Yesterday I had a pre-call for an upcoming event. Next month, in Las Vegas, I will be speaking to 150 CEO’s about The Power of Storytelling. As we went through what I would be sharing, the event organizer asked, “What led you to writing and speaking about storytelling? Why are you fascinated with stories?”
There are probably several answers to that question, but here is the one I gave and I think it is vital for every leader to understand.
Storytelling is one of the most underrated tools in business and effective storytelling just might be the most impactful leadership method there is.
Here is why.
A study by Uri Hasses of Princeton revealed surprising brain activity in audiences as they listened to a speaker tell a story. “The results showed that not only did all of the listeners show similar brain activity during the story, the speaker and the listeners had very similar brain activity despite the fact that one person was producing language and the others were comprehending it,” said Hasses.
So what is the takeaway? When we tell a good story, we create connection between us and the audience.
When leaders tell a good story, they are literally connected with their people.
So when it comes to culture building, brand advertising, vision casting, relationship building, or leadership coaching – stories create connection, which in turn creates influence.