The world of Storytelling
“Storytelling is both an art and a science. It requires a creative as well as a rational approach by the storyteller to engage the audience emotionally and intellectually.” Stories are an integral part of our lives. Storytelling is the oldest form of communication known to mankind. The history of storytelling goes back thousands of years. Storytelling is as ancient as humankind and even before humans started writing they use to tell stories to each other. During prehistoric times caveman used signs, sounds, and drawings on big rocks to tell their tales, which were about life, their dreams, and their hunter instinct. Storytelling has evolved with time and the evolution of storytelling is very closely related to human revolution and the advancements in technology where different platforms to tell stories are now easily accessible. With time the various forms and types of storytelling styles have also emerged. Everything changed as we moved ahead in life but one thing that remains still the same is sharing stories among ourselves. Today, storytelling has emerged as a powerful communication tool to convey diverse messages and is used in entertainment, education, business, marketing and many more fields. What is a story? For decades we have been listening & telling stories, but have we ever thought why we get so intrigued when we listen to an interesting story? Before we define a story let’s see what are the essential ingredients to a good story – yes, a good story which we all love to listen. Everyone has a story to tell. Human mind is hard wired for stories. We all remember stories from our childhood. We know real-life stories courtesy our friends and families. We read great books and see great movies with wonderful storyline that move us, drove us to tears, or made us laugh out loud. When we look closely, we notice that our workplace is full of stories. Stories are all around us. Our life in itself is a collection of stories. Story builds empathy and creates bonds. It is the most powerful tool to build human connection with ideas. Stories are like the fuel that ignites thoughts and reinvigorates the mind and the heart. Storytelling is the act of framing an idea as a narrative to inform, illuminate, and inspire & to take your dreams from imagination to reality. Learn to tell a story and your life and the lives of those you touch as a storyteller will be completely transformed. Stories have the power to shape our lives and the lives of our listeners. “That’s what storytellers do. We restore order with imagination. We instill hope again and again”. – Walt Disney If we tell stories, then kids develop an instant connect & it emulsifies their creative & imaginative powers. Stories are an integral part of our childhood. We all have very fond memories of our childhood, where our parents & grandparents used to narrate stories to us. That’s a beautiful part of our growing up.
Power of Emotions
The most powerful tool of a storyteller is emotion. Emotions are energies in motion and when that energy is passed from the speaker to the audience then it becomes a transcendental experience for both the speaker & the audience. As per ancient Indian wisdom Natya Shastra written by Bharat Muni there are 9 emotions – Navras. Each one of us experiences these emotions of love, joy, empathy, horror, anger, disgust, surprise, courage & calmness. Whenever we interact, we express these emotions and that’s how an emotional connect is formed between a speaker & listener. A Storyteller practices all these 9 emotions to master the art of storytelling. Emotions are not good or bad, these are the bundle of energies which define the life state of a person for example – when one is in love then that person is in a unique state of joy and happiness. As a storyteller/ presenter we need to understand which emotion does my content or my story echoes and accordingly emote to create a realm of that emotion for the audience to form a connection. Also, at the workplace we need to integrate facts with warmth of emotions to build deeper understanding & relationships. Ask yourself about the memories from your previous job, vacation or any relationship and try to observe the common factor. Why do some memories get stamped in your heart forever? When you closely observe you will find that these are those moments or incidents from your life where you would have experienced heightened sense of emotions. In essence we build memories when emotions are involved. Our brain is divided into two halves: the left brain which processes all the data, information & logic and the right brain which is powered by emotions and creativity. Sharing facts & information through a well-crafted & a strategic story woven around with emotions is much more effective. If the speaker communicates to both sides of the brain that in turn helps the audience to absorb the information easily which further also helps in decision making. On the other hand, if we communicate only with facts & information then we fail to link the right side of the brain and the listener doesn’t feel it, without emotions our information becomes quite transactional & forgettable. So, the key is to present information in a manner that sticks with the audience, as the event or information which has emotions attached to it becomes memorable. Emotions drive us & influence every decision we make. The famous Greek philosopher Aristotle who made important contributions to logic, rhetoric, phycology gave us three tools for persuasion – Ethos, Pathos & Logos. It revolves around persuading listeners with a mix of both logic & emotions. Aristotle believed that facts alone don’t drive people to action, but when facts are presented with warmth of emotions then it makes the real difference. A presenter can leverage the power of Pathos by telling a purpose driven story using vivid language and demonstrate it with an impactful body language. All these elements help to build an emotional appeal and when integrated with logic it creates a solid foundation for an excellent presentation. In the corporate world it’s necessary that we present information & facts wrapped in a strategic storytelling which resonates with the information we want to share. That is how stories become the vehicle to transfer information which builds an emotional connection and makes the content memorable. As a storyteller I firmly believe “You simply don’t narrate stories, you create an emotional experience”. Something incredible happens when we connect emotions with information, our brain processes the information and makes a note of it like a mental post-it which lasts forever.
Motivational Story of Arunima Sinha
When your determination changes, everything will begin to move in the direction you desire. The moment you resolve to be victorious, every nerve and fiber in your being will immediately orient itself toward your success. – Daisaku Ikeda Arunima Sinha is the first female amputee to climb Mount Everest a victory she achieved on May 21st, 2013. She lost one of her legs in a horrific incident, when she was thrown off the moving train for resisting a chain-snatching attempt by gangsters in 2011. After spending 4 months in hospital and getting discharged with a prosthetic leg, while recovering she decided to become a mountaineer and scale the highest peaks in the world. She climbed Mount Everest, Mount Kilimanjaro, Mount Elbrus.. and the list goes on!! She also became the World’s first woman amputee to climb the highest peak of Antarctica. Her never giving up spirit and courage is inspirational. There is an old English proverb – “Where there’s a will, there’s a way” and Arunima Sinha is a living example of that before us. We all encounter challenging times in our life but what matters most is how we keep moving ahead in direction of our goals while keeping ourselves strong!
