Are there benefits to using storytelling? It may be hard to tell as there is so much noise and conversation these days about “storytelling” in nearly every aspect of our lives, businesses and communities. While every story-use niche has some specific benefits, here are just a few of many general truths about story and storytelling.

1. Emotional connection – Storytelling is like opening a window into the minds of the listeners. Stories provide a chance to experience a variety of emotions without the risk of those emotions themselves. For small children emotions like wonder or fear or courage can be tested out in their minds as they listen(in safety) to a story. Adults may remember the feelings of emotions which can trigger memories or create resolve as a result of hearing stories. For youth and young adults, the experience of hearing stories can awaken portions of emotional lives that may have lain dormant or have not yet been explored.

2. Understanding Others – Well-told stories can help us to learn about other cultures, ideas and ways of thinking. They can provide opportunities to know how past generations responded to challenges. They can also let us know how new generations are encountering and dealing with similar opportunities or the brand-new challenges they face. Stories can help non-profit organizations connect the lives of those they serve to those that support the organization. With children and teens, storytelling provides the soil wherein empathy for others takes root and grows.

3. Growing Intimacy – 
People are thirsty to know that they are seen and heard in our overstimulated society. The rampant growth of “reality” TV shows certainly proves this. When personal and life stories are shared, there’s a chance to know that “I am not alone.” Unlike most reality TV shows, we hope the tellers of personal tales are reflecting on how they have grown and changed and are not just presenting tawdry tales for simple shock value.

As a professional storyteller, I know my audience is experiencing one of the above benefits as they listen to my serious or funny stories. I see their breathing change, their attention focus and their foreheads wrinkle or relax. So much is happening in our shared experience. The benefits of storytelling are many.

Thanks to Sean Buvala for permission to reprint this article.

Sean Buvala is the national director of Storyteller.net, celebrating their 15th year of online service. “We are older than Google,” he likes to tell people. He is also an author of several books on storytelling for business and family. You can find his books on Amazon.com or visit his website at www.seantells.com.

Storytelling is the “mother” of all communications. Every art form relies on Story to convey meaning. Despite this truth, many communicators only approach storytelling as an adjunct to their speaking and presenting. For this quick article, Sean Buvala is speaking about oral storytelling, not digital storytelling that does not rely or build on a presenter’s public speaking skills. He suggests that mastering oral or traditional storytelling should be at the top of every speaker’s list of priorities.

Here are three foundational reasons that storytelling helps you improve your presentations skills:

1.   Storytelling teaches you to think on your feet. When you learn to be a good storyteller, telling stories to all sizes of audiences from 2 or 2000 people, you must learn to adjust your energy and pace to match the audience reaction. “Reading” or understanding the mood, energy and desires of your audience is a good communication skill at all levels.

2.   Storytelling teaches you to be spontaneous. While you are learning to tell a story, you focus on thinking about your story in an outline form, or episode-by-episode. Good storytellers do not memorize their stories word-for-word and do not use notes or other ways of reading their stories. No matter how you are communicating, it is never a good idea to deliver a canned, memorized speech to anyone. As a storyteller, you learn to rely on your ability to “see” a story as it happens, letting different parts of the story take precedence at different times. You will never tell a story the same way twice just as you should never speak to an audience like any audience before it.

3.   Storytelling helps you to think about the deeper meanings of your content. Almost all stories carry some type of moral or ethical message and understanding. As you adapt personal and world stories to your presentations, you will start thinking deeper about the meaning of your communications. Of course, you may or may not act on those meanings, but you will generally find your presentations more satisfying as you understand their impact on your listeners.

All cultures use storytelling.  Storytelling is a universal language and a core-skill for all presenters.  My best public-speaking tip: seek out learning and coaching in the art of storytelling and work stories into all your presentations.

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Thanks to Sean Buvala,  professional storyteller, the director of Storyteller.net and a nationally recognized storytelling consultant for permission to use this article. Please see his website to learn more about his storytelling techniques for corporate training. You can learn how to tell a story through his Ebook at at www.storytelling101.com