I said, “What strategies are you using for the fundraising?” She said “Well I’m just starting. We’ve got a website, a donate button and now I’m starting to blog.” Me: “What do you blog about?” Her: “Well I’m basically just asking for donations.” Me: “Tell me why you are doing this.” Her: “During the 2010 earthquake in Haiti, parts of a nursing school were completely wiped out. 200 nursing students lost their lives. We’ve helped rebuild the nursing school and replenish the skills labs. Now we are focusing on neonatal education and training for doctors and nurses.” Me: “Wow! I suggest you share that story on your blog and then ask for a donation.” I don’t know about you but that story hit me hard.
That makes me incredibly sad. And that’s what makes the story so powerful. It invokes emotion.
Huh? It is how the brain processes memories. Content (or stories) tied to emotion are more likely to be retained. People may not exactly remember the story but they remember how the story made them feel. And . . . That’s what you want when it comes to learning, change and taking action (in my colleagues case, the story will propel some people to donate to the charity!) (For those of you wanting to know specifics of Whole Brain Learning, I’m not a neurobiologist but I do know it’s tied to the amygdala and the hippocampus.) To engage your audience in Whole Brain Learning, I’m offering you 3 simple strategies:
Recently I was at a conference and someone said to me, “I still remember that story you told about Arlene Dickenson”
On the other hand … I’ve never had anyone approach me and say “I still remember the 14th bullet point you made in that presentation!”
To Your Success!
Barb
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Simplify Your Smarts
What’s the point of being smart if nobody understands what you have to say? Have you interacted with someone who is really smart but w