The power of storytelling: our most human skill in the age of AI

Stories shape how we think, learn, communicate and connect. And right now, they matter more than ever.

Stories are as old as humanity. Long before books, schools, PowerPoint or the internet, we used stories to pass on knowledge, experiences, values and warnings. From one generation to the next. From one person to another.

We still do. We read books, watch films, listen to podcasts, follow the news and tell each other about our lives. Even our sense of who we are is largely made up of stories. About where we come from, what has happened to us and what matters to us.

Storytelling goes far beyond sharing an entertaining anecdote. Stories help us understand the world, ourselves and each other. They make information easier to grasp, easier to remember and often easier to feel. They can entertain us, move us, inspire us, teach us something or change our minds.

And in the age of AI, I believe this skill is becoming more valuable than ever.

If AI knows everything, what do we bring to the table?

We live in a world where knowledge is becoming easier to access. AI can gather, analyse, organise and present information in seconds. Much of what once took considerable time and expertise is now available to almost anyone.

That changes the value of knowledge. And it raises an interesting question for entrepreneurs, professionals and organisations: if we all have access to the same information and technology, what makes us stand out?

I think a large part of the answer lies in our stories.

AI can write a story, improve it or give it structure. Our personal experiences, encounters, observations, choices and perspectives, however, come from having lived. Nobody has experienced exactly what you have, or sees the world in quite the same way.

That is why your book about travel, entrepreneurship or health will be very different from someone else’s. The underlying knowledge and principles may be exactly the same. Your experiences, stories, perspective and way of telling them make the book your own.

What you know is becoming easier to copy. The way you experience the world and make sense of what happens to you is unique.

Everyone has stories. We just don’t always recognise them.

In my book writing workshops and social media workshops, I often notice people searching for something big or spectacular to talk about. Yet there are stories hidden in the smallest everyday moments.

Sometimes I simply pick up a tea bag and say: “Write down what this tea bag could mean to you.” At first, people look a little puzzled. Soon, though, that ordinary tea bag starts appearing in stories about entrepreneurship, coaching or personal growth. Everyone sees something different in it.

That is exactly the point. Stories are everywhere. You don’t have to wait for something extraordinary to happen. Learning to spot them is a skill you can develop. A muscle you can train. The more you practise, the easier it becomes to see the stories in everyday life.

The four steps to powerful storytelling

For me, storytelling has four parts that build on each other.

1. Having a story. We all have experiences, memories, encounters, successes, failures and observations. Your life is full of stories, even if you think nothing particularly interesting ever happens to you.

2. Recognising the story. What makes an experience interesting? Where is the surprise, the conflict, the insight or the moment someone else might recognise? Which detail makes an apparently ordinary experience worth sharing?

3. Knowing how to tell it. An experience doesn’t automatically become a well-told story. Where do you begin? Which details matter? What do you leave out? How do you draw someone in, build suspense and make the story stay with them?

4. Connecting it to a bigger message. This is where storytelling becomes really powerful. You use a personal story to explain something, teach a lesson, share an idea, build trust, sell a product, persuade someone or inspire them to act.

From a personal story to a bigger message

When the Dutch authorities removed me from the population register because I travelled too much, that was quite a story in itself. Suddenly, I no longer fitted into the system, which created all sorts of unexpected problems and bureaucratic obstacles. I wrote about the experience on my blog in Dutch and in my Dutch book, Handboek voor wereldburgers, and shared it during my talks.

I also used that experience to explore something much bigger. What happens when you don’t fit into existing systems? How do you deal with rules that were never designed for your situation? And how can a positive mindset, flexibility and a different way of thinking help you turn a problem into an advantage?

The personal story made that abstract idea tangible, relatable and sometimes even funny. You didn’t have to be removed from a country’s population register to take something from it. We all know what it feels like when rules, expectations or circumstances get in the way.

That, to me, is the power of storytelling: you share something that happened to you, and its value lies in what someone else recognises in it and learns from it.

The same story, a different meaning

After a talk, people often come up to tell me what stayed with them. The funny thing is that everyone mentions something different. One person remembers an insight about entrepreneurship. Another takes away something about freedom, making choices or dealing with setbacks. They all heard the same talk, yet each seems to have taken home a slightly different story.

