Post #9.
1.6. Storytelling

As an experiment, a man once bought 200 objects for 129$ and sold them for 8000$. How did he do it? With the help of a story.

A story can be engaging and take over your critical thinking. As a result, you can pay 65$ for an object which is sold for 1$ in other stores simply because you are taken off guard. Why? You become emotionally invested, which means you are less critical, observant and objective. The same thing happens when we fall in love. We become more biased and less rational because we’re controlled by hormones. When hormones are released, they hijack the work of the cortex, throwing objectivity and criticism out of the window.

What if we used hormones to attract the attention of an audience in storytelling?

• Dopamine. When induced, it increases focus, motivation and enhances memory. To release dopamine, you need to create suspense and prepare a well thought out story.
• Oxytocin. When released, it increases generosity, trust and bonding. In storytelling, you generate oxytocin by creating empathy.
• Endorphins. To create endorphins, you simply need to make people laugh. As a result, people become more creative, relaxed and focused.
• Two other hormones, cortisol and adrenalin, are induced by fear. These hormones create intolerance, irritation, lack of creativity, criticism, impaired memory and bad decisions. Which hormones do you think are released in business meetings with tough clients and why? Would you agree that the speaker is accountable for the negative or positive attitudes of the audience?

To avoid inducing negative hormones you need to:
1. Believe you are a great storyteller.
2. Write down your stories.
3. Index your stories. Which ones create endorphins, dopamine or oxytocin?

Watch this informative video on hormones and storytelling: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nj-hdQMa3uA

#softskills@flessibilita, #communication@flessibilita