Children do it best – launch into a story when asked a question. I believe it is a natural thing for adults could do it too, given time and comfort in the situation. Some links I have been hoarding on stories (for future reading, I promised myself at the time of saving them long long ago – till I got a nudge recently when forced to think of narratives with respect to some work I am taking on) –
Gautam Ghosh – Stories as diagnostic tools. And connected to this, knowledge lies in narrative. The advantages of narratives? To put it simply, I believe that stories force people into thinking of details as opposed to general breezy responses to broad (or even specific) questions.
And from the NY Times – This Is Your Life (and How You Tell It) [link through one of Steve Portigal’s quickies – We are made of stories). Researchers have found that the human brain has a natural affinity for narrative construction. People tend to remember facts more accurately if they encounter them in a story rather than in a list, studies find; and they rate legal arguments as more convincing when built into narrative tales rather than on legal precedent.
Finally, an earlier post on this blog – Personal stories as data.