I’ve been running excerpts from the first and second parts of storyteller Eric James Wolf’s interview with me. In this excerpt, he asked me how I describe the benefits of storytelling to other people in the business world. My response:

I call upon the gurus who evangelized storytelling long before I did — people like Annette Simmons and Steve Denning and others, early pioneers who wrote books that have become the foundation for current business narrative/organizational storytelling.

Simmons characterizes the effectiveness of stories in business in her landmark book, The Story Factor (Chapters 2 and 5):

• Story creates power.
  
• Story is a form of mental imprint.
  
• Story is a dynamic tool of influence because it gives people enough space to think for themselves.
  
• In a complex environment, people listen to whomever makes the most sense — whomever tells the best story (Simmons’s followup book is titled Whoever Tells the Best Story Wins.)
  
• Story makes sense of chaos and gives people a plot. People need story to organize their thoughts and make sense of things.
  
• Story invites people to creatively reframe their dilemmas, while rules alienate people who want to think for themselves.
  
• Change people’s stories and you change their behavior.
  
• Story is like mental software that you supply so your listener can run it again using new input specific to the situation.
  
• Story is uniquely equipped to touch you and help you touch others in this place that cannot be understood, explained, or reduced to a flow chart.
  
• Story builds connections between you and those you wish to influence.
  
• Story helps the brain remember.

And from the Australian consulting firm, Anecdote:

• Stories reveal what’s really happening in your organisation
  
• Stories inspire us to take action
  
• Stories stick in your mind much better than [bulllet] points and clever arguments
  
• Stories connect us to a purpose and improve our performance
  
• Stories share and embed values

Marguerite Granat posted a list of rationales for story in business, which I reprinted here.

Finally, not part of my response to Eric Wolf, is a post by Mike Hamilton on Get Synchronicity entitled Core Elements of Storytelling, in which he lists these benefits (see his full post for his elaboration on each):

• Storytelling is the great equalizer.
• Storytelling clearly and quickly communicates complex ideas.
• Storytelling is a powerful instrument of persuasion and influence.
• Storytelling is your personal business card.
• Storytelling communicates and builds value systems in organizations.
• Storytelling encourages collaboration and unifies teams.
• Storytelling builds community and promise.
• Storytelling ignites action.