The 5 Powers of a storyteller
- hbsingh
- Jun 27
- 6 min read
“Think like a wise man but communicate in the language of the people.” - William Butler Yeats, Irish poet
Storytellers command power. A story put man on the moon and is now propelling humanity to inhabit other planets. A story also caused the holocaust, and much of the conflict we see around us today. Stories will direct your life. Not just the ones you tell, but the ones you expose yourself too.
The uniquely human trait
99% of our genes are identical to Chimpanzees. Within that remaining 1% is the genetic material to be able to tell stories. Humans rule the world because we can co-ordinate across multiple tribes and geographies with stories. Stories are everywhere, from myths to religions to science. We tell stories in our CVs, on our spreadsheets, in jokes. Stories are not just about the ones we hear from one another, but also the ones we tell ourselves.
Storytellers get to make the big choices - what to include, whose perspective to highlight, how to frame events – that is immense power they command. The greatest storytellers Captivate, Clarify, Motivate, Unite, and Direct. These are 5 power moves in leadership.
1. Captivate – the power to command attention
People want stories. A great story grabs our attention and pulls us in. A string of facts or abstract concepts feels like dry toast, but a well constructed narrative lands like chocolate fondant.
Experiments show that anticipation of a story creates biological change in us. Our brain activity increases. Our mirror neurons trigger, letting us feel what the characters feel and even releases dopamine that heightens focus and anticipation.
Storytellers use this to keep audiences hooked. A narrative world, “transports” listeners into the story, holding attention better than any list of facts ever could. Netflix capitalises on our engagement through cliffhangers, making us need to know what happens next.
Good storytelling makes us less critical. When we are absorbed in a story, we stop counter-arguing and accept information more deeply. They spark curiosity, emotion, and imagination, making the audience eager for what comes next.
2. Clarify – the power to simplify complexity
A story cuts through complexity and provides a clear thread in a sea of chaos. Many of us are drowning in information overload. How can we make sense of it all?
Storytellers do the “heavy lifting” of deciding what matters. They choose the details we should focus on and weave it into a coherent narrative. Importantly, they save us from doing the thinking ourselves. We probably underestimate how much opinion we inherit from stories.
Trusted storytellers like doctors tell us what we need to know. Instead of reciting every lab result, they tell a simple story (“Based on your tests, here’s what’s happening and what we’ll do next”). In today's world where trust is waning, we need evidence and data is great. But whilst stories need data, data needs a story.
Stories tap into our natural way of learning. Our way of learning is to generate a mental model from experience even if we forget some details of each experience. Stories tap into mental models allowing us to borrow insights without having to get the experience ourselves. Information presented in story form is understood and remembered better than those same facts presented abstractly.
3. Unite – The Power to Bring People Together
Good stories have the profound power to unite people. They answer questions like who are 'we'?, what are our values?, what is our shared opportunity?. Framed negatively they can be more anger-inducing: what will we not accept?, what are we opposed to?, why we are different from 'them'? (sound familiar?)
Stories serve as the “communal currency” of humanity – they pass along our values, history, and norms. When we believe the same story, we can become aligned in purpose and identity. We rally around national myths, company missions, or a family legend.
Uplifting stories are essential to bringing out our higher selves and bond us together. They remind us of virtues like charity, courage, and integrity, which might otherwise be overshadowed by the day-to-day focus on self-interest. We revere war veterans as they remind us of our ability to come together to face a common threat, but forget the stories of cowardice, profiteering and disloyalty. We want to unite people around desirable behaviours.
Our culture today is geared towards selfish narratives, of individual success, instant gratification and vanity. These stories are like sugary cereal – immediate 'high' but lacking any nutrition. The stories we choose will define the culture we live in. The stories we are fed shape the people we become. They reinforce values, guide our decisions, and determine what we see as important.
Great storytellers unite people under a banner, building communities and a creating a shared sense of purpose, crowding out more selfish narratives.
4. Motivate – The Power to Inspire Action
Storytellers motivate people to act. A powerful story can spark ambition and courage in ways cold logic can’t. Leaders throughout history have used narrative to inspire – consider Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I have a dream,” which painted such a vivid picture of a better future that it moved an entire nation. Storytellers have the power to tap into emotions and values, creating a vision that people want to achieve.
Crafting a motivating vision takes a few key ingredients.
Imagination – daring to ask “What if?” and envision something better or new.
Vividness – concrete and sensory. "Touching the warm concrete
Emotional Resonance – data and logic alone don’t move hearts, so the story must connect to values or desires. It answers “why does this future matter to me?”
Credibility – an inspiring story walks the line between bold and believable. If the vision is pure fantasy, people dismiss it; if it’s too cautious, no one cares. The art is to describe a future that is challenging yet achievable, so that listeners both trust it and yearn for it.
Storytelling has the power to transform listeners into activists by touching their deepest motivations. People will work hard for a story they believe in.
5. Direct – Shape Reality
Behind every film there is a director. You will not see them at all for those two hours but make no mistake this is their work. Storytellers are directors. Guiding decisions and the course of events.
Telling a story requires hard choices - it is not a neutral act; it frames reality in a certain way and suggests a direction. Storytellers create stories that people want to belong to and then act accordingly. A CEO announcing a new strategy must tell the story of why the company needs to change course and what success will look like. If done well, that narrative directs everyone’s efforts toward the shared goal; if done poorly, the strategy remains a PowerPoint slide that people will forget.
The power to direct is also requires responsibility. The power to direct can be used for both good and ill – a storyteller can guide people toward truth and positive action, or mislead them into error. Ethical storytelling means being aware that our narrative choices (the frame we set, the context we give) will steer how others think and act.
Why you need to tell better stories
Storytelling is exercising these five powers in your own life and work. Whether you are a manager, a teacher, an entrepreneur, or a parent, being a better storyteller makes you more effective.
A compelling story shows that a leader understands the environment, understands the people and knows from where we have come and where we should go. All the work of deciding what is relevant and bringing it together shows effort and drive. That forward momentum activates our brains and creates connection to the cause.
Lead with stories
As a leader, to create change you need to be able to create a flow of reason and emotion that will captivate, clarify, unify, motivate and direct people, energy and resources towards a common goal.
A cautionary note. Now you know how powerful stories are, be careful to whose stories you listen to.
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