I conducted a session on storytelling for one of Sony’s sales teams earlier in the week.
An old poll jointly conducted by The New York Times and CBS served as a good trigger for discussion.
The first chart points out that the average person feels “on guard” with others.
![media trust poll](https://hawebpage.wpenginepowered.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/1sony-1.jpg)
![trust media poll](https://hawebpage.wpenginepowered.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/2sony.jpg)
It gets worse as you can see by the following.
No big surprise here.
I suspect our cynicism toward humankind has actually worsened since 1999.
But check out the third data point.
![media trust poll](https://hawebpage.wpenginepowered.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/3sony.jpg)
The vast majority of people not only lower their guard, but believe a person will “try to be fair” once they know the person.
Before going further, I want to make sure I give credit where credit is due. Annette Simmons connects these dots much more eloquently at the International Storytelling Center.
Back to the NYT/CBS data.
Simply stated, the trust a person puts in you skyrockets by knowing you.
Even a closet introvert like me can’t ignore the implication.
And there’s no better way to help someone get to know you than by sharing a story.
If I say to you “I’m a great dad and love my kids,” what’s your reaction?
Right.
You probably figure I never spend time with my kids and feel guilty about it.
But if I tell you a story about tag-teaming with my three kids once a week to prepare the family dinner, and how we challenged ourselves last week with Julia Child’s Boeuf Bourguignon recipe which turned into an unmitigated disaster, now you’re starting to get a feel for my values plus more.
That’s the power of storytelling.
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