It should come as no surprise if you have sat through a bulleted “death by powerpoint meeting”, that Amazon Founder and CEO Jeff Bezos has replaced powerpoint presentations with narrative memos at Amazon.

What is surprising is that it’s taken us this long to realise we need to go back to basics.

What would you prefer … someone, to intrigue you with the story about what’s happening in the picture of Rosa Parks, or provide you with a list of historical bullet points?

As Carmin Gallo reminds us;

Narrative storytelling might not have been as critical for our survival as a species as food–but it comes close. Anthropologists say that when humans gained control of fire, it marked a major milestone in human development. Our ancestors were able to cook food, which was a big plus.

But it also had a second benefit.

People sat around campfires swapping stories. Stories served as instruction, warning, and inspiration.

Stories are persuasive… they inform, illuminate and inspire. Neuroscientists have found that emotion is the fastest path to the brain. In other words, if you want your ideas to spread, story is the single best vehicle we have to transfer that idea to another person.

We knew it back in the days of sitting around campfires, it’s good to see the richest man in the world has figured it out too ….

Read the rest of Carmin’s article here and next time you feel tempted to use bullet points, remember…

Bullet points on a slide, don’t inspire.

Stories that convey heart and soul, do