How to master storytelling? The science behind the art of telling a good story

If you've ever been entertained by a story, you know how powerful the ability to tell stories is so that it becomes relevant and interesting to the listener. And that's exactly what storytelling is all about.

This term has become extremely common these days, being an obligatory competence for the marketing and sales area of ​​a company that wants to advertise its brand and its products in order to engage the customer.

"Ah, but anyone can tell a story." Yes, you can, but there are few who can tell a story in an engaging way that remains alive in the memory of the viewers.

It is about that capacity that I will tell you in that article. Keep reading to find out how to master this art called storytelling, which is so valued in today's marketplace by following the topics:

• What is storytelling?
• What is the Hero's Journey explained?
• Why is storytelling so important?
• How do brands attract customers using storytelling?
• What are the 5 elements of storytelling?
• Become a greater leader!

What is storytelling?

Storytelling is the ability to tell a story so that it is relevant and engaging to whom the story is being told. That is, it is the technique of using captivating narrative elements to propagate an idea, a feeling.

The use of examples during storytelling in a presentation is very important to awakening images in the thinking of the listeners, involving them directly in the narrative.

Storytelling can also be a good resource for breaking down the formality of presentations by sharing personal history or that previously only you knew, generating greater empathy between narrator and listener.

What is the science behind that? The answer is that we are naturally captivated by stories. We cling to them and identify with the character, hoping that he will succeed, feeling their pains and their yearnings.

That is why these stories work and have been increasingly used by companies to promote brands and products.

Getting the customer to generate that engagement, that identification with the brand, is the great goal of storytelling. Also, storytelling is a great resource for those professionals who sell their services, such as consultants.

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What is the Hero's Journey explained?

The Hero's Journey, or monomyth, is a concept of cyclical journey common to many stories and myths first presented by the anthropologist Joseph Campbell in his book The Hero With a Thousand Faces ("The Hero of a Thousand Faces").

Based on the fact that these archetypes are rooted in our subconscious, stories that have this structure tend to generate a much deeper identification with the listener than those that do not follow.

Thus, following the formula start - initiation - return, this journey leads the viewer to follow the whole trajectory of the main character, feeling their pain and rejoicing in their victories. All this trajectory creates the feeling that we have come all this way with the hero.

And what about the connection with storytelling? Well, it is that the hero's journey is, in most cases, the mold of a good story that is remembered and recognized by the public.

So when it comes to creating a captivating story, this structure will usually be present. Therefore, much of the ability to tell memorable stories comes from the understanding and application of the hero's journey.

The main steps of this journey are:

• The hero lives a normal life until the call to adventure arises
• The hero resists the call
• The hero meets his mentor and accepts his call
• The hero faces several difficulties, obstacles, and problems
• The hero prepares for a big change
• The hero overcomes his challenges
• The hero returns home and teaches others

Based on this structure, we have, for example, the saga Star Wars, where George Lucas uses all the elements of the hero's journey to tell us the whole story. The result? A saga that lasts until today and remains alive in the memory of the people, becoming a reference in the pop culture, besides billing several million dollars.

We also have other examples of consecrated films that are based on variations of the hero's journey, such as the trilogy Matrix, which can be categorized as being the journey of a reluctant hero, who resists a little more against his calling until finally accepting him.

These are just a few examples of how this fundamental narrative structure of storytelling manages to connect with the viewer, establishing history, brand, or product concretely in people's minds.

Why is storytelling so important?

Imagine you have a revolutionary idea, but one of those very good ones. What good is this idea if you do not know how to transmit it? A great idea will end up being ruled out because it was not well presented, that is, the story was not well told.

So in this scenario, you will need to develop a skill, and guess what that skill is. That's right, storytelling. Did you understand the importance? That is why companies seek to develop this ability when developing their marketing content.

But not only must companies develop this capability. To stand out in the current job market, you will need to have that skill well perfected. Leading is telling good stories, which are needed to convince people to embark on your idea, to believe in your leadership.

We can demonstrate the importance of storytelling with a simple realization that, although we are surrounded by various information and data, we hardly remember them. But we remember stories.

Stories are even more important than that. They are how our brains work. For example, that's why we all feel that driving is safer than flying, even though statistics prove otherwise. We remember the horrifying stories of plane crashes and forget the statistics.

This is because we attribute emotions to events when creating stories and memories. Our brains are built that way. So telling stories is essential if you want to use your brain the way it best works. We remember the emotional, the particular, and the violent especially. We forget the boring, the general, and the harmless.

How do brands attract customers using storytelling?

This is the moment when you are wondering how to create this shocking story, right? For this, you can not limit yourself to tell the story, but you also need to know how to tell this story.

And that's why storytelling is characterized by the use of audiovisual resources when it comes to conveying the message. The combination of narration with these features facilitates the absorption of content by our brain as it addresses different forms of learning, such as auditory and visual.

The story may be simple, but if it is well told, using the right elements, it will have a better chance of reaching the recipient than a more complex story but will not make good use of the resources at hand.

An excellent resource in today's world is the use of social media to spread the story you convey to the customer. If we take Instagram, for example, you will have a minute to tell your story in order to catch the user. To succeed, you will need to master the storytelling features with mastery.

When we talk about selling a product, we are talking about satisfying a customer's needs. It takes a client's dream that he does not even know he has. It is at that moment that the brand presents the customer with the solution to their problems, something he needs, even if he has never thought about it before.

And why does this work so well? Because that sense of synchronization between you and the storyteller is deeply satisfying. So when communication works, we are laterally aligned with each other, up to our brain patterns.

This is inspiring and comforting to know; when we communicate successfully, we are really experiencing the same thing.

What are the 5 elements of storytelling?

We can define as fundamental elements to develop a storytelling:

• Central character
• Fact that relates the character to the theme of the presentation;
• Objective of the character
• Obstacles to reach the goal;
• Actions performed by the character to achieve his goal

Briefly, the script must answer three main questions: Who Is the character? What is your main weakness? How does he overcome this weakness and achieve his goal? These are three questions that, if answered correctly, will be able to generate this connection with the interlocutor.

The main goal is to make this interlocutor insert emotions in this story, which puts a personal feeling. Thus, unconsciously he will identify with the sender of the message.

Become a greater leader!

Great leaders are remembered by their memorable speeches. But it is not enough to master the art of storytelling, it is necessary to have several other qualities, such as emotional intelligence and deep self-knowledge.

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