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Storytelling e.

by Lani Peterson | November 14, UP

2017
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Storytelling has the power to engage, influence,
teach and inspire listeners. That’s why we argue for
organizations to build a storytelling culture and ending
place storytelling at the heart of their learning
programs. There’s an art to telling a good story, kes Storytelling So
and we all know a good story when we hear one. For Learning?
But there’s also a science behind the art of adership? It All Starts With
storytelling.
nce Behind The Art Of
Here’s how it works, starting with the science of
ng
the non-story:
man Skills to Thrive in the
We’ve all listened to (and suffered through) long gital Workplace
PowerPoint presentations made up of bullet points
Intuition: Good Decisions
– bullet points that may be meaningful to the th
presenter, but lack the same punch for the
audience. Even if the presenter is animated, when
we hear information being ticked off like this, the
language processing parts in our brain, known as
Broca’s area and Wernicke’s area, get to work,
translating those bullet points into story form
where we can find our own meaning. The problem
with this, however, is that the story we come up
with in our mind may not be the same one the
speaker is intending to convey through data.

When a speaker delivers those same facts within a

story, however, something else happens in the
brain. In his essay “The Science of Storytelling:
What Listening to a Story Does to Our Brains”,
entrepreneur and storyteller Leo Widrich noted
that there’s research to suggest that when we hear
a story, “not only are the language processing
parts in our brain activated, but any other area in
our brain that we would use when experiencing the
events of the story are, too.” For example, sensory
details like the client was as excited as if he had
won the lottery engage a listener’s sensory cortex.
Action words like drive this project home engage
the motor cortex, all leading to a more connected
and richer experiencing of the message. In short,
the more a speaker conveys information in story
form, the closer the listener’s experience and
understanding will be to what the speaker actually
intended.

Neuroscientists are still debating these findings,

but we know from experience that when we’re
listening to a good story — rich in detail, full of
metaphor, expressive of character — we tend to
imagine ourselves in the same situation. Just think
about all those scary stories told around the
campfire. Your heart rate increases, you get
goosebumps, the hair on the back of your neck
stands on end. The stories told in a business
setting might not be quite as dramatic (or hair-
raising), but nevertheless can be more impactful
than data alone.

Lisa Cron, in Wired for Story, speaks to additional

benefits of sharing stories in business settings,
“Stories allow us to simulate intense experience
without having to actually live through them.
Stories allow us to experience the world before we
actually have to experience it.” Leo Widrich, citing
Princeton neuroscientist Uri Hasson, writes that “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.” The potential value here for
managers to use story to mentor and coach is
clear. Through stories, we can utilize vicarious
experience, mentally rehearsing how we might
handle a situation before we have to face it.
Internal data banks, so full of what if’s and how
to’s, are refreshed with new options, without our
having to live through an experience and all the
risk that might entail.

There are additional scientific elements at play.

Scientists are discovering that chemicals like
cortisol, dopamine and oxytocin are released in
the brain when we’re told a story. Why does that
matter? If we are trying to make a point stick,
cortisol assists with our formulating memories.
Dopamine, which helps regulate our emotional
responses, keeps us engaged. When it comes to
creating deeper connections with others, oxytocin
is associated with empathy, an important element
in building, deepening or maintaining good
relationships.

Perhaps most importantly, storytelling is central to

meaning-making and sense-making. It is through
story that our minds form and examine our own
truths and beliefs, as well as discern how they
correlate with the truths and beliefs of others.
Through story listening, we gain new perspectives
and a better understanding of the world around
us. We challenge and expand our own
understanding by exploring how others see and
understand the world through their lens.

By sharing and listening to each other’s stories, we

all get a little bit closer to what’s true.

Ultimately, storytelling is about the exchange of

ideas, about growth – and that’s learning. That’s
why we believe that it’s important that we embed
storytelling in our organizational cultures and in
our learning programs. Storytelling is essential. If
you’re trying to engage, influence, teach, or inspire
others, you should be telling or listening to a story,
and encouraging others to tell a story with you.
You’ll have plenty of science to back you up.

Lani Peterson, Psy.D. is a psychologist,

professional storyteller and executive coach who
specializes in the use of story as a powerful
medium for personal growth, connection and
change. Drawing on her broad experience with
individuals, teams and organizations in the profit
and nonprofit worlds, Lani brings a unique
combination of personal stories, knowledge of the
 theory behind stories, and deep experience
helping people use stories to transform their
understanding of themselves and others. Lani’s
professional training includes a doctorate in
psychology from William James University, a
master’s in counseling psychology from Lesley
University, and bachelor’s degree in literature from
Smith College. She is a member of the National
Speakers Association, the National Storytelling
Network, and serves on the Executive Committee
of the Healing Story Alliance, which she recently
chaired for five years.

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