Kendall Haven on Story Proof: The Science Behind the Startling Power of Story

Dr. Kendall Haven is the only West Point graduate to ever become a professional storyteller. Haven holds a Doctorate in Oceanography and spent eight years as a Senior Research Scientist for the Department of Energy before finding his true passion for what he calls, a very different kind of “truth.” Kendall is the author of 34 books but the 2 most relevant to our conversation today are Story Proof: the Science behind the Startling Power of Story which pioneered and reported on some of the first neuroscientific studies of the Brain on Story. And was later followed by Story Smart: Using the Science of Story to Persuade, Inspire, Influence, and Teach. Finally, Kendall Haven has performed for audiences of over 5 million people for the past four decades and has been appointed as a Distinguished Visiting Scholar at Stanford University. During our 2 1/2 hour conversation with Kendall Haven, we cover a variety of interesting topics such as why stories are like famous chess games; the problem with reading scientific reports; going to West Point, doing a Ph.D. in oceanography, and becoming a storyteller; how he discovered the power of story and a very different kind of truth; memory, information, and story; Story Proof and the science behind it; our most powerful tool and why we are Homo narrative; how information is story-processed before it gets to the conscious mind; the definition of story; whether storytelling has a bad reputation; why reframing the story, and not more information, is the way to change behavior; why change stories are about preservation; the need for ReWriting the Human Story; the danger that story can become a universal hammer for all nails. My favorite quote that I will take away from this conversation with Kendall Haven is this: "Story is not theoretical anymore. It’s not hyperbole. Story is woven into our DNA. We are story. That’s now science." You can watch the full video interview here: https://www.singularityweblog.com/kendall-haven/