Will Storr – Book Of the Month
Our November book of the month is “The Science of Storytelling” by award-winning writer, journalist, and speaker Will Storr.
About the book
Who would we be without stories? Stories mould who we are, from our character to our cultural identity. They drive us to act out our dreams and ambitions and shape our politics and beliefs. We use them to construct our relationships, to keep order in our law courts, to interpret events in our newspapers and social media. Storytelling is an essential part of what makes us human.
There have been many attempts to understand what makes a good story – from Joseph Campbell’s well-worn theories about myth and archetype to recent attempts at cracking the ‘Bestseller Code’. But few have used a scientific approach. This is curious, for if we are to truly understand storytelling in its grandest sense, we must first come to understand the ultimate storyteller – the human brain.
In this scalpel-sharp, thought-provoking book, Will Storr demonstrates how master storytellers manipulate and compel us, leading us on a journey from the Hebrew scriptures to Mr. Men, from Booker Prize-winning literature to box set TV. Applying dazzling psychological research and cutting-edge neuroscience to the foundations of our myths and archetypes, he shows how we can use these tools to tell better stories – and make sense of our chaotic modern world.
ABOUT WILL
Will Storr is an award-winning writer and journalist and a popular speaker on the science of storytelling.
Author of six critically acclaimed books, including the novel The Hunger and The Howling of Killian Lone, Will’s journalism has appeared in titles including The Guardian, The Sunday Times, The New Yorker, and The New York Times.
His prizes include a National Press Club award for excellence and the AFM award for Best Investigative Journalism. His work on sexual violence against men earned the Amnesty International Award and a One World Press Award. Will has also been presented with the AIB Award for Best Investigative Documentary for his BBC radio series.
SPEAKING TOPICS
Will regularly teaches popular storytelling classes in London and has been invited to present his Science of Storytelling workshop all over the world, from Bangkok to Istanbul to the European Parliament.
His Science of Storytelling for Business speeches take an evidence-based approach to storytelling, using the latest findings from psychology and neuroscience to explain the power and practice of storytelling for those who seek to influence, persuade and motivate. Whether you’re a business leader, a marketeer, a communicator, or working for an NGO or think tank, the talk will show you how storytelling skills can transform the way you communicate and lead to rapid results. Delegates will learn why and how the human brain is wired to understand our lives as stories, and how these stories serve to motivate us and help us connect with others. These simple understandings can transform the way you promote and communicate yourself and your business.
Delegates will learn why and how the human brain is wired to understand our lives as stories, and how these stories serve to motivate us and help us connect with others. These simple understandings can transform the way you promote and communicate yourself and your business.
The Science of Storytelling can also be presented as a course. Will has presented it at a wide range of organisations including Expedia, Zoopla, Wunderman Thompson, Publicis Sapient, TNS BMRB, and the EU Parliament
SELFIE
Will also delivers a talk around his book In this talk based on his widely critically acclaimed book Selfie (‘Electrifying’, The Financial Times; ‘Approaching genius’, The Sunday Times), Will tells the story of how the West became self-obsessed. From Ancient Greece to Thatcher’s neoliberal revolution, so today’s world of celebrity and social media, he tells how our modern hyper-competitive world is making us more perfectionistic, and explores the effects this is having on our mental wellbeing.
For more info on Will speaking work please visit his webpage and to order a copy of the book please visit Amazon website