The brain lights up when we listen to a story. It also filters out all our usual daydreaming and extraneous thoughts. And then we feel things as if we were experiencing them for real. Stories are, without a doubt, the best way to get your message across—a fine hack to energize your communication skills.

When my daughter was born, I remember the great Not Knowing, a desperate desire for a guidebook, a longing for my own mother—she had died when I was seven. I also recall the almost-immediate crystal-clear realization that my daughter and I would be making up our story as we went along. That’s what we are all doing. We’re creating stories for ourselves and for others. All the time.

And these stories are powerful, lighting up more of the brain than facts ever will.

Resilience leadership specialist Dr. Taryn Marie Stejskal notes the importance of the language we use and the stories we tell for resilience.

By extension, the same applies to the stories we choose to tell to others. A story of catastrophe does not have the same impact as a story of challenging opportunity. One of those could call us to greatness.

A good story, full of emotion, authentic, anchored in reality, can inspire, can push others to stretch their thoughts and their limits, can open them up to new ideas.

A strong story for a business or a team, driven by a deep belief or purpose, channels motivation.

Using Stories to Lead Others

To get the most from the stories you tell to lead others, remember that effective storytellers are authentic and show their own vulnerability. More important, the storyteller is never the hero. She can be the guide. The hero is always the audience. What makes you want to watch more of that Netflix series is that you, the audience, identify with the hero.

Brain Chemistry

The basic formula for any story is: a protagonist faces obstacles and triumphs or fails. From there, you can use different elements depending on the desired outcome.

Tension in a story releases cortisol, increasing focus and sustaining attention.
Strong characters and emotion cause a surge of oxytocin making the audience feel good, more inclined to cooperate and trust.
When the hero triumphs, the brain triggers the dopamine reward center creating hope, optimism, and helping the audience remember and process the information.

Capturing Attention

Attention is a rare resource these days. To optimize your message:

Build your story like a thriller. Cut the backstory. Start right in the middle of the action. Add in unexpected shifts and multiple story peaks to keep people engaged.
Crank up the pace. We all consume information faster now. Try watching a series from 30 years ago and compare.
Keep it simple. Tell one story at a time.
Use genuine emotion.
Anchored the story in reality.
Use the opportunity for a strong call to action at the end.