Storytelling Part 1 : Stories Change People

Stories are wonderful things. Whether is stories from classical literature, or children's tales, there is something magic about reading them.

They are fiction, we suspend our disbelief and take a little vacation from reality, relate to some of the characters and situations, forget all about our worries in every day life, and enjoy.

And get changed by it - but that's something most folks never think about, right ?

Stories can be simple or complex, they can be many levels deep, but every single one of them produces a change of some kind... changes ranging from huge and profound to a simple nudge that causes you to turn left instead of right.... perhaps changing the course of your entire life !

Here is a really short and sweet example, it's a children's story - but can change the entire direction of a child's life :
-------]
 The Lion and the Mouse


  Once when a Lion was asleep a little Mouse began running up
and down upon him; this soon wakened the Lion, who placed his huge
paw upon him, and opened his big jaws to swallow him.  "Pardon, O
King," cried the little Mouse: "forgive me this time, I shall
never forget it: who knows but what I may be able to do you a turn
some of these days?"  The Lion was so tickled at the idea of the
Mouse being able to help him, that he lifted up his paw and let
him go.  Some time after the Lion was caught in a trap, and the
hunters who desired to carry him alive to the King, tied him to a
tree while they went in search of a waggon to carry him on.  Just
then the little Mouse happened to pass by, and seeing the sad
plight in which the Lion was, went up to him and soon gnawed away
the ropes that bound the King of the Beasts.  "Was I not right?"
said the little Mouse.
-------]

That story was written by a man named "Aesop". If you have children, and wish to teach them some very good life lessons, I'd suggest checking out his other stories here : http://aesopfables.com .

Within that short little story, was lessons about being kind to others, and not judging others. About how a single act of generosity, with no expectation of return, could come back when you least expect it. Reading that to a child (or adult) - there is entertainment, and the teaching of a profound lesson.

I'll be posting more advanced storytelling concepts later on, things like how metaphors can change entire lives, bring failing organizations back to a healthy state, how our lives are stories, and even non-verbal stories.

There is a profound link between Storytelling, and any Change Work - NLP, or Hypnosis. This I will cover in future posts.

For now, I think I'll call this post finished. The story, and what it does, speaks for itself. I'd rather you simply read and enjoy the story one more time, aloud this time, and feel the magic it works on you, and would work on a child.