Ben Ambridge reveals the power of narrative in Stories of Your Life
Want to boost your PR skills? Ben Ambridge’s The Stories of Your Life offers key storytelling techniques and tips to create powerful and persuasive messages
Our capacity to tell stories is one of the ways in which our species is unique; and in an age in which narratives shape public opinion, it’s essential for PR professionals to be able to employ strategic storytelling to best effect.
A new book by bestselling author Ben Ambridge, The Stories of Your Life: The Eight Masterplots That Explain Human Behaviour, helps us do just that – while also providing a masterful examination of how narratives have shaped our lives and decisions from day dot.
As a renowned professor of psycholinguistics at the University of Manchester, Ambridge understands that storytelling is more than a human trait – it’s entirely fundamental to how we understand and interact with the world. And here, he explains how our brains are wired to process experiences through narratives rather than raw data – which allows us to relate complex information in a way that resonates on a deeply personal level.
In Stories… the author of Psy-Q and Are You Smarter Than a Chimpanzee? introduces us to eight “masterplots,” – universal narrative frameworks that pervade human storytelling – such as the ‘Underdog’ story, in which the seemingly powerless prevail against the odds, and the ‘Sacrifice’ plot, exemplified by acts of selfless devotion. By illustrating these masterplots with real-life examples, Ambridge demonstrates how they deeply influence us.
Cultural consciousness
For example, he notes that a parent’s daily routine of waking early to prepare breakfast for their child embodies the Sacrifice plot. And as he points out, these plots aren’t just abstract concepts but are hugely embedded in our cultural consciousness. Other core narratives include the ‘Monster’ plot, which frames addiction as a powerful adversary to be beaten, and the ‘Revenge’ narrative, which can inspire resilience after defeat.
However, he also cautions about the misuse of storytelling, and highlights the importance of ethical communication, noting that stories have a dark side, in the compelling but false narratives continually spun at us by politicians. (Any names spring to mind?)
In short, The Stories of Your Life is a must-read for PRs, offering a comprehensive understanding of narrative psychology, and enabling professionals to craft more engaging communications. Whether working on media campaigns, brand messaging, or crisis management, these are valuable tools for leveraging the power of storytelling, and crafting compelling messages with real impact.
The Stories of Your Life: The Eight Masterplots That Explain Human Behaviour is out now from Pan Macmillan
Ali Catterall is an award-winning writer, journalist and filmmaker whose writing has featured in the Guardian, Time Out, GQ, Film4, Word magazine and the Big Issue, among many others. Ali is also the writer and director of the 2023 film Scala!!! or, The Incredibly Strange Rise and Fall of the World's Wildest Cinema and How It Influenced a Mixed-up Generation of Weirdos and Misfit.