Dating back 30,000+ years with cave paintings depicting hunts and rituals, stories have been ingrained in our human nature since our beginning. Early on, they may have a survival manual for cavemen’s survival they continued to evolve in their importance. It’s impossible to overstate the importance of a story. Stories: teach, warn, entertain, provide structure, build identity, foster empathy, preserve legacy, and inspire. Given the historical context of it’s no wonder that we are biologically conditioned to consume stories. When we hear stories out brain releases cortisol (focus), oxytocin (empathy) and dopamine (reward). It’s no wonder that brands and marketing efforts generally focus on story telling as a means for communicating benefits. It is the easiest way to connect and drive behavior.

As easy as it sounds, I would say most people aren’t good storytellers. Whether this is in our jobs, in advertising we see, telling others about our experiences…stories are messy and have evolved past our ancestor’s conveyance of “Man avoid sabretooth”

 The reason…it’s complication, and there is more…well… to the story. Most sources will site 5 key components to a story:

• Character: The “who”
• Setting: The “where” and “when”
• Plot: The “what”
• Conflict: The “why”
• Theme: The “so what?”

Great storytelling begins with not just knowing these 5 key components but understanding them at their core. This is where brands and insights individuals miss the mark. Follow along as we dive into each of these areas, where we fall short as storytellers, and how we can ultimately tell a story that stands out.