More Than Facts: Why Storytelling is the Most Important Business Skill You’re Likely Ignoring

Over the past few years, a major trend has emerged in the business world: the rise of storytelling. But why?

We are all born storytellers. As children, we use our imaginations to weave fantastical narratives. But as we get older, something changes. We're taught to put away "childish things," and storytelling is often one of them. In the workplace, this translates into a reliance on facts, data, and logic, with a fear of anything that feels too "soft" or "emotional."

We convince ourselves that a business presentation is about sharing as many compelling data points as possible (“showing up and throwing up”), believing the data will speak for itself. But it won't. This approach fails to recognize a fundamental truth: stories move us into ACTION because they move us emotionally.

There is a long-held belief that we must leave emotion at the office door. But what if doing that means you're also leaving your ability to make effective decisions?

How Emotion is Central to Decision-Making

In his book, Descartes' Error, neurologist Antonio Damasio shares the compelling story of a man named Elliot. A successful, intelligent man in his 30s, Elliot had a brain tumor successfully removed. The surgery, however, caused incidental damage to his right frontal lobe. Physically and intellectually, he seemed fine. Yet, his family and friends were astonished by a dramatic personality change.

Elliot lost his job and couldn't hold down another. His family life suffered. But doctors couldn't find anything wrong. He passed all standard intelligence, personality, and social tests with flying colors. His memory, attention, and cognitive functions were all intact.

So what was the problem? As Damasio began his own assessment, a peculiar detail emerged: Elliot was completely devoid of emotion. He could describe the devastating events of his life with a cold, detached recall—as if he were a dispassionate observer of someone else's story.

His inability to feel emotion had a profound and crippling impact on his life. Elliot could no longer make decisions. Even simple, everyday choices like what to eat for lunch or which color pen to use became agonizing, multi-hour struggles that often ended in the wrong choice or no choice at all.

Damasio realized that the damage to Elliot’s brain had severed the link between his rational thought and his emotional processing. Elliot had all the data and facts he needed to make a choice, but without the emotional feedback to guide him, he was paralyzed. He could no longer "select a path."

You Can’t Have Passion Without Emotion

The story of Elliot is a powerful warning for the business world. When we tell employees to "leave emotion out of it," we risk losing the very thing that drives intrinsic motivation.

It’s not about reverting to an emotion-only approach. Instead, it’s about recognizing that emotion and logic are not two separate entities, but are deeply intertwined. As professionals, we make countless decisions every day—from the complex to the mundane—and as Elliot's story shows, our ability to make sound judgments depends on our emotional capacity - whether we believe that to be the case or not.

If you want passionate, engaged employees, you have to connect with them on an emotional level. After all, the words emotion and motivation both come from the same Latin root, movere, which means "to move."

So, the next time you're preparing a presentation or planning to share a new strategy, remember: facts tell, but stories sell. The truth is, you need BOTH to be effective. Ultimately, a compelling story doesn’t just inform; it creates an emotional connection that turns passive, skeptical listeners to passionate advocates who are not only moved emotionally, but also moved into action.

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If you know you need to tell a better story but aren't sure where to begin, our expert coaching can help. We specialize in guiding businesses and individuals to find the powerful, human narratives hidden within their data and ideas. Learn how to transform your presentations into compelling stories that drive real results. Contact us today to schedule a consultation and begin your storytelling journey.