Linguists believe that human societies, language and storytelling evolved at the same time. They are deeply interconnected. Imagine early Homo Sapiens coming back from a hunt and not being able to relate their Olympian efforts.

Using functional MRI, we know that a story with a beginning, middle and end produces cortisol and oxytocin in the brain. These chemicals prompt us to empathize, connect and create meaning. Stories are literally part of our being. Because the brain stores the elements of a story together, the teller is better able to remember and articulate what happened. Add to that, when the listener remembers one piece of a story, they’ll likely recall all of it.

To develop and expand business relationships, branch out from only delivering statistics. When hearing facts, audiences retain only 5-10% of what they hear. Painting a picture elevates retention to 25%. But if you add storytelling, audience retention increases to 70%! Never overlook this critical foundation of soft skills. If you don’t master the Art of Narrative, your hard skills will lack context, persuasive power, and sadly, are easily forgotten.