In a recent CIM member exclusive webinar, Anthony ‘Tas’ Tasgal discussed the power of storytelling in communications and branding. Storytelling in businesses can make presentations more effective, memorable and emotionally compelling.
Anthony ‘Tas’ Tasgal is a renowned storytelling expert, with a background in advertising and account planning, he transitioned into training, speaking and writing about his enthusiasm for storytelling, now with eight published books.
During this webinar, Tas covered two main topics: making presentations more effective and designing brand communications.
The power of storytelling
Storytelling plays a very big role in effective communication; it is much better to tell stories than just present facts and figures. Storytelling can influence and persuade audiences if you make your communication compelling.
Where we often go wrong is overloading our presentations, emails, speeches, conversations with too much data. Tas began the webinar by introducing the concept of what he calls the DRIP world: Data Rich, Insight Poor. Insights are what makes data come alive, and storytelling is how we can deliver that insight to make it more memorable. Focusing on data is a habit that marketers have fallen into, but the numbers don’t mean anything unless we tell the story behind them.
Embracing emotion
During the webinar, Tas explained the brain's role in decision-making and the importance of emotions in storytelling. He quoted what David Eagleman said: "We don't think the way we think we think," to highlight the emotional nature of human behaviour.
Using emotions in storytelling can make communication more impactful. Storytelling’s power lies in identifying and amplifying emotions.
Emotions help to differentiate and therefore emotional communications become more memorable, people may not remember the details, but they will remember how something made them feel.
To tell effective stories, we need to understand the emotional underpinnings of human behaviour. We are far more driven by emotional, unconscious, social factors than we like to admit, and certainly much less than people think.
Tas shared insights on how storytelling can help brands avoid becoming dry and how it can evoke emotions, even in B2B contexts by focusing on human stories and emotions. Having authenticity and values in brand storytelling is important to ensure the content is still relevant to your brand.
The science of storytelling
Storytelling is a scientific practise, and in one of the many experiments done on the topic, they measured the level of oxytocin in blood before and after people had listened to stories and found heightened levels of the molecule after hearing a story. So, it would seem storytelling causes a chemical reaction that makes us warm to the person telling the story, creating personal connection. Mirror neurons in the brain also create empathy and connection through stories; it is rooted in who we are as humans.
Storytelling helps us organise and understand the world in a way that works with our brain and is the best way to deeply connect with your audience.
How to frame a story
Stories depend a huge amount on the way they start. In the session, Tas stressed the importance of starting presentations with impactful beginnings to capture audience attention. Creating a story with tension, anticipation, and suspense is better than having a dull start where people have switched off before you’ve even got going.
Having a clear point of view or hypothesis to hold the story together is equally important. Tas introduced the idea of the "golden thread" to maintain coherence. It's his metaphor for having something that holds your argument, your speech, your presentation, your brand together like a thread from beginning to end, invisibly but powerfully.
Tas also referenced Marcus Tullius Cicero's three goals of storytelling: to inform, to delight, and to move.
Practical storytelling tips
The webinar provided lots of practical tips for using storytelling in your communications, including finding the golden thread that holds your story together, and using emotion to move your audience.
Another tip shared by Tas was to gain an understanding of the target audience and their emotional underpinnings, and to also think about the media you use to tell the story, whether it’s a presentation, a video, an email, or another form of content. The method of narration must captivate the audience and be applicable to the message and situation.
He also advised avoiding being a drain in communication and to bring personality and emotion into presentations. This will help you create memorable moments throughout your story and allow for a deeper connection to the audience.
Final thoughts
This webinar unpacked storytelling as a hidden superpower for marketers, showing how it drives influence and persuasion far more effectively than data alone. Tas explained why the brain is wired for emotion and narrative rather than bullet points, facts and information. He also taught attendees practical ideas like having a golden thread, embracing emotion and grabbing attention early.
If you want to explore more of what Tas taught in this storytelling webinar, CIM members can watch back on demand now. And don’t forget to update your CPD record to help you on your journey to becoming a Chartered Marketer.
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