previous generations.
- Visual storytelling is found, for instance, in hieroglyphs. This form of storytelling is as old as the birth of humanity. Stories were composed of symbols representing both sounds and characters.
- Written storytelling is born from the development of the alphabet. Also, the era of mass communication in which humans transcribed oral and visual stories into short stories and epics —from fairy tales to newspapers to novels— has altered the history of storytelling forever.
- Digital storytelling is all about the new forms of media, from the radio, film, television to social media (blogs, videos, and so on). This practice is based on computer-based tools. It can be found on any platform we use on a daily basis, and it allows everyone to share their original stories.
In today’s world, understanding the various types of storytelling is essential to tell your own story.
Storytelling is a universal form of expression. It lets your audience be drawn to it, to be curious about what might happen next.
In the business world, good stories— what differentiates a good product from a premium one.
The following are some key points to consider when using stories in business:
- Character-driven stories with emotional content provide a better understanding of the key points a speaker wishes to make and improve the recollection of these points weeks later.
- The use of stories can benefit organizations. People are much more motivated by their organization’s ability to improve people’s lives than by its ability to sell goods and services.
- The use of stories as founding myths for companies. Having an original account or history is an impactful means of conveying transcendent purpose.
Paul J. Zak, the Center for Neuroeconomics Studies’ founding director, investigates how stories shape our brains, connect strangers, and move us to be more empathic and generous in his research. In his Harvard Business Review article: Why Your Brain Loves Good Storytelling, the author of Trust Factor: The Science of Creating High-Performance Companies explains that many business people have already discovered the power of storytelling in a practical sense – they have observed how compelling a well-constructed narrative can be. Recent scientific research, however, is putting a finer point on how stories change our attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors.
According to Paul J. Zak’s research, character-driven stories consistently cause the synthesis of the oxytocin hormone. Further, the amount released by the brain matches the people willing to buy a product or donate to a cause, when, and only when a narrative is used.
Stories motivate voluntary cooperation.
And, people are far more motivated by how their organization improves people’s lives than it is by how it sells goods and services. Your company has its own origin story, or founding myth. Sharing that story is an effective way to communicate transcendent purposes.
Storytelling is the future of marketing. Brands use it to sell products. It exploits human nature and targets emotions, instincts, and needs that make the audience relate to the product/service. But one shall be careful when tempering those three (emotions, instincts, and needs) to be one of the best in their field.
Storytelling is an omnipresent source of motivation, hope, everlasting curiosity with a spark of emotions. Brands use it to entice their audience. It is important to reflect that motivation and resourcefulness when crafting a story. Storytelling is one of the means that your company has, and with the right tools you can persuade, come to compromises, and even change your audience’s opinions. You can get the right tools delivered to you with a simple click. Subscribe to get our free content and be the first to hear about our updates!