Storytelling is a highly influential means of communication and so much more than a form of entertainment. It’s incredibly effective at driving action, changing beliefs, building communities and brands, and spreading ideas. Story is powerful—so powerful that it has garnered a lot of attention in recent years and storytelling has become a buzzword. It gets thrown around, used, and abused. From yogis and advertisers to business developers and data analysts, people in every industry are trying to brand themselves as storytellers. And sometimes, they might do incredibly well at capturing the essence of an experience and retelling it, but sadly, this is not always (or even usually) the case.
THE PROBLEM IS, MOST PEOPLE HAVE BEEN MISLED AS TO WHAT A STORY ACTUALLY IS; THEY’VE BEEN LED TO BELIEVE THAT EVERYTHING IS STORY.
To be fair, the word story is often defined as the retelling of events. But such “stories” don’t always connect with audiences. An effective storyteller will reach people on an emotional level and their stories will be remembered. A good story needs to be so much more than the culmination of facts or a sequence of