You love stories too? Then here’s looking at you, kid

The best stories spark emotions

Soon after you read this, I will be coaching a large group of people in how to tell a story.

This strange experience, which, frankly, was never among my ambitions, will prove valuable, I hope. It’s a work thing, but also a deeply personal thing, and it reflects so much that has been important to me throughout my life, in my careers, my interests and my identity.

All our lives, we communicate through stories. I can tell you a dozen interesting facts and maybe you’ll remember a few but if I tell you a story you will remember a lot more. Maybe the next time you tell the tale you will change some details or embellish it but the story structure and its essential elements will probably be preserved.

For example, I could tell you that Operation Torch, the Allied invasion of North Africa, happened in late 1942, more than halfway through the Second World War. (It actually began 75 years ago last Wednesday.)

But if I tell you the story of Rick, the embittered American running a nightclub in Morocco until the arrival of his former lover and her husband leads him to stick his neck out for somebody, you’re more likely to remember that the fighting didn’t reach that part of Africa early in the war.

Better still, if I tell you about a wonderful film that premiered during November 1942 (13 days short of 75 years ago), then the story surrounding the story might provide insight into wartime morale and the emotional impact of world events, and perhaps say something about marketing. It was released just as everyone was talking about Churchill and Roosevelt meeting in newly-captured Casablanca.

I hope you’re feeling an emotion now, thinking of one of the greatest movies ever made and a crucial period of our history. The best stories spark emotions.

And they link us, as humans. If you have an important message to spread, there is no better way to do it than telling a story. My grandfather served in North Africa and lived to tell the tale. But many people’s stories ended there.

We remember them.