You will always be part of the UB family - stay connected, and involved.
With much of our country and the world navigating an uncharted course through the short- and long-term impact of COVID-19, we extend our most heartfelt and best wishes for the health and safety of you and your families. Our concerns and support extend beyond our own community to all who are affected by this health crisis. We know that many of our alumni and friends across the world are being impacted by this issue, and we continue to keep you in our thoughts during these challenging times.
As you may know, the University at Buffalo has implemented a distance learning model for our students and is moving to a remote work accommodation for our faculty and staff to the extent possible. It’s important to share that, in this ever-evolving situation, our two guiding principles are the health and safety of our community, and the continued academic progress of our students.
In many ways, it is your ongoing support of UB that enables the university to provide the resources to support our community in these difficult times. Whether your gifts have been to the UB Fund, or to a specific scholarship or research initiative, each and every day we put your contributions to work where they will have the maximum impact at UB. Thank you for your investment and commitment to UB.
While we won’t be able to see you in person at UB programs and events in the short term, we are working on ways to keep your connection to UB – and to each other – strong. Pursuant to recent University, CDC and local health department guidelines, all alumni, in-person gatherings, including events, conferences, meetings and other forums, are being cancelled or postponed until at least early June.
Noteworthy Alumni
Published April 17, 2019
Dr. Melanie Green, associate professor for the department of communication, was recently quoted in a Wall Street Journal story titled “You’ve Told That Story 100 Times. Please Stop.” This story, written by Elizabeth Bernstein, explains the concept of storytelling and how to be a better storyteller.
Bernstein describes storytelling as a bonding experience that builds closeness. “When we share our personal narratives, we disclose something about our values, our history, our outlook on life,” she states.
However, storytelling does not always work. Repeating the same stories, not paying attention to our audience, and not knowing how to edit ourselves all contribute to unsuccessful storytelling.
Dr. Green, and her 20 years of studying storytelling, help to explain why some stories can be unsuccessful. “People can’t become engaged with a story that is incoherent,” says Dr. Green, “they’re too busy trying to figure out what is going on.”
In Dr. Green’s new research, which has not been published yet, she shows that people who tell stories, rather than give facts or opinions, are perceived by others to be warmer and more likeable.
In addition, previous research by Green has shown that men who are good storytellers are perceived as being more attractive by women. Another result showed that these men are more desirable as long-term partners. This perception likely occurs because storytelling suggests that a man is able to connect, share emotions, and to be vulnerable.
Dr. Green emphasizes that good storytellers use their voice to convey aspects such as emotion, passion and drama. These cues prove to the audience that the storyteller truly cares about the story. She states that emotional stories have the most impact, the ones that make people laugh or feel moved, touched, angry or outraged. “If it sparks an emotion in you, there’s a good chance it will spark an emotion in your audience,” Dr. Green claims.
The story concludes with seven tips from the experts on how to be a better storyteller: (1) Have a point. (2) Open hot. (3) Flesh out your characters. (4) Build tension. (5) Don’t exaggerate. (6) Disclose something about yourself. (7) If you’re telling a story you’ve told before, own up to it.