What the Gurus Say

Peter Guber

Peter Guber

“There’s no business without story business. To connect, persuade and triumph in business you need to ‘tell to win’ with the hidden power of story.” 

“Stories create a relationship rather than a transaction. Stories open the heart rather than alert defenses and trigger resistance.”

Peter Guber
Former CEO Sony Pictures, Academy Award Producer
Author Tell to Win

Magic Johnson guru

Magic Johnson

“Telling purposeful stories to win moves people to action because stories get people’s attention and changes their mindset. All leaders need to be storytellers and companies need to tell their story powerfully.” 

Magic Johnson
Los Angeles Lakers Hall of Fame superstar
Investor and entrepreneur

Psychological Science

“Audience attention, recall and response are enhanced by storytelling.” 

E. Peters, PhD
Psychological Science

Neeru Paharia

Neeru Paharia

“A lot of companies use underdog narratives in their branding, stories of starting in a garage with few resources and a lot of challenges,” says Paharia. “Consumers relate to these narratives. A lot of people feel like underdogs and want to support companies that are in similar situations. It’s rooted in the American culture: We love underdogs.” 

Neeru Paharia
Assistant Professor
McDonough School of Business, Georgetown University

Pat Riley

Pat Riley

“Stories ignite people’s interest, success and their involvement.” 

Pat Riley
NBA Hall of Fame Coach
Entrepreneur

Arianna Huffington

Arianna Huffington

“Facts and statistics are great, but humans are creatures of narrative. Illustrating the lives and stories of real people — there is nothing more powerful and engaging.” 

Arianna Huffington
Author and syndicated columnist

Organizational Behavior

“Donors were more apt to make a charitable contribution to an organization when the appeal featured specific stories about the people their donations were supporting instead of statistics about a problem or need. Same premise holds true when it comes to purchasing products or services from businesses.” 

Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes Journal

Sara Gavin

Sara Gavin

“It is so much more powerful and authentic to use real stories. Transformative moments can be shared with and by customers. We help consumers find their stories which ignite their aspirational possibilities and opens their minds to travel.” 

Sarah Gavin
Director of Social Media, Expedia

Paul Smith

Paul Smith

“When you have a new strategic plan and you need the staff to understand the vision, buy into it and work toward it, then you need a good story.” 

Paul Smith
Author Lead with a Story

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