Why Storytelling Is a Business-Critical Skill (Especially Now)
I spent the beginning of this week in sunny Palm Springs hosting my first workshop of 2026, and while all the other conferences out there are hosting sessions on AI, productivity, or efficiency... I chose to focus on a human element of business: storytelling.
If I’m being honest with you, I felt nervous about the session. Not only was it my first time every truly teaching on the topic of storytelling but I felt an interesting curiosity in the air. While the team was engaged and excited they were also slightly skeptical. I was asking them to use their imagination and tap into their creativity… in a conference room.
I was doing the exact opposite of what business asks us to do. I didn’t need them to produce anything, I didn’t ask for any hard and fast deliverables or numbers. I simply asked them to be open minded, listen, and immerse themselves in the world of storytelling.
Storytelling still gets mislabeled as fluffy, optional, or reserved for motivational speakers and marketing teams. Back in 2024, I spoke openly about the need to revive storytelling as a business-critical skill. Today, I’m doubling down on that advice. Work has become deeply transactional. Communication is faster, shorter, and increasingly shaped or outright generated by artificial intelligence. Efficiency is prized and humanity often gets lost in the process.
And yet, the problems professionals are navigating haven’t gotten simpler. In fact, the problem has become more complex. Change is constant. Teams are stretched. Trust feels fragile. Alignment takes more effort than ever.
This is exactly why storytelling matters now. Why?
Stories are up to 22 times more memorable than facts alone.
Storytelling builds trust faster than data by itself.
And when organizations use story intentionally during moments of change, alignment improves by 6x.
Without storytelling, knowledge stays siloed (or worse, forgotten). People struggle to connect emotionally with the work or the people leading it. Change becomes harder. Resistance grows. Misunderstandings multiply.
I’ve seen this play out in organizations time and time again. Leaders present slide decks filled with data, only to leave their humanity - the stories they can and want to be telling - out of the conversation for fear of judgement and maybe even legal repercussions. Teams walk away from meetings unclear on priorities, roles, the “why” behind a decision and even a bit jaded.
So this week, instead of teaching people how to perform a story, I taught them how to remember storytelling as a skill they already have and how to call on it in everyday professional conversations.
I also took a risk. I shared my own relationship with storytelling - how it’s shaped my work, my communication style, and even my willingness to be vulnerable in rooms where certainty is often rewarded more than honesty. That vulnerability created space. Space for imagination. Space for creative thinking. Space for people to remember that communication doesn’t have to be rigid to be credible.
Because storytelling isn’t about perfection or performance. It’s about understanding, connection, and impact.
Below is a simple way to integrate the art of storytelling into professional conversations without overthinking it.
Learn the core message.
This is the part most people skip. Before you send the email, lead the meeting, or propose the change… Why? What do you actually know? What’s the history behind this moment? Who is involved, and what do they care about? What matters most right now?
A practical check you can use:
If someone stopped you mid-conversation and asked, “Too long, didn’t read” Could you answer in one grounded sentence?
Could you explain the context without hiding behind jargon or slides?
If not, that’s your signal to slow down and learn more before you communicate.
2. Invite the participant into the conversation.
Stories are not delivered. They’re shared. This is where storytelling shifts from telling to connecting.
You may know the core message inside and out but the people you work with don’t live in your head. They’re coming into the conversation with different experiences, pressures, and priorities. When storytelling works, it becomes a dance: speaking, listening, noticing reactions, adjusting your language, reading body cues, allowing space for response.
This might sound like:
“Before I go further, I’m curious what you’re seeing on your end.”
“Does this align with what you’re hearing from your team?”
“What questions does this bring up for you?”
These moments invite collaboration instead of compliance. They build trust without forcing it.
3. Evoke meaning.
This is the “so what” and “who cares.”
Why does this matter to them? How does this connect to the mission, the client, the team, or the work they’re responsible for? When meaning is explicit, people don’t have to guess why they should care.
A simple template you can use:
“This matters because…”
“The reason I want to name this now is…”
“If we get this right, here’s what it unlocks for the team.”
This is where alignment happens. Not because people were told what to do but because they understand why it matters.
What I want professionals to remember is this: storytelling isn’t about being polished. It’s not about having the perfect anecdote or the right words every time. It’s about doing the work to understand the message, creating space for connection, and making meaning clear.
In a world that’s increasingly automated, storytelling is one of the most human skills you can bring to your work. And it’s one of the most powerful tools you have as a leader, collaborator, and communicator.
