Story Time

I'm not a "science person." Haven't touched the stuff since 9th grade Biology. But I love reading about it - if it's written the right way. Oliver Sacks, Atul Gawande, Jerome Groopman - all of them make science and medicine compelling to read about. (Not surprising, since all of them write for The New Yorker.)

What's their secret? Stories. They tell stories. Too many businesspeople are afraid to tell stories, I think. Afraid that their message will get lost, or they won't seem sophisticated or learned enough to their audiences.

Let's look at that: I mean, The New Yorker is not exactly the magazine of choice for uneducated rubes. I firmly believe that the right story, well integrated into the narrative of whatever you want to convey, is the best way to catch people's interest.