The power of stories
Stories are a great way to engage our readers
How many times do preachers start a sermon with an engaging story? Stories draw people in, especially first-person ones. Yet most of us write to our supporters with facts, lists of events, and prayer points.
Mitch Ditkoff of Huffington Post tells us that a story is the best way to be heard because it quickly establishes trust and connection between the speaker and listener.1 It engages emotions and allows the receiver to be a part of the story. It is also easier to remember.
Jesus often used stories to teach. It is much easier to recall the story of the shepherd seeking a lost sheep than the Sermon on the Mount.
During a church visit on one of our home assignments, a lady came up to me and reminded me of a story I’d told several years earlier on our first home assignment—a story about when my son was in hospital in Japan as a toddler. Tears had coursed down my cheeks at the time, and my voice got wobbly. The lady told me she’d cried that day too and had never forgotten. The story had spurred her on to pray for us and other missionaries.
Advertisers use stories too. The ads we remember are often the ones that have stories, even brief ones. Years ago, there was a boat insurance ad in Australia. The 30-second ad sticks in my mind because it involved a wife making a joke at her husband’s expense about the charter yacht he ran into with his small motorboat.
Why don’t we write stories? Maybe because while they’re easy to listen to, they aren’t so easy to write. Here are some ideas to spark stories for your next prayer letter, mission’s webpage, or blog entry:
- Give details about one person who stands out in your church.
- Recall a surprising conversation.
- Write about a humorous moment.
- Describe something that happened on your day off.
- Write about a moment when you knew God was calling you to do something different.
1. Mitch Ditkoff, “Why tell stories?” Huffington Post, December 3, 2015, accessed October 4, 2016, http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mitch-ditkoff/why-tell-stories_b_8703710.html