Left Brain v Right Brain: Storytelling in Business

Do Storytelling Techniques Work?

Myth, history, epic poetry, the novel – even cave paintings – all began life as distinct branches of the same thing – the Story. What are stories, why do we love listening to them; why do we remember them?

Stories are part of being human. A story catches our attention, engages us, teaches us, gives us meaning and helps us to remember the message. There has been a theory circulating for some time about the way stories affect the brain. You have probably heard of it: left brain v right-brain thinking. The theory was based an idea that the brain has two hemispheres which function differently. ‘Left-brained’ people are said to be more logical; ‘right-brained’ people are said to be more emotional and creative. So is the theory true?

Current research has now discredited this theory and shown that there is no evidence of left or right dominant networks in the brain – the theory is a myth. However, the irony is that it’s the STORY of left v right brain which has captured the imagination of the world and helped the theory to gain credibility. It shows the power of Storytelling!

We have a program devoted to the Use of Storytelling Techniques in Business. If you’d like to learn more