2M Views TEDx Speaker: Your Brain’s “Factory Settings” Decide If Your Story Influences or Gets Ignored

2M Views TEDx Speaker: Your Brain’s “Factory Settings” Decide If Your Story Influences or Gets Ignored

March 17, 2026 · 1h 7m · Episode 71

About this episode

Howie Chan interviews storytelling expert Karen Eber about the neuroscience of storytelling and how to make messages more persuasive.

In this episode of the Influence Anyone Podcast, host Howie Chan interviews Karen Eber, an award-winning author, keynote speaker, and storytelling expert who has educated and inspired more than three million people globally. They delve into why great storytelling isn’t about your origin story, why specific details beat big dramatic moments, and how subtle emotional tension can make your message far more persuasive. Karen reveals the five “factory settings” of the brain that determine whether your message sticks or gets ignored and how to structure a compelling narrative using context, conflict, outcome, and takeaway. Want to make influencing human behavior your company's superpower? Connect with me at howiechan.com/speaking and let's talk! Episode Breakdown: 00:00:00 The Neuroscience Behind Storytelling 00:10:39 The Stories We Tell Ourselves 00:16:22 Identifying the Right Audience 00:19:47 The Brain’s Default Settings 00:29:44 Building a Powerful Story Step-by-Step 00:49:29 Storytelling Myths 01:00:55 Utilizing Visual Artifacts From Our Guest: Website LinkedIn YouTube Instagram TEDx Talk The Perfect Story by Karen Eber Download the four master storytelling prompts here. Want…

People in this episode

Host: Howie Chan

Guest: Karen Eber

Topics covered

Keywords

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: The Behavioring Company

Books & works: The Perfect Story

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