Great storytelling leads to great influence

And yet this is quite normal and happens frequently. Haven't you had that embarrassing moment when a friend told you a story and a week later, you related the same story back, as if it was your own story?

One of the most powerful ways to get people in tune with your way of thinking and to share your ideas and vision is to 'tell them your story'.

Cognitive connections

Research at Princeton University into cognitive connections between people showed that when a story engages the audience it activates parts in the brain, creating similar wave patterns to those of the storyteller. The listener literally experiences the story as though it's theirs!

A team of scientists at Princeton, led by Uri Hasson, had a woman tell a story while in an MRI scanner. Functional MRI scans detect brain activity by monitoring blood flow; when a brain region is active it needs more blood to provide oxygen and nutrients. The active regions light up on a computer screen.

They recorded her story on a computer and monitored her brain activity as she spoke. She did this twice, once in English and once in Russian; she was fluent in both languages. They then had a group of volunteers listen to the stories through headphones while they had their brains scanned. All of the volunteers spoke English, but none understood Russian. After the volunteers heard the story, Hasson asked them some questions to see how much of each story they understood.

When the woman spoke English, the volunteers understood her story, and their brains synchronized. When she had activity in her insula, an emotional brain region, the listeners did too. When her frontal cortex lit up, so did theirs.

Storytelling isn't just communication

Storytelling is not new in business. A number of companies have attempted to exploit the approach to improve the way staff communicate and report - often with mixed results in terms of real change in communication success.

Ultimately, storytelling in business isn't just about communicating - it's an influencing approach. Possibly one of the most powerful ways we have available to us to change the way others view the world - a genuine "hearts and minds" process.

Transfer experiences

When you tell a story to a colleague, an audience or a consumer, you can transfer experiences directly to their brain. They feel what you feel. They empathize. As you relate someone's desires through a story, they become the desires of the audience. When you hear a good story, you develop empathy with the teller because you experience the events for yourself.

Ever had that experience in a meeting with your boss or project sponsor, having poured out your well thought through ideas about how to take the project forward, just to find yourself horror struck in the next meeting when they 'story-steal' and relate your ideas and your vision as through it's theirs?

Stay calm. Take a deep breath and reflect on your success. After all - what better evidence can you get to their commitment to your cause? Perhaps, by telling them, you transferred the story to their brain.

They probably felt as if they could see the plan - could execute the plan, if only vicariously through you. Take it as a tribute to your gift as a good storyteller and a great influencer!