Once upon a time, there was a woman who loved stories. She loved telling them, reading them, hearing them – she loved everything about them.

Luckily, her interest in stories and storytelling led to a long, happy career, first as a journalist and later as a public relations consultant.

Writing stories about people, places, products, research, and advances in business, education, and healthcare became her livelihood. And she had fun researching, writing, and producing them!

Good stories surprise us, writes former Pixar executive Shane Snow on Hubspot. “They have compelling characters. They make us think, make us feel. They stick in our minds and help us remember ideas and concepts in a way that numbers and text on a slide with a bar graph don’t.”

In fact, Snow notes, research indicates that 78 percent of CMOs think content is the future of marketing and two thirds of marketers think branded content is superior to public relations, direct mail, and print advertising.

“As the majority of corporations start thinking of themselves as publishers, the defining characteristic among the successful ones will be the ability to not just spew content, but to craft compelling stories,” she adds. “Fact is, no one cares about your marketing goals. But everyone likes a good story.” The business people who can tell one will have increasing advantages in the marketplace.

Snow believes storytelling will be the biggest business skill of the next five years. “The fact is, people have evolved to be storytellers and to respond deeply and emotionally to storytelling,” he writes. “If brands want to be as successful online as they were in traditional media a few decades ago, they need to relearn the basics of storytelling.”

I’ve turned storytelling into the backbone of Cathi Douglas Communications, so I share Snow’s view that, beginning with a good hook, you must rivet the readers’ attention and get them to care immediately about the people and action you’re writing about.

Showing a change happening is critical, he notes. “When you craft a story, you need to show a character or characters changing. Do it right, and you'll engender a change in the audience, too.”

Connecting with readers on an emotional level requires the writer to use personal, shared experiences. Crafting a strong story structure comprised of a beginning, middle, and end will give you the necessary framework to involve conflict, challenge, accomplishments, and success, he writes.

Perhaps most important, you must be authentic in your story, writing, and message. Using data and research to bolster your points is critical.

The most memorable stories I’ve written include magazine features about foster kids enrolled in the groundbreaking Guardian Scholars Program at Cal State Fullerton and a profile of a woman with a fatal disease who fought valiantly but unsuccessfully against California’s death with dignity law.

In both cases, the people were compelling characters that you cared about. The message of each story prompted people to donate funds and support pro-life causes. 

I’ve written stories about recovering addicts with a second chance to chase their dreams thanks to programs offered by the Orange County Rescue Mission; young scholars from poverty-stricken areas who are successfully pursuing a college education thanks to the University of the Pacific’s Community Involvement Program; and doctors at Miller Children’s and Women’s Hospital dedicated to helping young children fight life-threatening illnesses.
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In each story, stories about people and their challenges colorfully illustrated the success of programs designed to help them. Personal stories are more compelling by far than stories about things – and they have become a hallmark of my writing for clients in the higher education, nonprofit, and healthcare industries. 

Just this morning my husband and I discussed a surprising new trend: Young people are stashing their electronic devices, ordering a delicious meal, and enjoying it together in a leisurely fashion.

Our family respects the no-phone rule at the dinner table, so face-to-face conversation isn’t new to us. But for many busy families, eating on the run, passing each other in the hall, and relegating the family meal to holidays is a matter of course.

I experienced this firsthand when our sons were in Little League and travel ball. While it was often tough to arrive home tired and late, we made home-cooked weekday meals a priority. Fast food was a last-minute indulgence and pizza delivery was strictly enjoyed with babysitters on weekends.

Still, I believe we were the only family that ate dinner together nearly every night. As a kid, my parents and I not only shared daily happenings at dinner but also our opinions on current events. Everything from U.S. involvement in Vietnam to local elections to fashion trends was fair game; my father declared during one family dinner that he would use Catholic Church ratings to determine whether I could see the latest movies once I began dating.

Truly, Europeans look askance at many American habits. They frown on our casual clothing. They eschew drive-thru fast-food. Our footwear embarrasses them. And, they especially hate the idea of rushing through meals.

