USE EMOTION TO IMPROVE
YOUR STORYTELLING
BY DOUG STEVENSON
hy do you think Malcolm Gladwell’s
books are so successful? All three of his
books, The Tipping Point, Blink and most
recently, Outliers – The Story of Success, are best-sell-
ers. I believe the answer lies in the subtitle of his most
recent book: The Story of Success.
Gladwell is a synthesizer, a pattern recognizer. After
he’s done his research and compiled lots of examples
to illustrate the points he wants to make, he writes his
books by telling stories. He’s a good storyteller.
Daniel Pink, the author of A Whole New Mind,
states, “Story represents a pathway to understanding
that doesn’t run through the left side of the brain.” It
is his belief that people who can recognize patterns
and make meaning from seemingly non-related events
and information will succeed, while the purely logical
left-brain thinkers will struggle. In his view, the future
belongs to the big-picture thinkers—the storytellers.
That’s good news for professional speakers!
THE POWER OF STORYTELLING
How many times have people approached you after a
speech and said, “I was right there with you in your
story”? Then they go on to describe not only what
they saw, but what they felt and experienced during
your story.
