Ira Glas quoted, “Great stories happen to those who can tell them.” This especially holds true in the regard of people who are always eager to tell stories. People who are not into storytelling can never know about the tremendous joy of sharing a piece of your soul with others. Under a research led by anthropologist Daniel Smith of University College London, storytelling was found to be a powerful tool to build better understanding of social norms and cooperation. It was also found that storytellers have higher chances of being liked by people in their community.
There were times when words and attitude like workaholism didn’t exist, times when technology didn’t exist, times when people’s schedules allowed them to share their stories. Isn’t it strange how advancements in technology for the comfort of humans and population of overworked individuals are running parallel? Reading and telling stories is considered as essential for survival as water, and letting go of them will surely have their own share of repercussions.
No matter what your profession is, you can either be an english professor or a marketing head, you will need storytelling. You will need to master this art to perform better. Storytelling should never be confused as just a of source of entertainment, because it’s so much more than that. We all need to be storytellers not because of ourselves, but for the sake of future generations, too. Also, there are multiple benefits of storytelling associated to both adults and children.
For adults, storytelling helps in communicating their point of view in a better way. Storytelling also helps adults in influencing others, which when backed by a good cause, is quite beneficial for humanity. Storytelling is a great tool of introspection, too. In understanding why you are what you are today, and thus changing for the better, stories and storytelling help a lot. Being a storyteller also makes you a good leader too, as for a storyteller it becomes relatively easier to leave an impact on minds and hearts of people.
Coming to benefits of storytelling for kids, it wouldn’t be an understatement to say that it can completely change the lives of children. Albert Einstein said, “If you want your children to be smart, tell them stories. If you want them to be brilliant, tell them more stories.” There are many ways storytelling aids in the overall development of a child. Storytelling makes learning easier as it is a great method when it comes to teaching children. The examples in the stories ensure that children are able to understand the concepts better. Storytelling, hands down, is also one of the best options when it comes to instilling moral values in children, as, here too, the examples in the stories provide better understanding of what’s wrong and what’s right. Storytelling is good for inculcating good habits such as reading and writing as it naturally pushes children to delve more into the world of stories, and as mentioned above, it will enhance his overall development in return. It also improves their listening and communication skills by making them more attentive and focused and enables them to express their thoughts and feelings better. It helps in developing their imagination, too, as while listening a story, children get lost in a world entirely made up of their own imagination. This enhances their creativity upto a large extent. All these benefits of storytelling make it even more vital for children to master this skill, as they’re supposed to be the leaders of tomorrow.
It's high time we realize the importance of stories and storytelling, and spare time to indulge ourselves in these activities, for the betterment of both ourselves and our community.
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