Stories are like AIR…everywhere & always around us. It is something that we need every single day & cannot live without. From the toddler’s adventures in school, to the win or loss of the day, fond memories of childhood, lessons learnt, in every crevice of our lives, to the nuts and bolts of our businesses, stories are in our DNA! We are always in the middle of a story, we finish one, only to begin another. And yet, we don’t use them well enough!
Storytelling is the world’s oldest form of communication. From the cave paintings of primitive man, to the Westcar Papyrus from Egypt (between 2000-1300 BCE), stories are as old as humanity. Imagine a community of people sitting around a fire to share the events of the day, the real, the imaginary, the mythical! Stories have always brought communities together. The oral tradition of storytelling & its use in education goes back to the origin of our own Panchantantra Tales around 400 C.E.
We all tell stories, whether consciously or unconsciously in our conversations, in our anecdotes, in recounting our experiences or making sense of them at a later date. The human brain is wired for stories and it is these same stories that hold the clue to human emotions. Stories help us connect the dots, look for meanings and find a rationale to respond. Stories give us ideas, answers and solutions. Stories when told effectively trigger emotions, connections and reactions in listeners.
Are you using stories well enough?
