Your brain on stories - Deb Gabor of Sol Marketing

© SOL MARKETING | 1

THIS IS YOUR BRAIN ON STORIES BRAIN SCIENCE AND STORYTELLING BY DEB GABOR BRAND DOMINATRIX AND INVESTOR PITCH WHISPERER

Solmarketing.com @Sol_Marketing


Across every culture, in every part of the

world, humans have told stories to understand, share and recall knowledge.


Introduction to the brain Reptilian brain: automatic response (DANGER+ swift automatic instructions for fight or flight) Limbic brain: WHY (Is this my friend? Can I put my trust here?) Neocortex: rational/thinking brain


98% of what the brain does happens OUTSIDE of awareness*

95% of buying decisions happen OUTSIDE

the neocortex**

*Dr. Michael S. Gazzigniga, NYT 2011 **Baba Shiv, Harvard Business Review, 2013


HARNESS THE POWER OF STORYTELLING

Telling a good story enables you to communicate with the emotional

unconscious

Storytelling stimulates the irrational unconscious brain to facilitate decisions


Neural coupling Listener turns the story into their own ideas

Mirroring Listeners experience similar brain activity

Cortex activity Fact processing in Broca’s and Wernicke’s area (e.g. the LEFT BRAIN)

Dopamine Brain releases dopamine when emotionally charged


SELLING WITH STORIES

Harness the power of storytelling to stimulate the unconscious brain Use the story arc to “tickle” the limbic brain at ideal points in the story


SEVEN BASIC PLOTS

Overcoming the Monster: Hero and the bad guy (Star Wars, Jaws, anything with Nazis) Rags to Riches: Success and crisis (Any Disney princess movie, Wolf of Wall Street) The Quest: Seeking and finding (Any Indiana Jones movie, Stand by Me) Voyage and Return: Boldly exploring (Wizard of Oz, Back to the Future) Comedy: From confusion to enlightenment (Any Will Ferrell movie) Tragedy: The price of fatal flaws (Macbeth, King Lear, Requiem for a Dream) Rebirth: Finding the personal light (It’s a Wonderful Life, Pursuit of Happyness)


LET’S START

SOMETHING 512.445.4807 [email protected] 4807 Spicewood Springs Rd. Building 2, Suite 200 Austin, Texas 78759

Deb Gabor @deb_gabor Solmarketing.com Investorpitches.com