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Please Tell Me a Story

By H. Lalla Shishkevish posted 08-31-2015 15:31

  

My friend was nervous as she sat with her fellow panelists before the group of in-house counsel. She’d made hundreds of presentations before, but this was different. She didn’t have a set of slides with lots of bullets. She wasn’t speaking from an outline that mimicked her written presentation—that was what the other speakers were doing. She took a deep breath and began to tell several carefully selected stories supported by slides with pictures, not words, to emphasize each point. Once she started speaking, she relaxed because the stories let her focus on what she did every day—give good advice in response to client problems. When she finished, the room broke into applause, and one line formed as the audience swarmed to speak to her, ignoring the other panelists. This is a true story and I still remember the advice she shared, but now I know why.

Everyone loves a good story—listening to stories around a campfire or reading a great thriller that you can’t put down. Our brains are wired for stories. But what does this have to do with practicing law? Trial lawyers have always told stories to the jury. Now research suggests that we should use stories anytime we want to effectively convey ideas, thoughts, and even emotions. Stories cause our brain to release a chemical that motivates trust, empathy, and cooperation. We feel the pain, surprise, or success of the characters in the story and are primed to take action on those feelings.

A story changes the way our brain works. When we hear a presentation or read facts, only two parts of our brain are engaged. When we hear a story, many parts of the brain are engaged so we understand and remember better. Our brain questions facts and data, but a good story overrides our skepticism. So the next time you want a client to understand estate planning options or the salient contract provisions, think back to your campfire days and tell a story

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