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Why Stories?

When compared to non-narrative text, stories are deeper and richer, more compelling, and more memorable. Stories tap an ancient resource -- the power of social dynamics.

For example, stories are full of information because they draw on common understood truths to convey more information than is obvious. A story that "engages" people means that the listener or reader adds a lot of knowledge and information, so that the story "as experienced" can be extremely rich in terms of the total knowledge "activated" or "accessed" compared to what is explicitly mentioned.

Consider this example.

"My sister-in-law went shopping at Nordstrom's
at Christmas time. Later, they discovered that their
packages had been lost or stolen...."

Notice how many knowledge propositions are already implied!

  1. I am married (or I have a brother/sister and he/she is married).
  2. I have a sister-in-law.
  3. I heard this story from my sister-in-law. We communicate.
  4. She went shopping at Nordstrom.
  5. This is probably going to be one of those "amazing service" stories about Nordstrom.
  6. The shopping was at Christmas time.
  7. My sister-in-law's family celebrates Christmas.
  8. There is a lot that is inferred because of what is NOT said. E.g., my sister-in-law is not in the hospital, or I probably would have mentioned this already.
  9. My sister-in-law was not shopping alone.
  10. She was not held up at gunpoint -- "Later, they discovered...."
...and much much more. With each word, new ripples are created into the reader's consciousness. Notice how the story is much shorter than the list of propositions following it. This is because narrative is deeper and richer than other modes of knowledge transfer. Stories are often a more compact way to express an important idea.

Not only is the story above much shorter than the list of propositions following it, but it is also easier to understand and easier to remember. When we read the story, we create an image in our minds that is whole and internally consistent, and we can use that image as a setting for any points that are made.

Also compare the story fragment and the list of propositions on how interesting they are. Most people "warm up" to stories. Just watch what happens after a speaker finishes a story and goes back to his or her prepared speech. There is usually a distinct rise in fidgeting when the story is clearly over.