The Advantages of Storytelling

Recently I have been taking a writing course and in the course they make the point that storytelling has been the most effective method of communication, forever. I believe the art of storytelling is extremely important in getting people to see and understand the need for insurance protection.

Most people want to protect themselves, their families and their business from significant injury or damage. Unfortunately, many people do not have a clue when it comes to the different perils that could befall them.

That’s where stories can help to draw their attention to the many different types of loss that can occur and how solid protection can save the day. The stories can be real-life experiences that have occurred or a situation created in the mind of the client meant to focus their attention on the very real suffering and heartache that can exist if someone hasn’t been responsible and bought proper protection.

It’s important that the story draw the listener or reader in and get them to relate to what is occurring­—creating a mental picture of the loss and pain that can occur and what life would be like if little or no protection exists. Insurance can’t make pain and suffering go away but it can make sure it isn’t compounded by not having the resources to heal, repair and, in some cases, replace what has been injured or destroyed.

For example, a family member who is seriously injured in an auto accident and  is looking at months or years of medical attention and rehabilitation and, in extreme cases, never being able to return to the life they previously had.

Another example is when a family home, devastated by weather or fire, becomes uninhabitable. They now have to find a temporary living situation, buy lost possessions and pray there is enough protection to put themselves back in the home they had before.

Imagine 15-20 years of work creating and developing a business to see it possibly jeopardized or worse yet put out of business because the necessary protection wasn’t there to keep going after a significant loss.

In addition to all that law suits for damage or injuries could significantly change the life of an individual, family or business unless the proper planning and protection has been achieved.

I understand that to some individuals the idea of storytelling may sound manufactured and fake but that couldn’t be farther from the truth. Too many people today are being led astray by advertising intended to mislead consumers. Focusing them on price instead of the real value of insurance—having proper coverage to adequately protect themselves, their families and their businesses.

Storytelling draws attention to the serious nature of insurance and the need to think through what coverages and at what amount a consumer needs and wants protection. Today’s world is complex and filled with many opportunities for physical and financial loss. It allows the insurance agent in the role as advisor to help consumers to visualize and understand the potential for serious loss and properly protect themselves.

You may think storytelling is old school and doesn’t belong in our highly computerized and fast paced world. Actually it’s just as important as ever and social media, blogs and websites are great venues for storytelling.

Deep down most responsible people want to properly protect themselves and storytelling allows them to picture themselves in the story and then take action to make sure they don’t end up with an unhappy and possibly disastrous ending. The moral of the story is: proper insurance coverage allows consumers to live a full and active life knowing they have done their best to protect themselves from the unknown. Some people might call that “peace of mind.”