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MGT 100 TERM PROJECT: THE POWER OF ANECDOTAL DATA IN COMMUNICATION

Communication begins early in life as a raw interaction between to entities, which evolves over time into a refined exchange of information cycling between sender and receiver. As children we develop through versions of direct and indirect communication sourced from a collection of experiential knowledge taught to us by others. Stories like Hansel and Gretel, Little Red Riding Hood, and the Three Little Pigs, serve as examples of methods symbolic meaning distills complex social value systems such as: demonstrating respect for elders, recognizing hidden danger, and that hard work pays off in the end, into terms children can relate to.

As developed communicators, storytelling or anecdotes function as a means to bypass specific details in the encoding/decoding process through a sharing of familiar experiences created by a social intelligence. Storytelling shortcuts references of preexisting experiential knowledge, bridging past and present data allowing for informed decision making to take place for the communicator. An anecdote simply put, is a personal account from your own experience or someone else's, told to make a point. Anecdotal applications are a powerful means to transmit data from person to person and are essential to the growth and evolution of society.

The phrase, A bird in hand is worth two in the bush, conjures a symbol stored within our mind that connects an abstract thought with a known concept, directly accessing a cultural norm reverberating something deep within our cultural upbringing This is an example of an allegorical shortcut. Much like a picture, allegorical information paints an image of concepts using a storyline to fill in the minute details that piece everything together.

The subtle nuances and overt tones in a story strongly resonate for people as deeper meaning and conclusions are extracted from prior experiences bridging both past and present. Stories directly access our vast reference system of lifetime experiences and emotional responses. Empathy is an emotional example of how the allegorical process extracts meaning within stories to create relevance for a listener. One of the greatest effects storytelling has on an audience is the sharing of emotional connections to particular situations and it is the symbolic nature of storytelling, which makes them powerful for both speaker and listener due to the resonation of emotional commonality.

Mankind has an exceptional evolutionary gift of enhanced experiential learning. A humans brain is capable of storing every event that has ever happened in a given lifetime, referencing particular moments in an attempt to rectify situational experiences or overcoming obstacles. In an evolutionary sense, humans are incredible organisms because we are capable of using stories to recant vast amounts of data. We have manufactured a version of stereotyping (symbolic processing) that conveys knowledge while bypassing the process of actually living out particular events.

Tradition and heritage are miraculous in their capacity to perpetuate knowledge via a distributed human network of information. Unaffected by the bounds of human mortality, knowledge exists throughout successive generations of individuals coalescing into social intelligence. The power of storytelling acts as a shortcut for knowledge transmission, exchanging data between lifetimes, akin to a cloud computer program that transcends the bounds of traditional processing, allowing for social multi-core processing of data through generations of lifetimes. In short, stories are incredibly effective in stimulating interest in new topics, re-visitation old subjects, and inspire critical examination of information. Judiciously used, a story has the power to persuade others actions and compel movement or motivation to do something greater than complacency. The process of reflection, change, and revolution revolve within an interconnected cycle of situational rectification otherwise known as life.

Cloud computing in a societal context, stores information in the lives of multiple platforms (people), as data is passed from generation to generation processing in an evolving process into social intelligence and understanding.

Stories have the power to stimulate interest in subject matter through social intelligence referencing. Speakers utilize anecdotes to pique an audiences curiosity into a given topic of discussion because people are perpetually inquisitive, constantly searching for relevance and meaning. Answering the questions, Whats in it for me? or Why? are often the biggest challenges a speaker must overcome while attempting to break through to his or her audience.

The story of Jesus Christ is a prime example of a potent figure in history that utilized parables to stimulate interest in his teachings, ultimately influencing people to reflect deeper upon the meaning of their own lives. Jesus used the power of symbolic storytelling and revelation of underlying morals to reach his followers. In the end, Jesus became a story himself inspiring millions searching for deeper meaning.

Often speakers go against the current of accepted societal norms and directly oppose conventional thought. Managers share a similar challenge when acting as the voice and will of a corporate entity. Presentation of material in a manner that people can relate to must acknowledge and overcome barriers to communication, which arise in the form of noise stemming from cultural differences, preconceived notions, or

misconceptions of actuality. In the face of adversity, a story has the power to impact people and derail them from their parochial beliefs and force the ever-potent question of -- Why? -- to be answered.