They are appalled at the very idea of eating with one hand and reading the phone screen with the other. Meals are meant to be slowly savored with friends and loved ones in a comfortable setting. Stress-free eating is excellent for the digestion. When we take time at the table, fresh air piques our taste buds, food tastes amazing, and discussions are lively.

Young people are discovering anew the joys of conversation as well as the tasty aspects of leisure dining. For a generation raised with go-go technology, the art, pace, and nuance of in-person communication are foreign concepts.

As a longtime communications professional I came of age in smoky newsrooms equipped with noisy telephones, teletype machines, and typewriters. Without the internet to provide answers at our fingertips, we reporters quickly learned to successfully glean information through inquiries and interviews conducted in person and on the phone. In doing so we observed the body language of politicians, taught ourselves to read documents upside-down, and discovered how to ask questions to gather accurate responses.

One of my interns was so intimidated by the idea of phone interviews that she nearly dropped out of the public relations program. To her, talking on the phone to gather information was superfluous.

Indeed, learning to gather facts via phone conversations seems antiquated. Yet I believe that these skills of yesterday remain relevant, not only because they are quick and efficient but also because they help us hone qualities such as patience, compassion and understanding. Learning from others in person and through phone conversation teaches us to listen and observe.

In a time when we can tailor media consumption to avoid opposing viewpoints, taking time for one-to-one, face-to-face conversations is enlightening.

Like the parable of the blindfolded men exploring different parts of the elephant, today’s business people and entrepreneurs are limited by their own perspectives. Only when we shed our blindfolds and learn to appreciate our differences and commonalities can we open our imaginations to new possibilities.

Family dinners at the kitchen table or leisurely meals out with friends engage us with the warmth of each other’s laughter and expose us to the original ideas of other people. Truly, learning to see the world through others’ eyes offers us a global perspective, expands our thinking, and makes us open to new opportunities.

PR writers may be professional communicators, but they sometimes find it difficult to express themselves in face-to-face conversation. Perhaps it’s because we’re always looking for the perfect word when we’re at the computer, but speaking effectively in person to supervisors, CEOs, clients and the people we manage can leave us tongue-tied, inefficient and awkward.

Writers know that words can be as powerful as actions. “How you communicate represents who you are to others and informs what you think about yourself,” says Cynthia Kane, author of the recently published book, How to Communicate Like a Buddhist. Her website offers tips and quizzes designed to help readers identify their communications styles and act accordingly. Kane recommends meditation as a way to tap into our best selves.

Conversation can be difficult and unfulfilling if you are not mindful of what is working and what isn’t. Kane recommends focusing on four fundamentals:

1. Be respectful.
2. Be kind.
3. Be gentle.
4. Be helpful.

If you pay attention to the words you use and the reactions they elicit, you can by trial and error develop your own style of communication that can be adapted for various ‘audiences.’ Look for common themes; remain present in the moment; keep your mind quiet; and practice actively engaging with those you meet.

Kane says effective communicators speak consciously, concisely and clearly. They refrain from gossip and exaggeration by being honest and helpful. While many of us avoid silence because we feel awkward, silence can also be a way to promote intimacy and compassion. It can be your best tool during difficult conversations because it leaves time and space for the other person to speak.

Silence can offer you time to consider:

• Am I being kind?
• Is the language I’m using helpful?
• Am I taking the conversation in the right direction?
• Am I considering my responses before speaking?

Still, even the most outgoing individuals will face situations where the conversation is inherently difficult. You want to impress the CEO when you run into each other on the elevator. You hope to reassure the new hire that the work environment is friendly. You want to engage smoothly with the company’s most important donor.

Stacey Gawronski, senior editor/writer of The Muse, offers a few simple ways to communicate with different audiences.

• Open-ended questions can lead to surprising responses and make you memorable to busy people.
• Getting the conversation rolling with a new or shy workers is easier when you exude friendliness and approachability.
• Engaging people by asking for their advice shows that you appreciate their expertise and welcome their ideas.

Learning to talk your way through any situation means letting go of over-thinking. All the same, it’s smart to arm yourself with a back pocket full of simple ways to initiate and sustain effective conversations. Be prepared, be thoughtful, put others at ease. You may find that as you communicate better and more efficiently, you begin to enjoy it almost as much as finding the right words when you compose your next assignment.