People automatically listen to stories differently.  This is a key benefit we often list for leaders using storytelling.

I was reminded of this recently on a weekend away with my family and some friends.  A group consisting of 6 kids, including 2 ten year old girls (my daughter and her BFF).  I point out the ten year old girls because there is something about girls turning ten and discovering attitude.  Put them together and it was fair to say that the ’attitude meter’ was going through the roof.

That night as they all climbed into bed my husband went in, to read the younger kids a bedtime story, only to realise that we had no books with us.  So, my friend stepped in and started telling the kids  a made up story  based on the “The Wishing Chair”.  After 5 minutes I went in to check and all the children were spell bound.  My daughter had her eyes closed (she told me the next morning that she was closing her eyes so she could imagine the words) and her friend was listening to her mother with this amazing spell-bound look on her face.

These 2 ten-year olds, who literally had not listened to a word we had said all day, were listening with their full, undivided attention.

Then just a few days ago we received a beautiful email from one of our subscribers David, about his experience, sharing stories with his first grandchild.  He wrote

“I was prompted to write because I had a really wonderful experience recently which involved storytelling and I want to share it! 

My wife Liz and I became grandparents for the first time last September. We have a wonderful little grandson, Elliott, born to our daughter Lisa and husband Nick in Sydney.  

They were recently with us and I took to telling Elliott stories while he was awake in his bouncinette. Somewhat to my surprise, he listened intently and was wide-eyed whilst I spoke gently to him, telling him all about the birds that were chattering outside the window or indeed any other thing which came to mind at the time. My daughter was quite amazed that he seemed to be focused on my voice and the gentle, expressive stories…made-up on the run.

 It was such a very lovely special time and I remembered doing this with my 3 children many years ago, though they were a little older.”

David’s experience as well as my own recent one, reconfirmed  that as humans, regardless of age…or attitude, we listen to stories differently.