Why Tell Stories?
Good morning,
I’ve written before that the most compelling arguments have to go beyond being simply logical. You need to evoke emotion. What’s the easiest way to appeal to listeners’ emotions while still making rational, evidence-based arguments?
It’s time for a story. Let's dive in.
I used to work with a seller who believed pure logic was the best and only way to convince customers to take action. On client calls, they presented evidence-based arguments. Armed with data and a vanilla presentation style, this seller still managed to close deals. But the deals they lost were often lost quietly. In a meeting I shadowed, the client seemed to disengage relatively early on in the conversation, unbeknownst to the seller. After the meeting went nowhere, the surprised seller said to me “How do they not understand they’d literally increase their revenue by over 50% by implementing this technology change?” The seller needed to bridge the gap between their logical sales approach and keeping the meeting engaging. They weren't expressing themselves in a way the client found personal or compelling. Storytelling is a universal language.
When you give your audience a meaningful and relatable story, you’re giving them the chance to emotionally connect with your message. When you don’t do this, you’ve resorted to throwing information in their direction praying they’ll like it. Let's illustrate the power of relatability.
Imagine you're at the supermarket and, right before you swipe your credit card, you're presented with this message:
1 in 6 children in the US experience food insecurity. Would you like to donate $5 to Feeding America?
Y
N
Don't pretend you didn't mindlessly smash the “N” button and get to the next screen (if you do… ). But why is it so easy for you— a person of privilege who definitely has $5 to spare— to say “no” here? One reason: people are much less likely to give money in response to stories of statistical victims. Put differently, when you hear the story of Oliver, a three-year old starving child living in a nearby neighborhood who could be fed by your generosity, you suddenly feel more compelled to donate. It's much harder for us to emotionally grasp the concept of “one in six.” Many charities understand this well, proven by their choice to market specific individuals’ stories of suffering as a representation of the problem their broader cause is trying to solve. Relatability is powerful. A great story engages the emotional part of your audience’s brain which transforms your opaque idea, business plan, or vision into something both relatable and actionable
Your takeaway here is straightforward. Regardless of how complex or important the topic you're discussing with a stakeholder, it's so much easier to make your point stick with compelling and relatable stories.
Approximately two-thirds of human’s daily conversations consist of a particular kind of story: gossip (source). When we communicate freely with friends and family in non-work settings, we tell stories. No, gossiping with your client won’t close a deal, but the point stands: storytelling is a universal language.
Tell a relatable short story in your next pitch meeting. Whether through short personal anecdotes, a vision of what the future could look like, or a story of disaster that could have been avoided with action, bring your message to life.