Storytelling is an intrinsic part of the human experience, dating back thousands of years. Much of history as we know it is due largely to stories being passed down through generations. There is nothing quite as compelling as a story that keeps you on the edge of your seat. So how does this translate to the presentation space? You want to make sure your audience is tracking with you. You must deliver information that will yield your desired result. Let’s explore why storytelling’s capacity to be understood, remembered, and retold can deliver powerful long-lasting effects.
Relate
Boring powerpoint presentations with bulleted lists, void of visuals don’t make our brains work very hard. Overall, it hits the language processing parts of the brain, where we decode words into meaning. And that’s it, nothing else happens. However, our brains have the ability to relate to the storytelling aspect of a presentation through all five senses. This is because the same neurological regions are stimulated whether through story or by encountering an experience in real life, according to Emory University researchers. If given detail and told the right story, we transport to the time and place being described. We are then able to fully experience the tale for ourselves.
Remember
Because of the experiential learning aspect of storytelling, presentations that tell the right stories at the right times are memorable. According to Nick Morgan for Forbes,
“No matter how interesting the information, you’ll run up against the limitations of the brain and quickly overtax your audience… If instead you tell your audience a story, you get to jump right into the deeper parts of their brain, where emotion and memory work together — the hippocampus and amygdala.”
We see marketing efforts capitalize on the endless benefits of memorability every day. Bottom line: you need to tell rich, meaningful stories in order to be remembered.
Retell
Once your presentation is memorable, it is able to be retold by your audience members to their peers, superiors, and beyond. Presentations are all about connection. If you are both connecting with your audience and giving them knowledge to pass on to others, you are winning. This is the idea behind posts going viral. People don’t just happen to all click the same link–that link is being shared by people they trust. The power of storytelling comes to life in a meaningful way when stories are able to be passed along through the proper channels.
By being relatable, memorable, and shareable, the stories you tell will outlast the time slot you’re given to present. This will likely open up opportunities for more stories to be shared–so start digging! We are experiencing stories every moment. The more aware you are
of the story you are participating in, the better you’ll be able to share that story. As communication experts, we would love to help you highlight those stories in your next big pitch. Reach out today for a free quote!
