I once watched a learning and development (L&D) leader pitch a vision for an innovative talent development program to her executive sponsors. The slides were polished, the business case was solid and the return on investment (ROI) projections seemed promising. Yet as I looked around the conference room, I saw glazed eyes, crossed arms and more than one executive texting on their phone. The need for this training was clear and her recommendation was sound, so why weren’t they leaning in?

As I reflected on her presentation, I realized it was only half-right. Because in an effort to gain support for an expensive program, she had front-loaded her argument with masses of facts and data. All of that information was useful for decision-making, but it was also painfully dry and impersonal. The problem? She was speaking to just one side of her audience’s minds while entirely ignoring the other side. To truly influence people, you’ve got to appeal to the whole mind.

Stories compel people to listen and engage.

Neuroscience tells us that when we hear facts and figures, the analytical center of our brain activates. But when we hear a story, something remarkable happens. Brain scans actually show multiple regions lighting up, including areas that trigger physical sensation, emotional reactions and memory formation. As a result, stories draw us in and keep us enthralled.

In fact, the more vivid and engaging a story is, the more we get swept up in it. This phenomenon, called “narrative transportation,” carries us into another world, which is the place where the story happens. When we’re lost in that story world, our critical mind quiets down, and we become more open to new ideas and different perspectives.

But perhaps the most powerful effect is something called “neural coupling”—the moment when the brainwaves of the storyteller and the listener synch up. While we’re experiencing a shared story, we start to think and feel in unison. This effect builds emotional connection and shared understanding in a way that stats or bullet points simply can’t match. That’s why stories are such a powerful way to get people on-board with your training vision.

Resistance is natural, but not insurmountable.

Anyone who’s tried to get approval for a new or costly training program knows that resistance is natural. But not all resistance is the same, and understanding the difference is crucial for crafting effective communication.

Here’s how to diagnose the three types of resistance you’ll encounter and how to respond:

1. The first level is intellectual This usually happens because people lack clarity or context about what’s being asked of them. The key question to answer to overcome it is “why is this change necessary?”
2. The second level is emotional This most often crops up when people understand the change but aren’t comfortable with how it will impact them personally. The underlying question to answer in this situation is “why is this change good for me?”
3. The third level is relational This probably means there’s a lack of trust in the person who’s doing the asking. The essential question to answer here is, “Why should I trust you?”

Each type of resistance requires a different approach to storytelling. For intellectual resistance, you need to tell stories that explain not just what needs to change, but why it’s necessary to change at all. To overcome emotional resistance, you need stories that help people understand “what’s in it for me” (or WIIFM). For relational resistance, you need stories that build credibility and demonstrate that the people in charge are committed to everyone’s success.

Three kinds of stories get people on board:

Based on my work with Silicon Valley startups and Fortune 500 companies, I’ve discovered the most influential people use three types of stories to win support for their ideas:

• Strategic stories paint the big picture. These follow a classic three-act structure: beginning (current state with its problems and consequences), middle (the transition state including the vision and its benefits) and end (the future state and desired outcomes). These stories help people understand the overall vision, their role in achieving it, and how it will improve their world in the end.
• Situational stories address specific moments of doubt that arise during any journey of learning or change. At the beginning, people wonder, “Why start now?” In the middle, when progress feels slow, they ask, “Why keep going?” And at the end, they need to understand, “What’s next?” Having stories ready for these predictable moments of resistance keeps momentum moving forward.
• Personal stories are perhaps the most powerful tool of all. When leaders share their own experiences with learning and change — what they wanted to achieve, what obstacles they encountered and what they learned along the way — it serves multiple purposes. It humanizes the people at the top, builds a culture of psychological safety and turns challenges into teaching moments that help others navigate similar challenges.

Put the power of story to work for you.

If storytelling doesn’t come naturally to you, it can feel daunting to know where to begin. So, start small. Identify one learning initiative you’re currently supporting and one key stakeholder group you need to persuade. Then ask yourself these questions:

• What kind of resistance am I encountering?
• What question must I answer to overcome it?
• Which story type would address it most effectively?

By the way, that L&D leader I mentioned earlier used many of these techniques the next time she pitched a training program. With the goal of balancing analytical and emotional appeal, she reshaped her narrative into a three-act structure that clarified the problem to be solved, benefits to stakeholders and a picture of outcomes it would achieve. To make the positive impact even clearer, she included a story about a company that implemented a similar program and how it transformed their culture and performance. As a result, she got the funding she needed, along with a few compliments on the pitch itself.

Just like her, you don’t need to be a professional storyteller to use these techniques. You only need to be human. Because at the end of the day, learning —and change — is a human story. Your job is to help people see themselves as the heroes of that story, with you as their capable and trustworthy guide.