Hyper-exposure era
One day, after information technology has dominated the universe and the digital movement had transformed the planet earth, people there become hooked, they looked like machines, while machines at this time were learning and developing looking like people in both shape and some abilities. During this hyper-exposure era, a weapon with a superpower was rediscovered, and it appeared to not only engage and provoke those people to return to their innate and innovative thinking, but it was also capable of stimulating their emotional connection.
The fast-paced world and the amount of information that people are exposed to are causing enormous distractions. So, what would you do if you have to effectively communicate any sort of information to people?
Storytelling is a powerful weapon when vying for people’s attention and engagement. We all can relate to information or small detail in an engaging story, but are we all able to recall information we read in a form of bullet-points notebook?
Powerful narratives are genuine and influential. They have the ability to inspire the audience and engage them with their conscious minds as well as connect them through their feelings and emotions.
The science behind the art of Storytelling
Telling stories is a form of art, and there is science behind the art of storytelling which in my opinion, should be explored if we wanted to master this art.
Scientific research and discoveries explain how brain chemicals such as cortisol, dopamine and oxytocin are released when a story is narrated. Lani Peterson, a psychologist and professional storyteller, discusses in her article on the Business Harvard Publishing blog that the brain neurons fire in the same patterns as the speaker’s brain when it sees or hears a story. This is referred to as neural coupling or mirroring. The neuroscientist, Uri Hasson, from Princeton claims that “a story is the only way to activate parts in the brain so that a listener turns the story into their own idea and experience. (Stephens, Silbert, and Hasson 2010).
Paul J.Zak, the founding director of the Centre for Neuroeconomics Studies and a professor of economics, psychology, and management at Claremont Graduate University, has shared intriguing findings in his article about a study that tested the oxytocin system’s influence on the brain to engage people in cooperative behaviours. He wrote ‘’we found that character-driven stories do consistently cause oxytocin synthesis. Further, the amount of oxytocin released by the brain predicted how much people were willing to help others; for example, donating money to a charity associated with the narrative.’’
Although some findings in the neuroscience of storytelling are still under research and subjected to debates by neuroscientists. We can evaluate our level of engagement by reflecting on our experiences with various stories. And we can use storytelling as a powerful medium to influence the audience, encourage their creative individual interpretation, and maintain an effective engagement.
References
J.Zak, Paul. 2014.‘’Why Your Brain Loves Good Storytelling’’. Harvard Business Review