Although he ultimately died for his beliefs, Jesus presented his material in a manner that forced people to ponder the meaning of life, question political systems, and challenge the controls that political institutions held over society. Jesus was a powerful storyteller! The mere notion of the enduring Jesus character, a story spanning thousands of years, serves a testament to the power stories convey in relaying messages.

Another revolutionary who impacted society through story is Martin Luther King. Injected his powerful speeches with scientific reason and anecdotal evidence, King aroused people from their complacency, petitioning them to examine and reflect upon destructive societal norms. MLK told his powerful story through speeches designed to force reconciliation of the meaning behind racism and ultimately question divisional separation strictly based on color and ethnic background.

Anecdotal data eventually broke down unnecessary barriers and ultimately became part of a deeper element within our culture, which now finds racism utterly unacceptable, thus forever changing the path of future generations. Martin Luther

Kings presence in history will forever serve as an enduring symbol in combating ignorance through empowerment.

Persuasion takes the power to inspire one step further. Expanding on inspiration, persuasion is the capacity to enact change in others. In a time filled with economic uncertainty and turmoil, modern managers are faced with an extreme challenge of warding off complacency within a downtrodden workforce struggling to make ends meet.

Through persuasion and reinforcement of values, managers have the power to use applied story telling as a tool for inspiring cohesiveness and hone identity. Company culture bolsters its mettle through unity, reaffirmation of purpose, and perpetuation of excellence. People look to heroes for inspiration and heroes inspire excellence. In a speech to Stanford Universitys graduating class of 2005, Steve Jobs persuades his audience with three stories involving concepts of inspiration. The first story involves, connecting the dots in your life. Its central theme is the process of examining lifes path and learning to rely on instinct and intuition to chart future actions. Second, learning to love and loseA story of how lifes challenges and obstacles stimulate determination and the power to overcome adversity. Jobs closes out his speech with his third and final point on mortalityThe realization of living your own life for your own purposes and not someone elses. Utilizing each day to further propel personal growth and purpose.

Although technically a college drop out, Steve Jobs is undoubtedly an Apple Inc. Icon and legend in the business world. Jobs traits for success, told in story format, transcend a qualification gap, eliminating the dissonance between him and the formally educated through the power of his storytelling. Steve Jobs taps into proven methods for fulfilling his lifes purpose and Stanford gave him a standing ovation as he moved them with his words of persuasive living. Each point Jobs proposes, is reinforced by three supporting elements that enrich his main topic of Youve got to find what you love. Successful speakers utilize the sequential nature of supporting points to fortify a thesis and Steve Jobs personifies the power of applied anecdotes in driving his point home.

Combining the powers of inspiration and persuasion into one powerful force, creates a potent force known as motivationthe driving force behind achieving ones goals. In the textbook Communicating at Work by Ronald Adler, a story of a pharmaceutical company petitioning investors to fund HIV research demonstrates the true power storytelling has over an audience. Humans are highly emotional and respond according to years of social conditioning and environmental factors, which weigh heavily on decision-making processes.

Initially the pharmaceutical company pitched with a scientific and sterile petition, devoid of humanizing factors and details. After unsuccessfully convincing investors to come on board, the company restructured the brief to include a story of a seven-year-

old girl in Nigeria named Malia. She lives with untreated HIV and has no parents or loved ones to care for her and shares a bleak future with millions of other children in countries suffering from rampant HIV epidemics. If funded, the HIV medication program might save Malia, and others like her, from unnecessary suffering and despair. The pharmaceutical company implemented humanization and storytelling, blending anecdotal data with scientific method, creating relativity for those interpreting information; the investors heard the message and the project became reality.

The powerful anecdote inspires people to learn, create, and persuade them to act on conviction. The motivational power of a storytelling allows for the social intelligence of generations of knowledge to live on and evolve. Stories propelling mankind into a future equipped with an empowered understanding of lesions learned from the past and proven pathways for success to draw from in an attempt to answer the search for understanding.

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