74. Anecdotes Persuade More Data

The Power of an Anecdote

Most mental processing occurs unconsciously. One reason anecdoes are more powerful because they are in story form; they evoke empathy, triggering an emotional reaction. With emotional reactions, people will process the data and the feelings. Emotions will also trigger the memory centers. 

Making data mean more through storytelling | Ben Wellington | TEDxBroadway (Embed)

Caption: : Different take on how to express data

Takeaways

Information is processed more deeply and remembered longer if it has an emotional hook. Look for ways to provide a message that will invoke emotions and empathy. Use anecdotes in addition to or in place of factual data.