The Power of Storytelling in Modern Education and Business
Some great universities and business schools are starting to understand the power of storytelling, and have hired me to teach Storytelling or to help storify a program.
Many institutions now pay lip-service to stories – but struggle to include more than half a day on the subject in one of their modules. Say, marketing or business or pitching.
So, which university has the best grasp of storytelling?
If it’s not Belmont University, it will be soon!
Why Belmont University Embraces The Power of Storytelling
If you’re looking for a university that understands the power of storytelling, look no further.
Instead of storifying just one lesson or module, Belmont plans to storify the entire university.
Belmont has 12 colleges. 12 disciplines.
Why are stories core to them all, from technology to medicine?
Stories help us understand and remember complex concepts.
In technology, storytelling can make data and abstract ideas more relatable and accessible.
In medicine, stories help understand patient experiences and convey critical information.
Medicine, in fact, was an early adopter of intentional storytelling… Check out “Narrative Medicine”!
Storytelling from Executive Education to Songwriting
A few days before Marshall Goldsmith’s gathering of us 100 Nashville Future Leaders — hosted at Belmont — I got to discuss the university’s big plans and projects with their A team of storytellers…
Rick Rekedal, who served as DreamWorks Animation exec and brought us beloved movies like Prince of Egypt, Trolls, How to Train Your Dragon, and Saving Private Ryan;
Jen Duck, PhD, an Emmy Award-Winning Journalist who worked with Oprah Winfrey and is Executive Director of Story Studio;
Sarah D. Cates, Vice President for Imagination, Strategic Initiatives and Partnerships – also one of Marshall’s Future Leaders.
From Information Inflation to Stories: Music to the Brain
One of my favourite moments at the weekend with Marshall Goldsmith was hearing award-winning songwriter Emily Falvey and friends perform for us – and share the stories behind their songs.
Songs, too, combine information with emotion – the key to memory retention.
These days, we are all drowning in information.
That’s why I coined the term information inflation: We have more and more information, but value it less and less.
Mere information has become noise
Information has become noise.
In a world of noise, stories are like music to the brain.
So it’s no surprise, then, that “Music City” should also host “The Storytelling University”.
Well done Bemonst storytellers – can’t wait to see the plans unfold and collab!