People remember stories far better than they remember facts. That’s not just opinion – it’s science. Studies show the brain engages more areas when listening to a story than when hearing data alone. I recently attended the Product Marketing Alliance Positioning, Messaging, and Storytelling Summit held on July 10th this year. It was a great conference and a good reminder of the importance of storytelling.
In 1993, cognitive psychologist Roger Schank, a scientist who made influential contributions to the field of artificial intelligence and focused much of his research on how people learn, explained that human memory is story-based. We recall life as episodes, not as bullet points. In another study, researchers at Stanford found that stories are remembered up to 22 times more than facts alone. That’s why anecdotes beat slide decks.
When someone hears a list of specs, they might nod politely. But when they hear about someone like them solving a real problem, they lean in. Stories light up the brain’s sensory regions. They create empathy, emotional connection, and recall.
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