The ability to tell stories is a wonderful ability. Stories inspire, entertain, and educate – all more memorably than facts and figures alone. So being able to weave a good yarn is a great skill to develop.
But there’s another benefit. A while back, I got my kids into a great bluffing card game. In addition to learning how to bluff, the other (and some might say even more important) benefit is learning how to spot a bluff. The same is true for stories. If you’re good at telling them, then you’re also getting better at being told them.
What elements might the teller be leaving out, exaggerating, or changing altogether? Why this story, framed this way? What’s the takeaway the teller wants me to have – and do I want it?
Learning to hear the world, as it really is, makes us wiser. So tell a few stories!
The Opportunity Machine 