Story or Die

How to Use Brain Science to Engage, Persuade, and Change Minds in Business and in Life

By: Lisa Cron

Narrated by: Katie Koster

“A practical, heartfelt manual for anyone who needs to change minds and actions. Lisa Cron shares the art of practical empathy with leaders who care enough to make a difference.”—Seth Godin, author of The Practice

A step-by-step guide to using the brain’s hardwired need for story to achieve any goal, from the author of Wired for Story

Whether you’re pitching a product, saving the planet, or convincing your kids not to text and drive, story isn’t just one way to persuade. It’s the way. It’s built into the architecture of the brain, and has been since early humans gathered around the camp fire, trying to figure out how to outsmart the lion next door.

In Story or Die, story coach Lisa Cron sets out to decode the power of story, first by examining how the brain processes information, translates it into narrative, and then guards it as if your life depends on it. Armed with that insight, she focuses on how to find your real target audience and then pinpoint their hidden resistance. Finally, she takes you, step-by-step, through the creation of your own story, one that allows your audience to overcome their resistance and take up your call to action, not because you told them to, but because they want to.

That is the power of story. Use it wisely.

Critic reviews

“Since ancient times (and childhood bedtime, for that matter), we’ve known that stories are humans’ most compelling force. Now, in Story or Die, Lisa Cron masterfully shows you how to turn your stories into an unstoppable force of persuasion.”—Jay Heinrichs, author of Thank You for Arguing

“Lisa Cron is authoritative, compelling, and always worth listening to. If storytelling is important to your work in any way, Story or Die is essential reading.”—Andy Goodman, director, The Goodman Center

“Lisa Cron has studied the science and architecture of powerful stories for decades. In Story or Die, she translates her knowledge into a compelling storytelling guide for anyone with an idea to spread or a cause to advance. If you want to change how others see the world, then this book will show you how.”—Bernadette Jiwa, creator of The Story Skills Workshop

Clear and Compelling

Lisa delivers an actionable, common sense, and scientifically sound approach for crafting stories that make worthwhile change happen. Highly recommended.

Importance of telling stories to get your point across.

Good material for politicians, public health researchers, and advertisers. Would have liked more examples of effective stories.

Read, use, change the world

Hands down best book on writing to get your message across ever read.

Note: Right-wingers don't bother, all examples are designed to upset your programming.

vivid dialog

really great at painting a picture and flipping stitches in the mind👌🏾 enjoyed all the Aha moments.

This is Cron’s Master Class

I’ve read Wired for Story and love it. Here, in this book Cron breaks her thesis into bite size pieces for easy digestion. As an author myself who dabbles in marketing for a variety of clients, I feel this book is invaluable for either profession. I highly recommend!