I am fascinated by the power of stories to stimulate change in the people that hear them. Sometimes the story is told in an advertisement that piques the interest of a customer and the result is a purchase. Sometimes the story is told by an executive who needs to get buy-in from employees on a new strategy or direction. And sometimes it comes from an author or movie maker who tells a story so brilliantly that you feel better for having read or seen their work (American author Pat Conroy has had this effect on me several times).

A story is a powerful tool.

Today’s Friday Inspiration is a few quotes about the power of stories in life, in books, in business…

“Storytelling is the most powerful way to put ideas into the world today.”  —Robert McKee

“Stories have power. They delight, enchant, touch, teach, recall, inspire, motivate, challenge. They help us understand. They imprint a picture on our minds. Consequently, stories often pack more punch than sermons. Want to make a point or raise an issue? Tell a story.”  — Janet Litherland

“Stories are the single most powerful weapon in a leader’s arsenal.”   —Howard Gardner, Harvard University

“The destiny of the world is determined less by the battles that are lost and won than by the stories it loves and believes in.”
—Harold Goddard

“If you’ve heard this story before, don’t stop me, because I’d like to hear it again.”
—Groucho Marx

Two unrelated quotes from advertising genius Bill Bernbach:

“Human nature hasn’t changed for a billion years. It won’t even vary in the next billion years. Only the superficial things have changed. We are “concerned with unchanging man…what compulsions drive him, what instincts dominate his every action, even though his language too often camouflages what really motivates him…if you know these things about a man, you can touch him at the core of his being.”

And…

“The magic is in the product… No matter how skillful you are, you can’t invent a product advantage that doesn’t exist.  And if you do, and it’s just a gimmick, it’s going to fall apart anyway… Getting a product known isn’t the answer.  Getting it wanted is the answer.”

Something to think about…

From Inc Magazine’s Blogger Logic:

What’s an idea really worth?
Musician, programmer, and blogger Derek Sivers (sivers.org) writes… .

“It’s so funny when I hear people being so protective of ideas. (People who want me to sign an NDA to tell me the simplest idea.)… The most brilliant idea, with no execution, is worth $20. The most brilliant idea takes great execution to be worth $20,000,000. That’s why I don’t want to hear people’s ideas. I’m not interested until I see their execution.”