THE ART OFSTORYTELLING

“Every year 15 million children die of hunger.”

“Between 100 and 140 million children are vitamin A deficient”

“1.2 billion people are undernourished, a sizable increase from its ‘06 estimate of 854 million people.”

“30,000 children die daily of consequences of poverty”

“About 183 million children weigh less than they should for their age.”

“More than 70% of malnourished children live in Asia, 26% in Africa & 4% in Latin America & the Caribbean.”

Statistics have a dulling effect.

The examples that follow demonstrate this in the context of motivating people to give to charity.

Individual stories move people to act. 

In one experiment, research subjects were divided into several groups, and each person was asked to donate $5 to alleviate hunger abroad.

Half The Sky;

One group was told the money would go to Rokia, a 7 year old girl in Mali.

Half The Sky;

Another group was told that the money would go to address malnutrition among 21 million African.

Half The Sky;

The third group was told that the donations would go to Rokia as the first group, but this time her own hunger was presented as part of the background tapestry of global hunger, with some statistics thrown in.

Half The Sky;

People were much more willing to donate to Rokia than to 21 million hungry people, and even a mention of the larger problem made people less inclined to help her.

Half The Sky;

Even the right animal evokes a similar sympathy. A dog stranded on a ship aroused so much pity that $48,000 in private money was spent trying to rescue it — and that was before the Coast Guard stepped in.

New York Times

A story leaves a lasting impression because it connects emotionally with its audience.

People want to know why you care and why they should care.

Remember….how you tell your story matters.

A personal story provides significantly more impact than a statistic alone.

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Telling the right story, in the right way can change people’s minds, inspire them and compel them to act.

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