Tell me a story.
How often have you heard that? As a parent, no doubt you have – many times from your kids. Hello, I’m Dr. Gerard Gibbons founder of emotivestorytelling.com. There is always a tug on my heart when my little girl says daddy, tell me a story. And of course I love tell her stories. This is Emotive Storytelling.
Have you ever wonderful why kids make this request? What are they asking for? Are they looking for attention? Are they after engagement? Is it a form of play? Do they wish to journey into a world of imagination? Are they looking to identify with a character – or someone they can relate to – be inspired by, to learn from, or to model after? Probably all of those things, right? Our own memories reveal the truth of that.
Kids love stories. Just look at endless variations of media, books, games and movies – all dedicated to stories for children. There are tales of conflict and struggle, attaining virtue and overcoming adversity, achieving honor and victory. Others are about forgiveness, experiencing joy, showing gratitude and expressing love.
Kids are captivated by stories. They seem to learn from them in magical ways.
Yet in truth, there is the solid science behind the power of emotive storytelling, known in research worlds as – “narrative communication“ – that gives insight as to why. And as we grow, it’s the kid inside each of us that keeps the appeal for stories alive. And as for adults, they are just as infectious.
So, why the attraction to storytelling? Humans possess an intrinsic power to recognize truth through stories. We are adept at acquiring learning and problem-solving skills through them in a way that is far more effective than any other form of teaching and instruction. As children, we could sense a deeper meaning behind a parable or fairy tale even if we didn’t fully understand it. When we heard a compelling story our curiosity was stimulated. It made us want to imagine, question, or explore.
As kids, it was stories that helped us make BEST sense of the world. This has been true since the beginning of time. And guess what? It’s not any different for grown ups. But the world has forgotten that fact.
Today’s storytelling online approach that is data-driven, fact-filled, statistics-heavy, and that primarily appeals to-logic-and-reason, fails to persuade and motivate people at the level many believe. And the research backs it up.
By in large contemporary marketing communications, classroom instruction and web learning systems, as well as the worlds of academia, medicine, science and research — along with healthcare, finance and business — have left behind the wisdom of the ages.
And yet today more than ever, we need the stories of character, skills based learning, leadership, wellness and healing to guide not just our kids — but for all of us — who journey through a life full of challenges with health, relationships and circumstances.
It’s time for the re-emergence of storytelling techniques along with something extra. We call it Emotive Storytelling. Emotive Storytelling is formed from ancient wisdom and it builds upon the best of modern insight. It has its origins in our distant past. Yet, it brings together the best of our modern understanding about behavior and persuasion.
Stayed tuned on emotivestorytelling.com. We will tell you a story you won’t forget.
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