The Science of Storytelling

The world is always in motion.

Since the beginning of time, nothing has stayed the same. We moved through ice ages, invented the wheel, discovered new lands, built railroads, built factories, built governments. And the more time goes on, the faster the world seems to spin. It’s increasingly impossible to keep up.

Trends are coming and going before we can even hear about them. The social media landscape is constantly evolving, whether we’re encountering a new meme or an updated algorithm.

As a business, this can be stressful to navigate. How do you create a plan without it quickly becoming obsolete?

The answer is...you can’t. Facebook is making changes all the time. Instagram seems to have a new feature each week. Our means of communication are shifting day by day.

But don’t panic.

Our means of communication may indeed be changing, but one thing that doesn’t need to change is what we actually communicate. Trying to engage with every passing trend is fruitless. Instead, we must hold on to the hearts of who we are — our stories.

Everyone has a story to tell.

Story is powerful. Our stories define us. They recount our history and declare our futures. They express who we are and why we’re here. Most importantly, they help others understand us. It’s easy to grab onto passing fads, but as a business, you’re only going to catch the attention of flighty consumers who are ready to move onto the next thing. The key to staying relevant isn’t fixating on the new, it’s spotlighting our stories.

This year, we’re digging into the science of storytelling. We believe that in this world where nothing lasts forever, our stories endure. To make a lasting impact, we can’t be overly focused on how we communicate (since it’s always changing anyway). Instead, we need to focus on our stories.

Because the truth is, everyone loves a good story. There’s a reason we still go to the movies or obsess over our latest Netflix binge. Stories captivate us. We love getting caught up in a good story, and this remains true no matter what vehicle is used to communicate them.

We believe that small businesses and nonprofits are overflowing with incredible stories. In fact, we know it. We’ve spent the past seven years helping our clients tell their stories to the world, and we’ve seen how this approach is transformative in growing businesses and building communities. All of these businesses have a story, and these stories deserve to be told.

So it begs the question…

What’s your story?