“Our brains, fascinatingly lazy, seek to conserve energy… we must craft tales that compel the brain to invest those precious calories” – Karen Eber

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In a riveting session of Joseph Jaffe is not Famous, I had the pleasure of diving deep into the nuances of storytelling with Karen Eber, a maestro of narratives and an advocate for meaningful human connections.

And then, in the irony of ironies, we got “Sopranoed” and Karen, the consummate professional that she is, handled it with grace and style. 

Some of the key highlights and takeaways from this episode include: 

• Karen Eber discussing the importance of story structure versus plot and debunking the myth that humans are hardwired for stories.
• The exploration of how the brain responds to stories and the importance of leveraging its natural functions like making predictions and assumptions.
• Insights into asking better questions in interviews to understand a company’s culture beyond just their stated values.
• Examples of how unexpected details in storytelling can slow down assumptions and engage the audience.
• The discussion around unconventional story endings like in The Sopranos and how they can still be effective at engaging the brain.
• The emphasis on creating personalized stories that audiences can relate to rather than following formulaic plots.

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Here are the show notes: 

Storytelling, layoffs, and company culture. (0:08)

Storytelling and branding with Joseph Jaffe and Speaker 6. (10:10)

Unique eye color and tattoos. (11:54)

Personal stories and narratives. (18:25)

Storytelling and its effectiveness in marketing. (21:11)

Leveraging brain’s natural functions for effective storytelling. (27:36)

Neuroscience and storytelling. (34:05)

Creative storytelling and unique language use. (36:53)

Storytelling conventions and their impact on audience engagement. (41:57)

Story structure and plot vs. creativity in storytelling. (45:01)

The impact of storytelling on the brain. (50:36)

Storytelling, interview questions, and company culture. (55:28)

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“The purpose of a storyteller is not to tell you how to think, but to give you questions to think upon.” – Brandon Sanderson, fantasy and science fiction writer

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