The Importance of Storytelling
I never knew there was an importance of storytelling within our culture.
I used to think that storytelling was something that was strictly reserved for entertainment.
Thought it was something that was great for Hollywood, cartoons & comedy shows.
But after a few years into the real world, I realized that was a false assumption.
Storytelling is not something that is solely good for a certain act.
Storytelling is something that is good on any occasion that requires a human.
The power allows you to turn a boring message into a breathtaking one.
It adds color to your words which ultimately allows you to hold someone’s attention.
‘When did you realize the importance of storytelling Armani?’
When I was in high school…
The Vicious High School Teacher
I had a biology teacher in high school named Ms. Grushoff.
The lady despised me.
A bitter old woman who was in her 70s, 0 enthusiasm & hated life.
No lie, she would come to class, read a bunch of PowerPoint slides word for word & call it a day.
Yes, that was her idea of ‘teaching.’
Needless to say, I hated the class more than she hated me.
She thought I was a failure & that I was making her look bad.
You see, I was always doing poor in the AP exam at the end of the year.
And the AP exam played a big factor in her salary.
But what do you expect??
The lady was boring as shit & couldn’t maintain my attention.
Heck, who am I kidding? Almost half the class would often join me on my nap sessions.
One day, she caught me snoring & got so mad that she made me grab my desk, pick it up & sit RIGHT in front of the class.
Dragging that desk as everyone watched was humiliating.
But what was worse was that now I had more attention on me.
Fuck. How was I going to nap now?
This was going to be a LONG class session.
The Substitute Teacher
The next week, Ms. Grushoff got very sick.
May seem a little dark, but I was happy as hell!
Whenever we had a substitute, our time in class would feel like easy mode.
That day, we entered class with an extra pep in our step, sat wherever we wanted to, chit-chatted & waited for the substitute to show up.
The bell rang & no one was here.
5 minutes passes.
10 minutes passes.
15 minutes passes.
But still, no one.
At this point, the class begins thinking if the school messed up & forgot to assign someone.
Just as we were about to celebrate, the door began to creak open.
In came a woman in her mid-20s, big dark shade glasses & a look of confusion.
The woman had a name tag on her shirt, Jennifer Shepherd.
Ms. Shepherd for short.
Ms. Shepherd began to apologize for not arriving earlier.
She then gave a little story about why she was caught up.
Apparently, she was mistaken as a student because she looked so young & was prevented from passing the security gate as a substitute.
After showing a bunch of identification, she was finally allowed in.
She mocked the security guards who held her up by impersonating them.
As she was telling the story, she was playing out the roles of the characters, changing her voice & showing massive amounts of enthusiasm.
We just met the substitute teacher and she was already talking to the classroom like we were lifelong friends.
Her storytelling abilities were phenomenal.
But it didn’t stop there!
The Lecture?
We thought this substitute teacher was going to be dope!
Until….
‘Until what Armani?
Until she told us to get our books out so we can go over a few chapters.
Huh??
She is a SUBSTITUTE TEACHER, the fuck is she trying to give us a lecture for?
Oh well, knew this was too good to be true.
The class begrudgingly opened our books & began the class.
She began talking about photosynthesis. A topic that Ms. Grushoff ensured was boring as hell.
But Ms. Shepherd?
Quite the opposite.
She began the photosynthesis discussion by talking about her rock bottom moment.
She talked about how a car accident from a few years back had left her injured, broke & depressed.
All the light had been taken away from her.
She felt like dying.
We were in awe with where she was going with this.
Then like a magician, she tied her rock bottom moment with what happens when you rob the light from a plant.
It begins to wither away.
But when you give it light (hope) you have the energy to continue & produce for later on.
During my entire Biology class, I had no clue how photosynthesis worked or if I should even care.
But Ms. Shepherd gave me no choice but to care.
And she did that thru the magical art of storytelling.
The Modern-Day Super Power
I really wished that Ms. Shepherd was my permanent teacher. But unfortunately, she was only there for a week.
But I can confidently say 1 week with Ms. Shepherd BLEW away 1 year with Ms. Grushoff.
Why?
They were both teaching the same concepts. So what gives?
Well, what separated the 2 was their vehicle of delivery.
One read like a robot off a PowerPoint, simply getting the facts across.
One shared the facts & wrapped it in a shiny box known as a story. This engaged her audience’s emotions & left a lasting impression.
Which one do you think was more powerful?
The story, not even close!
My entire life, I thought stories were simply told for entertainment.
But that thought process is incorrect.
Stories can be used for entertainment, sure.
But stories can also be used to teach & present facts.
A story allows your message to stick out like a diamond in the rough.
In a world where everyone is fighting for your attention, having the ability to stick out is a superpower.
Ms. Shepherd was one of the first individuals to teach me about the importance of storytelling.
Where Do You Go From Here?
Hopefully, my high school story taught you something.
It’s that stories are something that is relevant to a child just as much as it is to a high school kid.
But to take it a level further, it is just as important to you at this present moment.
Humans are social creatures that need to get their message across.
Your ability to get your message across will depend highly on the level of attention that you COMMAND.
It doesn’t matter how breathtaking your message is if no one is paying attention!
A story short circuits the entire social process.
Not only do you maintain their attention, but you also connect with their mind and emotions.
-Your information, facts & lessons will appeal to their mind.
-Your characters, tonality & imaginative experience will connect to their emotions.
The importance of storytelling is not going away, begin taking this skill set very seriously!
2 Tips to build your storytelling muscle:
- Begin storytelling about your life more. Once you can tell a story about your life, it will be much easier to expand from there.
- Start telling more 1-minute stories. This will allow you to maintain relevant details & not ramble.
Invest in these 2 tips, and you will be ahead of the herd in no time!
Storytelling Will Continue to Grow
Moby Dick is a story that was written in 1851.
And it is in our libraries to this day.
A story is the missing puzzle piece to you becoming IMMORTAL.
If you want to build a legacy & share your message with the world, then you must learn the importance of storytelling.
One of the best ways to continue to exercise your storytelling muscle is to consume more stories.
Once you consume stories, your subconscious mind will pick up patterns which it can begin to produce with.
If you are looking for more stories to read & level up at the same time, then you’re in luck!
Every day, I release a story to help you level up your communication skills which include: storytelling, public speaking, social dynamics, emotional intelligence & creativity.
Interested?
GREAT!
Sign up below to join the level up tribe!
– ArmaniTalks 🎙️🔥
