A couple of years ago, neuroscientist Paul Zach did something absolutely fascinating. He invited a group of volunteers to watch a video about a dying boy.

Now, half of the group were asked to watch the version with a clear story, while the other half were asked to watch the version with a rather flat narrative arc, aka no story.

To understand the effects on the brain, the scientists took blood samples from the participants before and after watching it.

Now here’s what’s mind-blowing.

They found that those who watched the video with the clear story, well, they saw a spike in oxytocin. Oxytocin is also known as the love hormone.

When your brain releases it, you feel empathy. You feel trust. You become more generous.

Stories lower someone’s guard.

Now, here’s how you can use that. Anytime you want to persuade someone, ask yourself, was there a moment where I realized that this matters?

Maybe you made a mistake, maybe a client said something that stuck, or maybe something failed. That’s your story.

Let’s say you want your team to simplify your product offering. Well, most people would say, “Well, our product offering is too complex, and because of this, our retention is low.”

That’s logical, but it doesn’t move anyone. Instead, try to tell a story.

So ask yourself, when did I feel that problem?

It could sound like this:

“Last month, I got on a call with one of our clients, Sarah. And straight away she told me, ‘Well, I’ve been with you guys for 5 years now, and I love your design.’ But then she said, ‘Well, I just don’t understand what I’m buying with you.’

She wasn’t angry, but she was confused. Two weeks later, she signed with our main competitor. Not because we are worse, but because they are clearer.”

Now you feel it. And once you’ve lowered their guards with an anecdote, it’s time to go to the second A.