“All that we are is story. From the moment we are born to the time we continue on our spirit journey, we are involved in the creation of the story of our time here. It is what we arrive with. It is all we leave behind. We are not the things we accumulate. We are not the things we deem important. We are story. All of us. What comes to matter then is the creation of the best possible story we can while we’re here; you, me, us, together. When we can do that and we take the time to share those stories with each other, we get bigger inside, we see each other, we recognize our kinship – we change the world, one story at a time…”

― Richard Wagamese

We encourage you to use “storytelling” in your presentations.

Not presenting facts and information.

Not listing in bullet points everything you want to say about your topic.

Tell us a story about it.

And this is why…

In a recent article from Leo Widrich, the founder of Buffer, he outlined the many ways a story can impact our brain in ways that mere facts cannot.

• regular information activates only our language processing parts in the brain, where stories also activate other areas, such as our sensory cortex or motor cortex – and MORE brain parts are always good right?!

• when we tell a story, many areas of our brain are activated, and the person listening to our story has the same parts activated by us – this means “By simply telling a story…[we] could plant ideas, thoughts and emotions into the listeners’ brains”

• when we hear a story, we try to find a way to connect it to our personal experiences, often we will turn a story into our own, re-telling it to someone else, which again means “a story is the only way to activate parts in the brain so that a listener turns the story into their own idea and experience”

Neuroeconomics pioneer, Paul Zak, says that stories have a potential to change our brain chemistry,

…even the simplest narrative can elicit powerful empathic response by triggering the release of neurochemicals like cortisol and oxytocin, provided it is highly engaging and follows the classic dramatic arc … (from: Brain Pickings)

This is the dramatic arc he references:

In “The Secrets of Storytelling” Jeremy Hsu outlines studies that have been done comparing the effect of commercials with a narrative to those that just present facts and information. Hsu says, study after study has shown that,

…people accept ideas more readily when their minds are in story mode as opposed to when they are in an analytical mind-set.

If you tell your story in an effective way, you could influence the listener/investor/customer to feel certain things about your product, resource, or cause.

What the Best Presenters Do Differently  by Carmine Gallo.

• Seven Tips for Effective Body Language on Stage by Carol Kinsey Goman

• While You’re Talking, What is Your Body Saying by Executive Communications Group

• How to CYA for Q&A by Nancy Duarte

• Responding to Questions Effectively by University of Leicester

• 13 Tips for Handling a Question and Answer Session by VirtualSpeechCoach.com

• 5 tips to improve Q&A by Charles Greene III