Is Storytelling Still Relevant?

In ancient times storytelling was the main form of communication. It was the way that values, traditions and history was passed on to the next generation. The ways of the tribe, the lessons of experience were all told through stories. There was no other way.

And now, we have internet, television, radio, cinema, theatre, books and lectures; the list goes on and on.

So, why do we still need storytelling?

There are lots of reasons. I want to talk about some of them.

Once upon a time we lived in communities where we were known and supported, not only by our extended families, but by a whole range of people that lived near us.

Nowadays it is quite different. My story is very typical. I grew up in a small Jewish Community in Dublin, Ireland. Everyone knew who I was, the daughter, sister, niece, friend of someone else that they knew! Then I moved away. I moved, not just to a new community but to a new country on a whole different continent and then I moved again, and again! Other than sporadic visits 'home', I never did go back. Other than family, I have very little contact with the people I grew up with. Each place I lived was a new adventure and I had to find a new community; sometimes I found one, sometimes not. Like me, most kids leave home to go to college or get work and never come back again. There can be a sense of isolation and there is definitely a breaking-down of the existence of communities in this modern world.

So, what happens to the stories? Well, that's exactly the point. We still need them. We still need to know how to live with tradition and values and the lessons of experience and history, just often we don't have the structure that tells us these crucial stories. This is why there is such a strong craving for personal connection and a sense of belonging. This is part of why people want and need to hear stories.

Do people really want to hear stories? Absolutely and always; I have yet to meet a person who does not like to hear a good story!

One reason is that stories reconnect us. On so many levels (individual, community and society levels) people are looking for a connection, a truth, a sense that their life has meaning.

Annette Simmons says, in her amazing book 'The Story Factor' - 'when you tell a story that touches me, you give me the gift of human attention...the kind that connects me to you, that touches my heart and makes me feel more alive...We crave something that is real or at least feels real'.

People also crave the simplicity of the story told by one person to another. We are too often overwhelmed by information, we have too much choice. Think about it, every time you decide to do anything, you have a million choices. Whether it's going to a movie or buying a loaf of bread, even if you want to get a cup of coffee. And there is so much technology involved! Don't get me wrong, I love technology but sometimes I have a question that I simply want one answer for, I dont want to know everything there is to know about the issue. Just tell me what I should do. Where do I buy a toaster? I don't need to know about the phenomenal advances in toaster technology or even about the 150 suppliers that have the absolute proven best price, best quality. I just want make a piece of toast without burning it so that I can spread on some butter and eat it with a cup of tea.

In this world of ever changing technology, sophistication and choice, people are craving the simplicity of storytelling; they crave the stories, the listening and the telling. There is a void that the information age and technology cannot fill. Storytelling seems to remedy the very same void that people are looking to fill when they come to coaching.

'Something is happening in the power and practice of story; in the midst of overwhelming noise and distraction, the voice of story is calling us to remember our true selves', Christina Baldwin, 'The Storycatcher'.

Next time you need to connect to a community, to remember the lessons of old and remember your true self, start listening and telling stories!