A few brief snips from leading storytelling practitioners on why storytelling is critical for your business today …
“The implications of Web 2.0 and technological innovation on humankind are staggering. As I like to describe it, “the means of story production have become democratized”. … In a complex, interdependent world where worldviews and value systems collide, we naturally turn to storytelling as our most basic coping mechanism for making sense and meaning of everything around us.” — Michael Margolis
“Savvy media gurus have come to realize that storytelling is the quickest and most relevant way to share information… everything is speeding up… In today’s faster paced time, storytelling is essential because [it] captures the listener.” — Annie Hart
“In our world of 24/7 news feeds, social media, etc., we are trying to drink from a firehose of information, and we’re finding ourselves bowled over yet still thirsty. … The storytelling movement is about restoring — “re-story-ing” if you will — a more authentic means of learning from each other and drawing meaning from our own experiences.” — Sarah White
“Leaders are looking for new ways to understand what’s really happening in their organization. They are looking for better ways to engage and better ways to motivate people. Stories are integral to the new ways of working in complex environments.” — Shawn Callahan
“Mostly I think the reason is the control people are exercising over selecting what information they spend their time with. There are more choices than ever before, people are busier with limited time, so why would they choose to spend that time on things that don’t meet their needs? The more personalized and relevant information is to the person presented with it, the more engagement is possible. Storytelling is in our genes.” — Ardath Albee
Clearly, when people can actually visualize what it would be like to do business with you, engagement follows.