Storytelling is the buzz word in the corporate circles. Organisations are investing millions of dollars in getting their “story right”.  At an individual level, celebrities, business leaders, politicians and anybody keen on wanting to make a mark are carefully carving their stories through various social media posts and other activities, because ultimately we all are a product of the stories we tell the world!

So ever wondered my stories work?

The reasons are more than one.

1) To begin with, stories are the most non-judgemental form of information dissemination. People don’t like to be told or advised. There is always a zone of resistance when someone feels that he is being ‘advised’, but the same works effectively when a story is planted to act as a tool of self-reflection, prompting the person to take corrective action. Change works best when it is self-initiated.

2) Storytelling is one of the most ancient forms of education. As children, we have been told stories by our grandparents, parents and nursery teachers. It is these stories that remain etched in our memory than all the theories and theorems we learnt to attain a degree.

3) Storytelling has the ability to invoke the right brain or the emotional half, which is easier to appease. Man is a social animal, always trying to establish a connect and willing to give into the vulnerabilities of life rather than just go by data and statistics. It has been proven that the most vital decisions be it in the corporate world or our personal lives are driven by emotions. We often ‘go by the heart’. A touching story melts the heart!

Ever wondered why storytelling has gained prominence recently?

.. because with the evolving modes of communication, there is a growing need to stand out. The world of storytelling is way bigger than you can imagine.

Initially when you hear the word “Storytelling”, it gets us to think of grandparents telling us stories or the modern storytellers narrating stories on stage. But think beyond and you will realise how stories are being played out in our daily lives.

There is a story behind every product we use or person we meet

As an educational tool, awareness programs through street plays and dramas serve as a tool of educating the general public, both in rural and urban India.  Visual storytelling from stage plays, theatre, to modern day cinema (and the recent OTT platforms) has captivated mankind as a form of entertainment and a means to influence the audience. Popular actors in these mediums have since ages immemorial attained status and fame, purely because the audience connect to the characters in their movies or plays. Such is the power of how a fictional story can create an impact in the real world!

At a personal level, we form opinions or perceptions based on incidents we have encountered with people. Reflect back on a conversation you had with your best friend about  a colleague at work. How did you describe him/her?

There is a high probability that for every point or adjective used to describe ‘the person’, it would have been accompanied by an example of an instance you encountered with him/her. There will always be a ‘mini story’ to justify your analysis or perception!, which is why ‘Personal storytelling‘ or branding is vital in today’s world, because the ‘mini stories’ people tell about you should have a far reaching positive impact rather than serve counter-productive.  

When it comes to say purchasing a product like a mobile phone- the various brands from an I-Phone, One Plus, Samsung to a Xiaomi, all have a narrative to position their product to a certain target audience.  Not all who purchase an I-Phone buy it for its features, but because its perceived to be ‘classy’ and ‘the best’ in the market, that’s the power of storytelling! It creates wants beyond needs!

Storytelling is like an ocean- unending, vast and vital!

Look around, the people, the objects and the incidents playing out have some story to tell!

What is the story you are telling the world?

Reflect, re-align and build a winning storyline!