Your article on the rise of storytelling as a corporate skill (Pass Notes, December 17) highlights what storytellers have always known – that people want meaningful human connections. This is becoming intense as we face a world full of data and distraction. Business communications teams may now package storytelling as a strategy, but the craft of storytelling is far older and far deeper than any job description. It is a human art, not a corporate invention.
For more than 30 years, Society for Storytelling Oral storytelling in all its forms has been supported. Through our extensive online directory, audiences can find storytellers working wherever there are people, in schools, theatres, workplaces and care settings.
In oral storytelling, the teller and the listener co-construct meaning in the moment. We are transported into other worlds, other lives, other ways of seeing. No wonder businesses are beginning to recognize its power.
Research and practice consistently show that storytelling supports cognitive function, memory, and emotional resilience. Listening and telling stories helps us feel seen and understood – a fundamental human need. Oral storytelling increases empathy, strengthens listening and imagination.
Stories are fundamental to children. Oral storytelling underpins literacy, enriches vocabulary and invites playful thinking long before written text. But the power of storytelling does not diminish with age. For adults, oral narrative strengthens social bonds, helping us navigate life’s ups and downs while supporting our emotional health and well-being. Stories aren’t just jobs; They are the heartbeat of human life. Let’s keep telling them.
daniah miller
Trustee, Storytelling Society
