You’ve probably heard the word “storytelling” thrown around a lot in the last several years. It’s become an overused term referring to any vaguely engaging consumer experience.
Consequently, the word itself is now a bit tired. But the true meaning – and power – of storytelling isn’t any less potent. A foundation of neuroscience shows how this time-honored tradition of storytelling engages our brains in unique, compelling ways.
And that’s something you can use at work. Whether you’re a leader trying to inspire your team to action or you’re simply trying to build stronger relationships with your coworkers, deploying a good story at the right time can make a huge difference.
Think of it as a subtle kind of superpower: Storytelling at work need not be flashy or fancy, but it can give your leadership skills or water-cooler banter a real boost.
What exactly is “storytelling” at the office?
I’m sorry to report that I’m not about to suggest you take your office on a camping trip so you all can spin yarns around a crackling campfire. (Although, I’m not telling you not to do that…)
In a work setting, storytelling looks a little different – and more familiar. When I say “storytelling” here, I’m referring to the simple act of telling a colleague or a team about a moment in your life, or someone else’s. It’s sort of like how you’d share a story at the dinner table, with perhaps a little more attention to story structure. A simple beginning, middle, and end, ideally showing the resolution of a conflict, is the not-so-secret sauce.
Imagine how this might come to life at your next team meeting: Instead of jumping right in with a dry rundown of the agenda, what if your boss started with a story about an experience they had that changed their outlook on a work problem?
This unusual kickoff would surely get you and your colleagues to pay attention. And if the anecdote relates to the topic of the meeting, you’ve got even more of a reason to stay engaged.
The science behind storytelling
Neurological research by Paul Zak, a professor at the Claremont Graduate University, shows that three things happen in our brain when we hear a story:
- First, cortisol is released, which activates our attention.
- Then, the social chemical oxytocin shows up to get us empathizing with the storyteller.
- And finally, dopamine, the feel-good chemical, arrives as we complete the emotional arc of a story, rewarding us for our attention.
This chemical cocktail creates some real magic for our species. It’s the reason humans have used storytelling for millennia to connect, exchange ideas, and motivate each other – long before we had the neuroscience to explain it.
The vulnerability boost
Storytelling’s brain-chemical cocktail is even more potent when it’s combined with vulnerability.
Vulnerability here refers to the real emotional exposure that a storyteller can display when they’re sharing not just experiences and accomplishments, but also weaknesses and mistakes along the way. This, too, is backed by science. Paula Niedenthal, a professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, has shown that humans are really good at sensing when a storyteller is being authentic (sharing the real story, mistakes and all) or pretentious (simply bragging or glossing over the hard stuff).
Even more relevant is a finding by Richard Boyatzis at Case Western Reserve University: People are more inclined to connect with a leader and follow their charge if they’ve resonated on an emotional level – something that often happens when we get vulnerable.
Of course, vulnerability can only go so far at work – I’m not suggesting you should constantly trauma-dump to your colleagues. That would likely backfire and alienate your coworkers. But the power lies in establishing the psychological safety to take calculated risks at work by talking about hard stuff or admitting mistakes.
How to use storytelling at work
Storytelling has lots of applications at work, no matter where you sit on the org chart.
You don’t need any fancy new techniques to take advantage of storytelling at work. Humans are natural storytellers. Again, think about how you’d tell a story over a meal with a friend.
Refresher: storytelling basics
- When possible, focus on yourself and your own experiences.
- Be honest. The power of storytelling lies in its truth.
- Show a transformation over time, however small. It could be as simple as, “I was stuck on this work problem, then I had a surprising interaction, and now I found a solution.”
- Make sure your story has a beginning, middle, and end: In other words, an arc that shows a transformation or overcoming a conflict.
Storytelling for team leaders
Storytelling is a great way to get your team members on board with your vision, and motivate them to take action toward a shared goal.
Rather than simply telling a team to do something, you can use a story to inspire them to want to do it, and help them understand why it matters.
Let’s say your team’s goal involves increasing the reach of your content by 20% in the next quarter. Why does this matter? Maybe it’s because your content routinely improves people’s lives for the better. As a team leader, you could tell a specific story about a time when you saw a piece of content create a positive transformation for someone. Now, suddenly, the goal isn’t abstract; your team understands why it’s important to get that content in front of more people, and might feel more motivated to reach the goal.
Storytelling for 1:1 relationships
Anyone in the office can use stories to build bonds with their colleagues.
This is all about getting beyond small talk and sharing stories that deepen workplace relationships. It’s one thing to chat about the weather or your weekend plans. But going deeper can forge lasting connections with the people you work with every day – a potential balm to our nationwide loneliness problem, and a path to greater team success.
For example, maybe you’re trying to relate to a new colleague who just joined your team. They’re probably nervous about starting at a new company. What if you shared a specific story about your first week on the job? By being vulnerable and showing that you, too, were nervous when you first started – but overcame that – you can put your new coworker at ease, and spark a friendship.
Storytelling for brand-customer interactions
If you’re working on any kind of consumer-facing content, that too can be infused with storytelling to make it stand out from the competition.
A lot of sales and product copy is dry: Focused on product features or tech specs, for example. But that’s not what connects with customers.
Instead, try telling a story in your customer-facing content. Use that copy to show the transformation your product or service offers to customers. If you’re marketing a kitchen appliance, for example, you might skip the feature list, and instead tell a story about how the gadget would save them time in the kitchen so they can spend more of it connecting with their family.
storytelling to spark change
Sometimes, we feel called to use storytelling’s power beyond the everyday workplace interactions I’ve described so far.
A few years ago, I found myself in this precise position. I was a dedicated Scouting volunteer and, as an openly queer man, I felt that the organizational culture still had a long way to go to become accepting of LGBTQIA+ individuals. So I used storytelling as a wake-up call: I partnered with three other queer Scouters, and we published a series of personal essays in HuffPost, which broke open a silence about the cultural change that was needed in the Boy Scouts of America.
That experience showed me that our combination of storytelling and vulnerability had the immense power to shape an historic institution for the better – a realization that later inspired me to give a TEDx Talk.
But sparking change doesn’t have to happen on the national scale that I experienced. You can be the change you want to see even on the scale of your office or your team. Once you’ve got some practice in the more quotidian form of storytelling, you can harness its power to shift your workplace culture, or if the moment calls for it, speak up against workplace abuses.
However you decide to use it, remember that storytelling is our deeply human inclination. It’s one of the most effective ways to share information, motivate others, build connections, or ignite broader changes.