When life gets crazy, chances are you contact friends or family and say, “Wow, do I have a story for you!”
It proves that storytelling – an age-old art – is one of the most effective forms of communication in the modern world. It sparks the interest of Kindra Hall, President and CEO of Stellar Collective, a consulting firm focused on the strategic application of storytelling to combat today’s communication challenges, and author of the Wall Street Journal bestselling book Stories That Stick.
On this week’s episode of the Start With a Win podcast, Hall joins RE/MAX Holdings CEO Adam Contos to share why storytelling evokes such a strong emotional response – and why business leaders must be incorporating relatable stories into their marketing.
Hall found her calling at the age of 12 on a family road trip. Packed inside a minivan, she recalls each family member entertaining themselves separately. It was only when they popped in a cassette tape of short stories from the National Storytelling Festival that the whole family bonded together over the absurd, funny and relatable anecdotes of strangers.
“We can’t help ourselves – as humans – but to be drawn into a great story,” Hall says.
She explains the psychological phenomenon of the shared emotional response, and how multiple people can hear the same story and create different imagery in their heads based on their own lived experiences.
“The storytelling process has a leveraging point that other forms of communication simply don’t have,” she says. “And that is [that] storytelling is co-creative. As I am telling you my story, you are creating your own version of it in your mind.”
Hall explains that this idea is directly applicable to marketing as brands try to build the bridge connecting strangers.
She offers listeners a jumping off point: start small. By doing so, they can pinpoint one short moment in time and expand in great detail.
Tune in to this week’s episode of the Start With a Win podcast to hear from insight from Hall on how storytelling is an integral component to effective marketing that taps into the emotional side of consumers.
Recommended For You
Start With a Win| Lead Your Team With Accountability, Presence, and Passion
Get RE/MAX News delivered to your inbox! Sign up for News Alerts in the footer below.
Written by RE/MAX News
