Stories are powerful. Over and above simple knowledge transfer, stories bring the hearer deeper into the experience of understanding. Stories give personality. Stories give context. Stories infuse meaning. Someone once said, “Stories give color to black and white information.”
I was reminded of this truth recently when I was listening to my dad tell stories to my son. Mesmerized, my son relived episodes from my father’s boyhood – laughing when my dad told of how he broke up with an old girlfriend in a not so traditional way – entranced when my dad told of a difficult time in our families history.
Stories.
Whether you work in ministry, business or teaching, it is imperative that when you communicate, you do so through story. Tom’s Shoe’s CEO, Blake Mycoskie said,
“I realized the importance of having a story today is what really separates companies. People don’t just wear our shoes, they tell our story. ”
Here are some key questions to ask that will help you to add life to dull information through stories:
- What has happened in my past that applies to this situation?
- How does this apply to what I’m working on today?
- How will I be changed because of it?
- What person or people group can I tell a story about that help illustrate a point?
Stories are a powerful way to influence the next generation for the better so TELL YOUR STORY!
Peace!
Todd Stocker 
Thanks for your comments everyone!
A wonderful treasure~memories. stories, of people in heaven and earth, and how they live on through family and friends by sharing the stories.
body{font-size:10pt;font-family:arial,sans-serif;background-color:#ffffff;color:black;}p{margin:0px;}Todd, that is beautiful! I’m passing it on to my sons and keeping it for myself.Lynn
Something I have always believed
I am sending this to my sons also:] Nancy in SD