When storytelling works

Storytelling is effective—so effective, actually, that if you want your audience to pay attention to your facts, you shouldn’t tell stories.  

That’s the conclusion of a study by the Kellogg School of Management released in August. The study’s authors sought to discover why the evidence on storytelling effectiveness was mixed. It worked well in some cases, not so well in others. 

They found that arguments with weak factual support are more persuasive when told as stories. And that arguments with strong facts behind them are less persuasive when told as stories. 

Why? Stories work to “reduce message processing.” That is, stories keep us from paying full attention to the facts. Instead, we pay attention to the story. 

“Stories appeared to shut people down from scrutinizing the information carefully. So when people saw a really impressive product within a compelling story, the story backfired; they failed to appreciate just how great the product was.”

Rebecca Krause, PhD student, Kellogg School of Management

So think of storytelling less as an all-weather marketing approach, more as a tool with its own strengths, weaknesses, and suitability.