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Stanford University is one of the most prestigious universities in the world. Known for their rigorous fields of study, pursuit of excellence, and track record of success in the post-graduate world, Stanford exists as a part of the gold standard in academia.
One such class, taught by Professor Chip Heath, offers a valuable lesson that you can take advantage of without paying out of state tuition.
Professor Heath stood before one class and asked them to give short one-minute speeches on non-violent crime. With only sixty seconds to work with, most students opted to compile several statistics together to prove their point in a short amount of time. Professor Heath noted that the class averaged 2.5 stats on non-violent crime per speech.
He also noted that one student took a different approach. Tasked with standing out from his peers and crafting a short speech, this student told a story. It was short, it was simple, and it was effective.
Professor Heath polled his students following the exercise, questioning them on what stood out from the classes’ presentations. The results were profound.
After a gap of only ten minutes between presentations and the short poll, just 5% of students could remember a single statistic, while 63% of the students remembered the entire story.
Professor Heath’s class isn’t an isolated example.
The London School of Business conducted a study where their researchers found that the gap between those who retained statistics and those who remembered a narrative was astounding.
According to the study, those surveyed remembered information at a 5-10% rate when mainly fed statistics, while they remembered 65-70% of the information when told a narrative.
Stories are not only a powerful tool, they are effective in short stints. Remember, Professor Heath’s assignment was to give a 60 second speech.
When you have mere seconds to make an impression on your audience, what do you do? How do you go about standing out?
Too often, the answer is to present the best facts, numbers, and ratings about your product. Instead, a story that naturally incorporates your brand is far more effective and memorable.
Stories are simple, effective, and memorable…kind of like this article.
Not sure how to craft the right story? You’re in the right place. Drop us a line and let’s start a conversation about how to create the right story for you that will boost your engagement and provide value to the entire organization.
Progage came to life in early 2021, when NFL football player Kaden Smith and entrepreneur Kyle Fenner came together to create a sports marketing agency focused on helping brands win via creative storytelling and social media marketing.