1139: 3 Reasons That Your Clients Love Stories (and you should too)

My favourite line from Jurassic Park is the god-level understatement that comes at the end.

“Mr. Hammond, after careful consideration, I’ve decided not to endorse your park.”

Alan Grant, Paleontologist

But if there's one thing we learned from that epic movie ... life will find a way.

Yesterday, we saw the power that stories have over attention, recall and reality – BUT WHY has evolution granted them such special status?

Here's three reasons:

1. Stories Teach Without Risk

Evolutionary psychologists believe that stories are flight simulators of the mind. Think back 1,000 generations. It's safer to listen to your elders talk about hunting buffalo a few times before you try it. Much safer.

People who listened to those stories were more likely to survive.

2. Stories Level-Up Thinking

If we can tell a story, we can test alternatives, judge plans and assess counterfactuals.

When you think about it, decision-making is storytelling, reaching out into the future to simulate what might happen.

People who test alternatives were more likely to survive.

3. Stories Create Culture

Great stories scale. They grow, spread and bring people together. 1,000 generations ago (as now) there was safety in numbers. Stories spread beyond the boundaries of family, friends or tribes. Stories created kingdoms.

And like dinosaurs, the kingdoms ate everyone's lunch.

Which leads nicely back to my second fav Jurassic Park quote:

Ian Malcolm – "God creates dinosaurs, God destroys dinosaurs. God creates Man, Man destroys God. Man creates dinosaurs." 

Ellie Sattler – "Dinosaurs eat Man. Woman inherits the earth."

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This is Business Storytelling essay 12/30. Please SHARE and follow me to get the whole series.