Do you remember the stories your mother used to tell you as a child? Stories with valiant heroes and vile villains, fairies and talking animals, quests and happily-ever-afters?

Let’s not even go that far. Think back to the last time you spent hours binge-watching a TV show, or flying through the pages of a book, with a desperate need to know – how the hell will they get out of that one? What happens next? How will it all end?

Now what if we told you that all those stories are, in essence, the same?

That’s right. You’ve listened to the same story over and over, all your life, without even realising it.

Confused? Skeptical? Feel like you’ve been played?

If it’s any consolation, it’s not just you, but everyone, from ancient civilisations, to you and your friends watching the latest superhero film in the theatre who have fallen for this.

We have all fallen in love with stories. The same story.

That’s not to say that there is a non-negotiable formula that, when applied, can always produce strong stories. What that means is that there are some common elements that exist in all strong stories – from myths and legends to the TV show you binge-watched last weekend.

A strong story must hook the audience, take them on a journey and not let go till they emerge the other end of it changed.

That last word – changed – is where things get interesting.

As voracious consumers of movies, books and conversations, we can all attest to ‘getting lost’ in a story. When we empathise with a character in a story, we become one with the character. We feel what the character feels for the duration of the story. This is the scientifically proven phenomena of Narrative Transportation and Character Identification.

Scientific experiments have proved that the lessons we learn from the stories we ‘get lost in’ impact our beliefs and guide our actions.

This is a big deal. This means that…

You can actually change people’s minds, alter their opinions and inspire action by telling a strong, compelling story.

So, if you are a company wanting to promote your product or service, a non-profit looking for funding, or have an idea that you wish to spread, story is the single greatest tool at your disposal to persuade people to buy your product, adopt your idea or fund your venture.