Sometimes someone says, quite excitedly: “What you said about that really opened my eyes!” And then I realise they understood something completely different from what I meant. I used to feel the urge to set them straight. At some point, though, I began to wonder: if this was an important insight for them, why would I correct it? Perhaps it was exactly what they needed to hear at that moment.

That is what makes storytelling so interesting. We all listen through the filter of our own experiences, beliefs and circumstances. As a storyteller, you choose the story you tell. You can’t choose what it will mean to the person listening.

Storytelling is everywhere

When we think of storytelling, we often picture books, films or speakers on a stage. Stories play a much bigger role in our everyday lives.

In business, stories show people who you are, what you stand for and why they might choose to work with you. Products and services can often be copied. Your personal story is much harder to replicate.

In leadership, stories help people understand where an organisation is going and why. A strategy sets out what needs to happen. A story can help people feel connected to it.

In education and sharing knowledge, stories make abstract information easier to understand, relate to and remember.

In journalism and the media, stories give facts context and human meaning. In politics, they shape how people see society and the future they imagine.

In personal branding, stories shape how others see and remember you. Your personal brand goes well beyond a logo, a website or a LinkedIn profile. It is what people say about you when you are not in the room.

Perhaps most importantly, stories play a huge role in our personal growth and relationships. We make sense of our lives through the stories we tell ourselves. About what we can and cannot do. About what has happened to us. About who we think we are.

Sometimes those stories help us move forward. Sometimes they hold us back. A different perspective can change the story of your life.

The thread running through my work

Recently, I looked back at everything I have done over the past few decades and noticed something interesting. At first glance, my work seems to cover a rather unusual mix: speaking, writing books, ghostwriting, book coaching, business coaching, media, AI workshops, travel and retreats.

Almost all of it revolves around the same thing: stories.

As a speaker, I use personal stories to make ideas clear and memorable, help people feel what I mean and invite them to look at a situation differently.

As a book writing coach, I help people discover the story they really want to tell, which experiences matter and how to share their knowledge and insights. That is why my Reverse Writing method starts with the message and the reader. The writing comes after that.

As a ghostwriter, I turn someone’s knowledge, experiences and personality into a book that sounds like them.

In business coaching and personal branding, I help entrepreneurs discover their own story and what makes them different, then turn that into a message that speaks to the people they want to reach.

With media and publicity, it is about spotting what is newsworthy and telling a story that others want to pick up and share.

Even my AI workshops go beyond the technology. I show people how to use AI to express their own ideas, stories and expertise more effectively.

And my travels and writing retreats? They keep giving me new stories, experiences and perspectives. Sometimes you only realise later what a particular encounter or experience has taught you.

Even my nickname, The No Excuses Lady, is a story in itself. A way of looking at obstacles and possibilities. And my growing interest in trust, letting go and being more open to experience may simply be the next chapter.

UNSCRIPTED: storytelling stripped back to its essence

My new theatre show, UNSCRIPTED, may be the purest expression of everything I have described here.

Join me on Saturday, November 28, 2026, at Theater de Roode Bioscoop in Amsterdam. The performance is in Dutch.

No script, no slides, no set. Just an audience, questions and stories. You ask. I tell.

I don’t know in advance which stories I will tell. The audience sets the direction. In the moment, I find the experience, explore its meaning and connect it to a bigger theme.

It is an experiment in spontaneity, trust and storytelling. I also hope that, during the show, people will discover something about their own lives: that they have far more stories than they think.

Because storytelling begins with looking differently at what you have already experienced.

The future of storytelling

AI will undoubtedly play a growing role in creating and sharing stories. It can help us develop ideas, spot patterns, improve our writing and bring stories to a wider audience.

That opens up all sorts of possibilities. I use AI a lot myself.

As technology does more for us, I think it becomes even more important to know what we want to say. What we have experienced. What matters to us. What meaning we give it, and what we want to share with others.

Ultimately, storytelling reaches far beyond communication. It is how we make sense of ourselves, each other and the world.

And that may be one of our most important human skills in the age of AI.

Everyone has stories. The art is to recognise them, tell them well and connect them to a message that matters.