"Storytelling the most powerful way to put ideas into the world today," according to master storyteller Robert McKee. This power point is about why story matters in a world of constant change and so much information to absorb at ever-increasing speed, and the importance of learning the art of story for maximum impact on the listener. Presented at the Applied Improvisation Network annual conference in Montreal on Sept. 28, 015.

1. The Art of Storytelling And
How It Can Help Make A
Better World
Applied Improvisation Network 2015 World Conference
Presented by Jude Treder-Wolff, LCSW, CGP, MT
Lifestage, Inc www.lifestage.org

3. “We are creatures of story, and the process of
changing one mind or the whole world must begin
with ‘Once upon a time.’”
Research repeatedly shows that
our attitudes, fears, hopes, and
values are strongly influenced by
story.
“Why Storytelling Is The Ultimate Weapon” Jonathan Gottschall, Fast Company,
May 2, 2012

4. Story promotes understanding about the
tensions of change and the evolution of ideas
“Technology is evolving at roughly
10 million times the speed of
natural evolution. For all its glitz
and swagger, technology and the
whole interactive, revved-up
economy that goes with it is
merely an outer casing for outer
selves. And these inner selves,
these primate souls of ours with
their ancient social ways, change
slowly. Or not at all.”
Brian Arthur, “How Fast Is Technology Evolving?” Scientific American (February
1997): 107

5. Stories are powerful ways to convey and
consolidate knowledge.
“Sharing experiences through
stories is emerging in various
professions as a powerful way to
exchange and consolidate
knowledge. Research suggests
that sharing experiences though
narrative builds trust, cultivates
norms, transfers tacit knowledge,
facilitates unlearning, and
generates emotional
connections.”
Kimiz Dalkir & Erica Wiseman, “Organizational Storytelling and Knowledge
Management: A Survey” Storytelling, Self, Society, Vol No. 1, Fall 2004

6. Through story,
information and ideas
ride in on a raft made
of emotional
connection carried
along by a current
called narrative

7. A story can be a metaphor.
A story can contain metaphors.
The brain feasts on metaphors.
Metaphors specifically
promote people's ability
to identify the emotions
or mental state of others.
Andrea Bowes, Albert Katz. Metaphor creates intimacy and
temporarily enhances theory of mind. Memory & Cognition, 2015;

8. Metaphors engage the
cognitive, imaginative,
emotional and sensory
capacities of the brain
all at once. This
integration enhances
memory and receptivity
to new learning.

9. Story is the currency of human contact
"Stories the world over are
almost always about people
with problems. Through
stories, we can reap the
benefits of engaging with an
emotional journey without
having to actually go through it
ourselves.”
Jonathan Gottschall, The Storytelling Animal: How Stories Make Us
Human. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt; 2012

10. “Stories are how you attempt to make sense of
where you've been, where you are and where
you're going.”Kevin Allison, creator and host of RISK! podcast.
"When it comes to
inspiring people to
embrace some strange
new change in behavior,
storytelling isn’t just better
than the other tools. It’s
the only thing that works,“
Nathan Englander, “Stories That Will Plain Curl Your Eyelasher: A Love
Letter To The Moth, The New Yorker, June 14, 2012

11. Effective stories engage the emotions.
“As new challenges occur, an
adult learner is forced to sharpen
and renew their skills. Leaving old
knowledge behind implies not
only cognitive transformation,
but also an emotional
transformation to accept
changes, differences, and most
fearful, uncertainty.” Brad Shuck, Carlos
Albornoz & Marina Winberg, “Emotions and Their Effect on Adult
Learning: A Constructivist Perspective” Proceedings of the 6th Annual
College Education Research Conference, 2007

12. Stories work best when they pack an emotional
“punch.” For this to happen, the central character
does not have to be the hero, and endings do not
have to be happy.
“People require some sort
of stressor, some sort of
arousal response in the
brain to have the type of
narrative transportation
where we begin to share
the emotions of the
characters in a story.”
Paul Zak & Jorge Barrazza, “Empathy toward
Strangers Triggers Oxytocin Release and Subsequent
Generosity” Values, Empathy, and Fairness across
Social Barriers: Ann. N.Y. Acad. Sci. 1167: 182–189
(2009).

13. The classic story structure is most effective
for evoking emotional connection.
“The best stories will always
have an increasing level of
tension, and there exists a type
of universal story structure—one
in which a protagonist faces
some sort of stressful challenge
or conflict—that draws attention
because it’s engaging
emotionally and intellectually.”
Paul Zak & Jorge Barrazza, “Empathy toward Strangers Triggers
Oxytocin Release and Subsequent Generosity” Values, Empathy, and
Fairness across Social Barriers: Ann. N.Y. Acad. Sci. 1167: 182–189
(2009).

