The Corporate Storyteller

One of the reasons storytelling has caught on as a valuable skill for business leaders is that the deluge of information in our world continues to grow exponentially--and stories stand out in the clutter. Because humans are "wired" for story, our ears and brains perk up when we hear the beginning of a tale.

But what about multitasking? Does the ability to multitask help people handle more information--or just clutter their minds with more data they can't access later? Researchers haven't conclusively answered that question, but it appears that attempting to do more than one task at a time reduces a person's effectiveness and also increases stress. And stress impairs short-term memory.

So when you're reviewing e-mails while listening to your co-worker's report, a lot of the information doesn't stick. According to a study at the University of Utah, less than 3% of the population can juggle multiple streams of information successfully. For most of us, it seems, focusing on one thing at a time is a better choice.