10 Oct The Immense Power of Stories
In the amphitheatre of oratory and public speaking, a silent pact is often forged between speaker and audience, bound together with the delicate tendrils of stories and anecdotes. Engaging public speakers artfully weave these threads, crafting a tapestry that envelops the audience and guides them through a landscape where words morph into experiences and experiences into connections.
Consider, for a moment, the palpable frisson* that fills a room when a speaker recounts the right personal anecdote at the right time. The transmutation that occurs is not coincidental; it is deeply rooted in our psychology, and harks back to a time when storytelling was not just an art but a crucial tool for learning and communication, and passing on of culture. Our ancestors, huddled around that frequently mentioned fire, would share tales that encapsulated their beliefs, knowledge, and experiences.
Stories become a vessel, ensuring continuity of connection among the listeners – whether through prehistoric times, in tribal societies or in our present day. Stories, according to researcher into the nature of knowledge and learning Paul Boudrye are the “operating system for our civilisation.”
The Psychological Alchemy of Storytelling
Narratives, particularly those speckled with personal and relevant anecdotes, cast a peculiar kind of enchantment on the human brain, and science is with us on this particular kind of magic. Neuroscientific studies reveal that stories which stir emotions and involve personal experiences induce a phenomenon known as ‘neural coupling’. This suggests a synchronization between the speaker’s and the listeners’ brains, creating a shared emotional and cognitive space. Moreover, when listeners become engrossed in a story, not only are the language-processing parts of their brain activated, but so are the areas of the brain that would engage if they were experiencing the events first-hand.
Neuroscientist Dominika Pikul (whom you have already met on this blog), explains it like this: “From a neurobiological perspective, emotional experiences tend to be more memorable because they simultaneously trigger both the amygdala and hippocampus. The amygdala, which is primarily associated with emotional processes, aids the hippocampus in enhancing the storage of memories. This leads to stronger memories. Importantly, emotions play a significant role in many other cognitive processes – including perception, attention and decision-making. In short – if you want your listeners to pay attention, remember or change opinion – make them feel something. And the best way to do it is through story telling.”
Take, for instance, the poignant stories shared by the popular author and public speaker, Brene Brown. Her sagacious insights into vulnerability and shame are interwoven with her own experiences and struggles, thus constructing a bridge between her empirical knowledge and empathetic understanding. Her stories, at once universally relevant and deeply personal, invite listeners to dwell in a shared emotional space, thereby fostering an implicit connection that is both authentic and impactful.
Metaphorical lighthouses: guiding through the fog of disconnection:
An effective speaker is akin to a seasoned sea captain, adroitly employing metaphors and similes as lighthouses to navigate the audience through the foggy seas of ambiguity towards understanding and connection. Metaphors act as beacons that illuminate complex, abstract concepts with familiar images and experiences, thereby anchoring the audience in a recognisable cognitive and emotional shore. (OK, enough maritime similes for the moment…)
Anecdotes: projecting authenticity and relatability:
Speakers who use anecdotes masterfully are able to weave a thread of relatability through the eye of authenticity, sewing together a patchwork quilt that warmly envelops their audience. These narratives, often steeped in vulnerability and sharing of personal experience, permit the audience to glimpse the humanity behind the expertise, fostering an environment where authentic connections can flourish. That is when the speaker is able to fully deliver their message to the audience, not before. Facts and data alone convince no-one. We need to connect first.
Elizabeth Gilbert, author and speaker, navigates through her anecdotes with an ethereal grace that bridges her intrinsic human fears and desires with those of her audience. Her tales of failure, rejection, and relentless pursuit of her writing convey not just her personal journey, but also allow a universal echo to reverberate in the corridors of collective struggles and dreams.
Empathy, often the underlying current within the stream of storytelling, propels the story forward, undulating between speaker and audience in an ebb and flow of shared emotions. Storytelling allows empathy to pour from the stage, to lap at the shores of each listener’s emotional realm, enabling a deeper understanding and connection.
When great speakers like Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie share stories of cultural dichotomies, of the struggles and richness that dwell within the intersections of different worlds, they tap into a wellspring of empathy. This enables listeners, irrespective of their backgrounds, to see the world through her experiences, to perceive life through her lens, albeit momentarily. A seed of understanding and connection is thus planted, and can be nurtured with further engagement with her writings, for instance.
The kaleidoscope of storytelling, especially when imbued with personal and relatable anecdotes, melds together the cognitive, emotional, and experiential fragments within each listener, crafting a mosaic that transcends mere understanding into the realms of connection and empathy. It demystifies complex concepts, lights the path through the unknown with those metaphorical lighthouses, and gently ushers the audience into a shared domain.
In essence, good speakers can create a magical chorus where words transcend their merely auditory existence, morphing into experiences that linger, emotions that resonate, and wisdom that echoes within the chambers of human connection and understanding. And herein lies the profound power of storytelling, a timeless vessel that seamlessly traverses through the oceans of our collective human experiences, ever-binding, ever-resonating, and ever-powerful.
Author, mentor and story strategist Robin Rice put it this way: “What you bring to a story on the stage is presence. Without it, you flatline. With it you connect. The more authentic the story, the more personal the story, the more opportunity there is to make a difference with your story. People will remember you and if you were lucky, you’ll remember, too, because you were really there.”
* I can’t resist adding the Wikipedia definition – Frisson: also known as aesthetic chills or psychogenic shivers, is a psychophysiological response to rewarding stimuli that often induces a pleasurable or otherwise positively-valenced affective state and transient paresthesia, sometimes along with piloerection and mydriasis.
Now you know.