Elliott Rayner
Paul J. Zak
Free Lesson

How to Be Unforgettable: The Neuroscience of Storytelling

Part of Narratives & Neuroscience

45 min
Dec 15, 2026 1:00 PM

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What you'll learn

Why the brain pays attention to some stories

How tension wins attention, a scarce resource in the brain, and why most business messages never earn it.

What makes a story stick

The brain signals that predict whether people remember, share and act on a story weeks later.

How to design a message people remember

Practical ways to build tension and emotional connection into your next pitch, presentation or campaign.

Why this topic matters

Most business messages are forgotten within minutes. Not because they're wrong, but because they never give the brain a reason to care. Paul J. Zak has spent two decades measuring what happens in the brain when a story works, from the role of oxytocin in trust to the signals that predict whether people remember and act. In this session, we'll turn that science into practical ways to make your message unforgettable.

You'll learn from

Elliott Rayner

Elliott Rayner

20 years turning complex products into compelling narratives.

ASICS
adidas
Babbel
ARION
Paul J. Zak

Paul J. Zak

Neuroscientist and author of Immersion, Trust Factor and The Moral Molecule

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