Michael Margolis contributed this quote from “This American Life” host Ira Glass to the Working Stories discussion group:
“The most powerful thing you can hear; and the only thing that ever persuades any of us in our own lives, is when you meet somebody whose story contradicts the thing you think you know. At that point, it’s possible to question what you know, because the authenticity of their experience is real enough to do it.”
– Ira Glass, Host, This American Life
I am quite interested in using story for persuasion, especially in connection with my research work on storytelling in the job search. Glass’s comment explains, in part, why storytelling is so effective for persuasion.