How to Use Storytelling When Facts Don’t Convince Anyone
Not all arguments are worth your time and energy. In some cases – for example, when someone fundamentally disagrees with you – there is nothing you can say or do to change their mind. But in other cases, it is entirely possible to state your point of view and get someone to agree (or at least understand) your point of view. Instinctively, you can rely on facts or statistics to convince you, but statistics can be easily manipulated and not everyone responds well to information thrown at them. As it turns out, a good story can be the key to building trust. Here’s what you need to know.
Why storytelling?
In a recent study published in the journal Communication Reports , researchers played a short portion of a radio interview with participants in which a 66-year-old North Carolina man – an avid hunter and fisherman – talks about how climate change has personally affected him. … It included lines like this:
“Trout requires cold, clean, clean water. The places where I fished for trout in the past, where there used to be a lot of fish, are heating up, and there is simply no fish there like before. I’m very, very sad. “
After hearing his story, members who identified as conservative or moderate said they were more concerned about climate change and more convinced that it was caused by humans. The researchers found that people who experienced feelings of anxiety and compassion while listening to the interview excerpt ultimately changed their minds the most.
These findings are similar to those of a study published in the July journal Environmental Politics that analyzed congressional speeches on climate change between 1996 and 2015. It turns out that Democrats approached the problem armed with facts and scientific evidence, while Republicans relied on storytelling, including imagery and emotion. The researchers concluded that Republicans “communicated in ways that could ultimately be more effective.”
The takeaway from this is that people seem to be more receptive to personal stories than statistics. So the next time you try to use science or logic to convince someone of something, try combining facts and figures into a compelling story.