In this training segment, the speaker explains why stories are a powerful tool for speakers and leaders, emphasizing that feelings tied to stories improve memory and audience buy‑in. She outlines three strategic moments to use stories: (1) at the very beginning of a talk to replace chit‑chat and capture attention, (2) right before making a key point to prime the audience and delay analytical judgment, and (3) when the audience’s attention wanes, using a story to re‑engage them. The speaker also describes the neuroscience behind storytelling—our brains are wired for narrative, stories create co‑creation of mental images, evoke curiosity, and allow listeners to feel before they think, making the message more memorable and persuasive.
Chapters
When we feel, we remember, which is why stories are so, so powerful because embedded in stories are feelings. So what I wanna share with you in our training today are 3 times in particular when you really need to use stories. Number 1 is at the very beginning. We talked about this, the before moment. We don't wanna chit-chat, we just wanna drop right into the story. Most of the time we lose our audience with the chit-chat. We nix the chit-chat, we drop right into the story. So we're going to use a story at the beginning, then we're going to use stories before we make our point. So I am a story-first believer, and there's, there's reason for that. I'm going to talk about that in a moment. So we use it at the beginning, we use it before we make our point, and then we can use stories really strategically when you're feeling the audience get antsy, when you're feeling like, oh, I gotta pull them back in. Drop right into a story. That will naturally— people become curious, especially when we are good storytellers. When we know how to use stories well, it will really pull in and engage people. So stories are the most powerful tool that we have as speakers and leaders. 3 times: beginning, before you want to make a point, story first, and when you want to engage or pull people back in. So why is it so powerful that we use stories? Because our brains are so wired and primed for stories. As a speaker, what happens in the audience's imagination is I start to create an image in my head, and that is co-creation. So it connects us. It literally connects us through that. It doesn't matter really if mine's very accurate. I'm imagining it in my head. And what I'm probably doing is layering my own experiences, my own understanding, my own beliefs about things in that story. And so there's buy-in that comes with that. And stories engage. They pull people into an idea before they have a chance to judge it, which is why we do stories first. If you talk about, if you make your point before you tell your story and you start talking about it before you tell your story, What happens is people go, "I don't agree with that," or, "I'm not sure about that," and they start analyzing it, poking holes in it. It's very natural for people to have a conversation with you in their head about your points and the points that you're trying to make. But when you start with story, it holds that off for people. Because stories— naturally we are curious people, and so we're pulled in. And if we can tell a story that resonates with something universal within people, they see beyond those initial criticisms or skepticism or even outright judgment or disagreement. Stories can move us past those divisions. And so we feel before we think, and when we feel, we remember. So feeling helps pull people in and say, I felt something resonant there, and now when you tee up your point, it's gonna stick with me more. Okay, that's how powerful they are. Use stories. They are fuel for for not just a powerful talk, not just an entertaining talk, but a memorable talk.
