Storytelling is an ancient art. Storytelling is old. Like, really ancient. Experts say this communication form is as old as human language. The first men used storytelling to make sense of their life and share knowledge. You will see examples of this old form of communication in the caves of Lascaux. There, the first homo sapiens expressed stories through wall paintings.
We are all good at Storytelling. Storytelling is something the general public is using all the time. It is not an art of only a bunch of experts in fancy offices. From the early stages of their young lives, children use Storytelling in their play sessions. Adults continue to use Storytelling, even though they stop noticing it. According to a study, 65% of our daily conversations are based on Storytelling. Sounds like a lot? Take a short time to remember what you told each other today. Most of it were little stories. Fun stories. Stories about our daily frustrations. Stories about our colleagues. We love to talk badly about our enemies with little stories too. We can’t stop them. Even at night, our mind continues to use Storytelling. Dreams are a really creative type of Storytelling. Sometimes a bit too creative maybe, but still: even these dreams are all story-based.
Storytelling influences us. Many studies have proven that Storytelling has a big effect on human behavior. In 2008, researcher Jeremy Hsu found out that the human brain is more engaged by Storytelling that by simple logical facts. Other studies show that Storytelling even makes us better humans. According to one of these studies, reading fictional literature was enough to make the reader more social.
Storytelling uses patterns. Storytelling is based on a limited set of templates. That’s why this communication form is not so hard to use. One of the Storytelling templates that is most frequently used is the problem/resolution template. With this template, you first set the stage, and introduce the people involved. Then comes a problem. This problem or enemy will bring an unexpected change that the characters will fight. The story is about this fight. Finally, after a long fight that usually needs multiple attempts, a solution is found and the hero reaches a new state of homeostasis.
Your product is not the right hero for your Storytelling. Storytelling expert Ron Ploof tells us that most brands set the service or product as the hero. It is definitely not a good approach. By putting the customer as the hero of the Storytelling it is easier for the customer to relate to the story. The brand acts as a mentor and the product or service is the magical gift the hero will need to defeat the enemy.