How to be more persuasive in your writing and speaking | David M.Ward, The Attorney Marketing Center

Ward begins his blog with an amusing story. You can read it to understand his point better. But here's his point anyway:

So, why did I tell you this story? I could have simply made the point that your clients want to know you care about them and really do appreciate the little things you say or do.

Telling you that story was a better way to make that point, don't you think?

He then writes that "facts tell but stories sell" -- followed by this explanation [emphasis added]:

• Stories have people in them and the reader or listener can relate to them and their experiences.

• Stories have a dramatic theme; people want to know, "what happened next?"

• Stories have verisimilitude; they "show" instead of "tell," and are often more persuasive than a logical argument

• Stories appeal to human emotion. When you make people feel something, you connect with them on a deeper level.

• People remember stories long after the facts are forgotten.