The more a story relates to a particular audience's concern, the more attention the audience will pay to the story. The more we know about the audience's concerns and values, the greater the likelihood we can tell the story so the audience is interested in it. It is easier to tell a story effectively to audiences with shared perspectives than to those who are diverse. Opinion polls can give us a general idea about the concerns of large numbers of people and the values guiding those concerns. An audience is more likely to understand a story when we tell it many different times in different ways.
Interpersonal communication is the most effective strategy for persuasion and influence.
The simpler the story is to retell, the more likely those in our audiences will retell it to those who didn't hear it. The more interesting the story, the more others will want to retell it. The more different kinds of people, both inside and outside our organization, tell the same story, the greater the likelihood different audiences will hear the story. Some of the media are considered trustworthy storytellers. The more trustworthy the story tellers, the more likely the audience will believe the story and act upon it.