STORYTELLING
At the core of all effective and influential storytelling is a strong understanding of self and others . Commanding presence is all about what you value and how you show up with your nonverbals . We have over 4,000 human behaviors , and the limbic system reads them very well instinctually . This is why we have “ gut reactions ” to people . The most powerful storytellers I know have a strong sense of self and others .
Have you ever been at a gathering like a funeral or a wedding and someone speaks extemporaneously and makes you laugh , cry , and feel deeply emotional ? Why are we so moved in these moments ? Because the storyteller in that moment is truly connected to self and the stories they are sharing . They are willing to be courageous and vulnerable . Here is where our biology buys in . Whether your messages are in a form of marketing , branding , or a simple job interview , we often forget the journey these messages must take to be successful . In my experience , we often forget — or maybe don ’ t even know — how much we can control biologically with our audiences if we truly want to .
Take laughter , for example . It ’ s the most contagious behavior we have . We will laugh with others even when we don ’ t know what they are laughing at . We create our messages with our neocortex . The neocortex is where language , logic , and reason are created in the brain . However , our messages must first pass through the reptilian / dinosaur brain and the limbic brain before they get anywhere near the logic and reason .
Those two brains have no concept of language , logic , or reason . All they want to know is who are you ? Do I like you ? Can you help me ? Do I trust you ? These questions are answered instinctually not with what you say but with your nonverbals and in how you behave and show up .
Before your message even gets to the limbic system , it must go through the reptilian brain which processes information like the following :
• If it ’ s not threatening / risky , ignore it .
• If it ’ s boring , ignore it .
• If it ’ s not novel and stimulating , ignore it .
• If it ’ s new , summarize it as quickly as possible and forget about the details .
This is where using things like “ What ’ s in it for me ?” or “ Fear of Missing Out ” can come into play .
Basically , the reptilian brain will not send anything up to the neocortex for problem solving unless you have a situation that is really risky , unexpected , intriguing ; or out of the ordinary , novel , funny , or exciting . Story is a dynamic way to get past the gatekeeper .
In order to get the messages past the reptilian and limbic brain to the neocortex , we have to do the following :
• Open with the exciting Big Picture . Think TED talks .
• Make it emotional so that your audience will respond emotionally to what it sees and hears .
• Use a hook for the big aha moment to bridge the gap from the listener ’ s reptilian brain to their neocortex and thinks , Tell me more . This is interesting .
• We cannot make decisions without the emotional buy-in from the limbic system . All of this happens at lightning speed too , making it imperative to be highly self-aware and aware of others in order to be really good at delivering emotionally powerful messages .
Storytelling is extremely effective because our brains are wired for it . Before we even had a neocortex with language and logic , we told stories with our nonverbals and paintings on cave walls . This reminds me of when I was speaking to about 200 sales managers and executives one day on the power of story and a young man raised his hand and asked me , “ Can you even tell a story without speaking ?” I replied , “ Yes , Have you ever heard of a mime ? Google Marcel Marceau .”
Most people try to tell stories by listing facts and forget to read their audience , alter their tone of voice , describe tantalizing visualizations , use perfect pausing , or use emotional words that elicit reactions . Details that delight the limbic system are dropped . So why don ’ t people dive in and develop these skills ? My guess is that it takes time ! After all , time is money . And where is the ROI in practicing to become a great storyteller ? Oh , I don ’ t know . Maybe ask J . K . Rowling ! +
Stephanie Paul takes great pride in coaching executives , sales teams , TEDx speakers , fundraisers , and experts of all kinds to become master communicators .
In fact , her proven approach , “ Powerful Emotional Engaging Presentations ,” draws upon her 29 years of rich and diverse entertainment experience . Her talents take many forms – as an actress who has worked in 10 international TV and Film markets , an improv , stand-up , and sketch comedian , director , producer for live events , stage and video , writer , and public speaker . As a result , Stephanie ’ s profound knowledge of the entertainment business , as well as her keen ability to deliver her content with wit , wisdom , and humor , guarantee that her training sessions are inspirational , spontaneous , engaging , and fun !
Whether a trainer , keynote speaker , or MC , Stephanie has the uncanny knack to turn any , “ Bored Room ” into a lively , spirited , and connected room – creating highly memorable experiences for all .
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