Kare Partners

Have you ever wondered why everyone is soothed by staring info a fire? Certain things like this seem innately human. One very interesting explanation for this is known as Race Memory or Genetic Memory. The idea is that responses to certain stimuli become encoded into our DNA eventually as useful programming. I think no matter your philosophical orientation toward such things, it's fair to say we can all point to certain things that seem universal among humans. 

One such example is the ability to relate to interesting, and especially funny, stories. In reading Adi's recent post about getting your point across in 30 seconds I was reminded of the importance of storytelling in conveying important ideas. While it often takes a little longer than the "elevator pitch" Adi is speaking of, it also sometimes carries more "stickiness" for the listener. 

Have you ever noticed that if a few people have heard the same story from the same person they tend to gain the ability to evoke key principals from the anecdote with the mention of simple verbal anchors? This also happens among fans of television shows or those who have read the same books. For example, there are many such "Seinfeld-isms" fans will invoke to stir concepts in the minds of fellow fans. While few such references make it all the way into the sphere of popular culture, within smaller groups key phrases such as these can become very powerful and can easily take on a life of their own. 

The fact is that important concepts can be strengthened mightily be a good storyteller. So if you ever find yourself with more than 30 seconds, and a willing audience, try telling a good story to illustrate an important point. When it works well it's invaluable and if it doesn't it can still be entertaining.