14. The story is in the struggle
Through the struggles and
challenges of the story's main
character, we have a window
into social worlds and internal
processes we might otherwise
not know about.
We might not identify with the
protagonist but can connect
with other players in the story
as it unfolds.

15. The classic story structure
1. The Set-up: What is the main
character’s “deal?” Set the scene,
place the audience in a specific
time and place. Include details
about the main character’s state
of mind and most importantly:
what does he/she want?
2. The Inciting Incident:
Something happens to upset the
way things are, that somehow
impacts or challenges the main
character in his/her quest for
what it is he/she wants.

16. Neuroscience supports the power of using the
classic story structure for enhancing the emotional
impact and delivery of information
3. The Rising Action: The turning
point of the story. As a result of
the inciting incident, choices are
made, actions taken and
consequences endured. The
storyteller heightens tension by
describing the sensory
experiences, the emotions, and
internal process during dramatic
events. Comedy works too.
4. The Falling Action: The direct
effects of the actions taken, the
fall-out from the consequences,
the emotional process as things
begin to level out.

17. The higher the emotional stakes in the story,
the more impact it has on the listener.
5. The resolution: what
changed because of these
events. How is the central
character transformed, did
he/she get what he/she
wanted, or did what
he/she want change in
some important way?

18. Data inserted into a narrative is more likely to
be understood and internalized
When a storyteller describes a
visual scene with compelling
detail, the visual cortex of the
brain lights up as if the listener is
actually seeing. Descriptions of
physical actions light up the motor
cortex as if the listener is engaged
in the activity. This makes stories
an effective delivery system for
information.

19. “In a story you not only weave a lot of information
into the telling but you also arouse your listener’s
emotion and energy.”
“Stories fulfill a profound human
need to grasp the patterns of
living – not merely as an
intellectual exercise, but within a
very personal, emotional
experience.” “Storytelling That Moves People” Harvard
Business Review, June, 2003

20. “Neural coupling” occurs when a listener and
storyteller are successfully connecting
“Findings indicate that during
successful communication, speakers’
and listeners’ brains exhibit joint,
temporally coupled, response
patterns. Such neural coupling
substantially diminishes in the
absence of communication, such as
when listening to an unintelligible
foreign language.”
“Speaker-listener neural coupling underlies successful communication”
Proceedings of the National Academy of Science Vol. 107 No. 32
http://www.pnas.org/content/107/32/14425.full

21. “Well-designed, well-told stories
can convey both information and
emotion, both the explicit and the
tacit, both the core and the
context.”
Snowden, D. “The Art and science of Story or ‘Are you sitting uncomfortably?’”
Business Information Review, Dec 2000 17(4): 215-226.

22. “Good stories happen to
people who can tell them.” Ira Glass
“A story is about creating what's
possible in the world, about taking
action, not about being a passive
receiver of events. Stories tell you
that you can shape the narrative
of your life. It's a way of being in
the world." Joey Xander, Artistic Director of The Moth
Storytelling podcasts:
www.themoth.org
www.risk-show.com
www.thisamericanlife.org
www.storycorps.org

23. Storytelling coaching or workshops
The Story Studio: Kevin Allison and his staff provide live classes in NYC
and LA, as well as 1:1 coaching in person or by Skype.
www.thestorystudio.org.
Check out local true storytelling organizations that sponsor slams and
workshops.

24. More resources and links
“Use Brain Science To Craft A Killer Story” posted August 12, 2015 on www.livesinprogress.net
“Possible Futures: The Emotional Impact Of Stories To Promote Positive Change” posted July 20,
2015 on www.livesinprogress.net.
“Stories Shape Our Thinking and Our Choices-Especially The Ones We Tell Ourselves” posted June
16, 2015 on www.livesinprogress.net.
“Hearing Is Believing: Why We Are Suckers For An Absorbing Story” posted on April 23, 2015 on
www.livesinprogress.net.
"Why Your Brain Loves A Good Story" Harvard Business Review, Oct. 28, 2014
The Power of Personal Storytelling In Design and Innovation” by Soren Petersen on The Huffington
Post 1/10/2015

25. Lifestage, Inc
• Applied Improvisation workshops
• Story Development workshops and
classes
• Workshop design consultation
• Personal and professional
development
www.livesinprogress.net
www.lifestage.org
www.mostlytruethings.com
496 Smithtown Bypass
Suite 202
Smithtown, NY 11787
631-366-4265