The Power of Storytelling

An editorial insert by Massimo Berlingozzi-The Power of Storytelling” – Harvard Business Review Italy – March 2022

Storytelling has very ancient origins, its earliest written evidence being found in the great epic poems of ancient civilisations. If we were then to look for its origin in the oral tradition, the traces would be lost in the mists of time, because the development of human civilisation has always been accompanied by storytelling. Today, we are witnessing a rediscovery of this fascinating tool, not only in the world of advertising, which has always used it, but increasingly in ‘public discourse’, within a variety of contexts, with the main objective of overcoming forms now perceived as old and stale.

The digitisation of the media has generated a whole new impulse for storytelling, making it a powerful tool in the hands of anyone, through easy access to social media and the countless platforms available. This spread has obviously also affected the business world, not only in terms of advertising, but also as an effective internal communication tool. Today, every manager who wants to make his or her communication effective must acquire knowledge and awareness of the principles and rules, in fact unchanged, that have accompanied the magic of storytelling since its inception.
Today’s managers want to be effective leaders, recognised as well as recognisable. They want to be able to influence others through their communication, without needing to appeal to hierarchical rank to be followed. But charisma or the intuition of the moment are not always enough to achieve this; instead, the solution lies in the strategic use of communication. A fine line divides those who are capable of managing communication effectively and those who, although they know a few techniques, appear lacking in spontaneity and artificiality when expounding, dwell on overly sophisticated plots, with the risk of producing truly mediocre results. We must always remember that in communication, simplicity pays.

Stories are as old as mankind and telling them has allowed mankind to enter into relationships, to transmit knowledge and know-how, and thus to progress. Many think that storytelling is a skill to be acquired, but in reality it is an innate skill. All of us when we enter into relationships do so through the use of stories. Exploring this natural propensity of ours is a great opportunity to improve our ability to build relationships, through emotional exchange and mutual trust.
Stories, tales and narratives represent powerful metaphors that can foster understanding and recall of concepts and meanings that, otherwise conveyed, would not achieve the same communicative effectiveness. The stories told are almost infinite, yet a common thread binds them all together. The interesting aspect is that, no matter how many stories we can imagine, the ones that have moved and involved us, the ones that have left a mark in our memory and collective imagination, have common elements that are repeated, underlying principles that do not change, that have accompanied the great stories since the beginning of time.

The essence of these principles is collected in “Storytelling for Leaders” by Persona GLOBAL®. The workshop dedicated to this method is business-focused and extremely practical. It is designed to provide skills that can be immediately applied in professional and personal life.