The moral of the story is…

“Stories are the most powerful persuasion tool human beings have ever devised, but they can only be reliably crafted by understanding what lies beneath the obvious and visible surface”, says Jonah Sachs, Author of “Winning the Story Wars”

Every element of a well-told story is there for a speciﬁc and strategic reason—to illustrate a truth. We call this truth the “moral of the story.” Our brains are programmed to tune into stories so that we can learn from the experiences of others—and not have to make too many stupid mistakes for ourselves. We sit in rapt attention with the expectation that, at the end, the story will all make sense. And for the story to make sense, everything that happens should point back to a single compelling truth. That’s the moral.

The moral is itself based on core values the storyteller wants to share with audiences. When we hear a story with the moral “better safe than sorry,” we know the storyteller values safety and security. A storyteller who teaches us “he who hesitates is lost” is teaching us to value risk and adventure. The reason that teams, tribes, and even civilizations have been built on stories is because stories are containers for values. They bind us together in a sense of “us” by getting a group to share a sense of us what is important and what’s not.

Business leaders should tell their own personal stories. Every great brand must weave a storyline that excites and motivates consumers to purchase. Importantly, the three story strands, company, brand and personal must dovetail and be in sync with each other. Then you can effectively persuade your target market to buy! By hearing your story, they will know your values.

Have you told your story? Your business, brand and personal story?