Even Fairy Tales Teach Us A Lesson In Analytics
The Secrets Of A Memorable & Personal Story
“Dad! Stories are words, not numbers” — it was a chorus from my children nearly a decade ago. Dad was being weird, talking about numbers again. But always up for a challenge I asked, “what story did we just read?”
The Three Billy Goats Gruff
And what was your sister just playing on her toy?
Three Blind Mice
“That’s a song!” and a story…
What story were you telling your little cousin last night?
The Three Little Pigs
“You are just picking the threes!”
What movie did we watch the other night? “Snow White!” They thought they had me. And?
…The Seven Dwarves
“But before that we watched Aladdin!” Yes, and his magic lamp which granted him…?
Three Wishes
It isn’t always in the title, but nearly every story you can remember and easily recount includes some numbers. Even tales like Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, The Little Mermaid, and Beauty and the Beast are known for magic and curses predicated on times and ages. The exceptions, and there are quite a few in the nursery rhyme space, well… they rhyme.
So if you are going to tell a memorable and compelling story, you have two choices — use numbers or rhyme.
Fairy tales are certainly a memorable reminder, but you can look elsewhere too. While some people want to believe that numbers are impersonal, that is actually the exact opposite of what most people’s behaviors say.
Some people reading this article are still annoyed that I never provided numbers. Some of you are wondering what I am talking about… Think about this. When introducing themselves — how often does someone tell you they are a parent without at least telling you their number of children? Most people tell you how many kids. They often tell you their ages. But then often people don’t share their own ages because that is — too personal.
Numbers are powerful. Numbers are compelling. They are personal and they are memorable. Whether counting dwarves — which you could never name without first recalling how many — or numbering wishes — think how that story changes if the genie granted several — numbers matter.
Fairy tales then can teach us about analytics. Not the test & control version or artificial intelligence, but about the art of telling a memorable and compelling story. Fairy tales often have lessons. Stories are how we best learn. And stories with numbers are the most compelling stories of all! Thanks for reading.
