We’ve all been there. Sitting through a presentation filled with charts, data points, and one too many slides. And while all that information might be important, let’s be honest. How much of it do you actually remember afterward?

Now think about a story someone shared at work. Maybe it was a moment when things went completely off the rails with a customer. Or a time a team pulled together and turned something around at the last second. You probably remember how it felt. You probably remember the outcome. That story stuck.

That’s the power of storytelling. It’s not just fluff. It’s how our brains are wired. Stories connect us. They make abstract concepts feel real. They bring emotion, context, and humanity into the mix. And for those of us in learning and development, that’s everything.

Because when we’re trying to teach, influence, or inspire, the difference between something that fades and something that lands often comes down to a well-told story.

And it doesn’t have to be complicated. All you need is someone your audience can relate to, a real challenge they faced, and what happened in the end. That’s it. That’s the hook.

So whether you’re leading a session, building a course, or just trying to get your point across in a meeting, take a beat and ask yourself. What’s the story I can tell here?

Because facts matter. But the story is what people carry with them.