Aug 30th, 2020: The Impact of Storytelling
Engaging speakers are good
storytellers. They can use stories to capture the audience's attention
and to make their points. A significant body of recorded teaching of
Jesus is also consist of many parables (Stories). Many cultures have a
narrative (storytelling) approach to communicating. In my study of the
nature of narrative tradition, I came across Native Hawaiian, Western
African, Jewish, Irish, American, Canadian Indigenous and many other
Asian storytelling cultural heritages.
Why Storytelling? There are many reasons, but a few seem to make sense the most.
Stories
bring people together and create a sense of belonging. Good ones help
to build trust and welcome listeners to come into the context of the
stories according to their own personal history. Storytelling is
inviting and nonjudgmental. The parables of Jesus present multiple ways
of learning about who God is and who we are. Parables can convey a
spiritual truth despite its complexity. Most important of all, it is
intriguing and not boring.
When we
listen to The Parable of The Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11-32), we realize
that we identify with different characters in the story at various times
in our life. Storytelling connects with all three different types
of learning: Visual Learners (videos, diagrams, or illustrations) are
40% of the population. Auditory Learners (lectures and discussions) are
another 40%. Kinesthetic Learners (doing, experiencing, and feeling) are
the last 20%. Parables trigger the mental illustration in visual
learners, provide a focus for auditory learners, and display the needed
emotional connection for kinesthetic learners.
Good
stories stick like mud. They are easy to remember. I ran into a Korean
student from the U of C after many years of having no contact with him.
He reminded me of a story I told in a sermon back in 2004. The
impressive thing that he could remind me of the main points of my
teaching while referring to it. Many businesses today have considered
the art of storytelling as a critical aspect of their leadership
development. Good stories convey underlying values, reveal insight into
the common knowledge, and generate needed wisdom from experience.
So
tell your kids and grandkids stories at their bedtime. Teach others by
using different stories that resonate with them. Finally, learn to talk
about God's faithfulness in life via our stories.
Mark 4: 34
"And He did not speak to them without a parable, but He was explaining everything privately to His own disciples."
