“Of course it’s the same old story. Truth usually is the same old story.”
-Margaret Thatcher
There are a lot of theories about why stories are such an effective way of communicating ideas; that they sidestep the mental critical facilities or that they trigger memories of our earliest experiences in life. Whatever the reasons, they work. Politicians, salesmen and religious leaders throughout history have used stories to effectively convey experiences, concepts, ideologies and attitudes.
But knowing that isn’t enough, if you don’t know how to tell a good story. Some people are naturally gifted storytellers, but most of us aren’t. We can, however, look to Hollywood for some clues. Most Hollywood movies are at their hearts, extremely simple stories.
Virtually every Hollywood movie begins with a problem, whether it’s “boy meets girl” or “aliens attack Earth”. The rest of the movie is simply the hero of the story trying to solve the problem of “What should I do about this?” In the end, of course, the problem is solved and everyone, except the villain, lives happily ever after.
It is the, “What should I do about this?”, that gives stories their incredible power to entertain, teach, persuade and inspire. By analogy, or direct example, we can use stories to show the audience what they should do, think, believe or feel in any given situation. And yet, because the idea is delivered in the form of a story, it isn’t examined in the same critical way it would be if we just said, “Here’s what you should do”.
A story is simply something that happened. Assuming it’s true, not an assumption we can always make, of course, the listeners then draw the implications of how that applies to their own lives out of the story. And nothing is as persuasive, compelling or inspirational as a conclusion we’ve drawn on our own.
That’s why effective politicians, salesmen and leaders of all kinds use stories to teach and persuade. It’s not just about entertaining your audience, though that is a nice side benefit. It’s about giving them a vivid experience of the solution or the path forward.
It’s about showing them the way, rather than telling them about it.
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
I believe it was Henry James who said words to the effect that: stories only happen to people who can tell stories.
Or maybe it was Jessie James – I always get the James brothers confused.
I’ve just discovered your blog and am enjoying working my way back through the archive. What seems to be happening in this post is not unlike an unfolding story. I’m looking forward to seeing were the arc of this project is headed.
That’s the way it feels to me too, Scott. Although each post is meant to be a discrete idea, I’m finding all kinds of connections between them.
It’s a very interesting way to write.