Corporate Storytelling in the Digital Era and its Effects on the Brain
I have been scouring the web 
searching for ideas for my senior thesis. I’ve been infatuated by stories. Not just stories but how companies use stories to get their brand, their image, and their customers to become converted. As of now, my thesis is about “Corporate Storytelling in the Digital Era and its Effects on the Brain.”
In my research I’ve found evidence that the human brain organizes information using narrative structure—a story. If there is no story, it’s just facts. No one ever remembers facts. But what I want to study is how you include stories in company branding and advertising, how you create emotion and connection with your customers, and its effects on the brain.
In other words, I want to see how to create multi-sensory engagement with your key audience. What is interesting is corporate stories impact the whole organization internally and externally. While a story speaks to your customers, it focuses executives, creates synergy in marketing, and makes a unique cohesive culture around your brand.
Let me know what you think. I’d love to hear your thoughts.
And, if you want to know more, here is an article that might get your creative juices flowing around neuroscience and storytelling. Peace out.
6 Ways on How to Really Know and Listen to Someone
This summer I was able to go 
to an interesting leadership conference with Lee Mun Wah. He is an excellent communicator that understands racism and it’s various problems. In his presentation I discovered six questions that he had us ask someone we didn’t know. It made we wonder, “Could understanding Lee Mun Wah’s principles be applied to storytelling? Could his ideas of racism and coming to an understanding be applied to journalism, public relations, communications, digital media, or even, social media to come obtain a better story?”
I believe his ideas most certainly can apply to better communicate stories.
His central idea was if we want to get to know someone, it starts with asking questions. Not just any questions but the right questions. The right questions will expose understanding. And by being a good listener you will create an environment to tell anyone anything. So here it is, six ways on how to really know and listen to someone:
- What I heard you say was…
- Tell me more about what you meant by…
- What angered you about what happened…
- How did that effect you?
- How did that effect you then and how does that effect you now?
- What do you need/want?
Two important principles come out of these questions. One is understanding and two is listening.
For me, when I heard these questions a light bulb went off for me, “Aha! This is how to get someone’s story. If you want to get deep into effective storytelling your need to understand the other person and really listen to what is important to them.”
By using these six questions we can get to know anyone. We can better understand someone we would otherwise would not. I mean really, when would you ask, “So, what I heard you say was…” or “Tell me more about what you meant by….” So I challenge you to try these questions out. Use it in your next interview, date, social gathering, and I promise it will change your perspective on others and others see your genuine interest in them.
“What we do not understand, we make up.”
I learned important lessons about myself. I listen only by picking up what is important to me. (But that’s not how you should listen to someone.) You listen to someone by picking out what is important to them. Lee Mun Wah said,
“Listening is not about what you want to hear, it’s about listening what is important to the speaker.”
Go through these questions again. Test them out on those you work with and I am promise you will have greater understand those you don’t understand and hear what needs to be heard.
