Stories Are the Heart and Soul of Communication

Heidi Cohen writes a good blog offering Practical Marketing Advice.  Her February 13 post, 13 Ways Stories Support Social Media Marketing, contains good information for writers.  Heidi says that stories are the heart and soul of social media, but I would argue stories are the heart and soul of any communication.  When we share our stories, we share ourselves.

The 13 points Heidi makes about stories are

1. Stories create a voice.
2. Stories help develop your personality.
3. Stories conjure up images.
4. Stories identify us.
5. Stories explain connections.
6. Stories offer a history.
7. Stories teach us.
8. Stories offer entertainment.
9. Stories use tropes and memes (short-hand we all know).
10. Stories are sticky.
11. Stories are memorable.
12. Stories can be embellished.
13. Stories are universal.

Do you think about any of these points when you are creating your stories?  Which give you the most trouble?  Which do you appreciate most about the stories you read?