The magical science of storytelling | David JP Phillips | TEDxStockholm (2)

So how do you create endorphins? Well, you make people laugh.

What happens then is that they become more creative, they become more relaxed,

and again, they become more focused, which is beautiful to have.

Now, all these three hormones that I've induced into your brain now

is what I call "the angels' cocktail."

But there is an opposite of that cocktail, and I call that '"the devil's cocktail."

And the devil's cocktail has high levels of cortisol and adrenalin.

And they feel like this.

(Quick yell)

(Laughter)

Sorry to do that to you.

So, high levels of cortisol and adrenaline.

The problem with that is that if you've got really high concentrations -

which I didn't give you there -

but when you've got high concentrations, look at this:

[Intolerant, Irritable, Uncreative, Critical, Memory impaired, Bad decisions]

Is this something that you want to have the people you talk to

have in their blood, in their system?

Now, in our stressful work lives, in our stressful lives,

many times, when you present, communicate, deliver meetings,

Which one do you think they've drunk most of?

The devil's cocktail or the angels' cocktail?

Most commonly, the devil's cocktail.

And the problem then is that you've got all this to work against.

But all of that can change today.

All of that can change

by you starting to use something I call functional storytelling.

And functional storytelling means that you do these three things:

One, you have to understand that you don't have to be a bearded old man

in front of a fireplace with a dark voice in order to be a great storyteller.

In my experience, when I train people,

everybody is a good storyteller from birth.

The only problem is that you don't believe in it.

The second thing is write down your stories.

You'll notice that you have three to four times more stories in your life

than you thought that you had.

Three, index those stories.

Which of your stories make people laugh, i.e. create endorphins?

Which make people feel empathy, i.e. oxytocin?

And the next time you go into a meeting,

you pick the story you want to release the hormone you wish

in the person that you're talking to

to get exactly the desired effects that you want.

And that's a beautiful thing.

Now, you know me, some of you know me as "Mr. Death by PowerPoint."

I want to round off with making my point very clear.

And my point is this:

100 000 years ago, we started developing our language.

It's sound to say that we started using storytelling to transfer knowledge

from generation to generation.

27 000 years ago, we started transferring knowledge from generation to generation

through cave paintings.

3 500 years ago, we started transferring knowledge from generation to generation

through text.

28 years ago, PowerPoint was born.

Which one do you think our brain is mostly adapted to?

Thank you very much.

(Applause)