A great way to help better understand storytelling's impact on someone is to look back on your life and think about which people have influenced you and in what ways.
You may be surprised to realize how many people influenced you and helped you become the person you are by telling you stories that stuck with you and helped shape your decisions in life.
For many people, it might be your family members, especially your grandparents. Grandparents often love to talk and communicate life lessons via stories about themselves or people they know.
You might have had your grandfather tell you about a time when he was down on his luck and how he persevered and stuck things out until he could live a better life. My family told stories about what a holy terror my sweet old grandpa was when he was younger. He just smiled when he heard them.
A story like this might help you in times of crisis to not give up and rather keep going even though it’s difficult because it’s worth it in the end. A simple story told to you can help give you the strength to keep moving forward.
There might have been a speaker that you went and listened to that got you interested in the career you’re in today. If you listened to someone talk about their job as an author and what all they did to get there, that could easily influence you towards that job.
Some speakers can even influence how you treat those around you by telling stories about how others treated them and how it made them feel and react. Stories can have a grand impact on your life, even if they’re simple.
Consider how different stories have shaped who you are, and think about how your ability to tell stories can help shape the lives and decisions of others around you, hopefully for the better.
If someone’s story can go so far as to influence your career path, then certainly a fun little story can help persuade someone to buy from your company over another’s, or can be used to convince your business to take a certain course of action.
Don’t sell yourself short when you start thinking of storytelling's power and what you can do with it. You can help people change their lives and do small things like help with business decisions. What story are you going to tell today?
