The Power of Story to Teach… and Haunt
- David Stokes
- Sep 4
- 2 min read
I used to just teach Epic. Now I write haunted stories. Surprisingly, the skill that connects both worlds? Storytelling.
In healthcare training, I don’t just teach button clicks. I teach context.
Because showing a nurse how to document something doesn’t stick unless you show them why it matters. That’s where story comes in.
✅ A patient coding in the ICU.
✅ A family waiting for a discharge update.
✅ A clinician missing one step—and the ripple effect it causes.
These aren’t just examples. They’re mini stories. Real-life scenarios that turn workflows into decisions. Clicks into consequences. Tasks into outcomes.
In fiction, the stakes change, but the principle is the same.
Whether I’m writing a Children's Story about a Magical Adventure, or teaching a nurse how to navigate an impossible day, I lean on story to resonate and not just entertain.
Because story connects logic to emotion. And that’s where retention lives.
💡 Here’s why relatable stories work (in classrooms and in creepy tales):
🔹 They trigger empathy. When someone sees themselves, or someone they care about, in the story, they pay attention.
🔹 They simplify complexity. Even the most technical concept lands better when tied to a human experience.
🔹 They create memory hooks. Emotion + context = retention. People remember feelings and consequences, not checklists.
🔹 They make learning active. When the story has stakes, learners engage. They ask, “What would I do?”
🔹 They last. A good story is a whisper in the mind long after the lesson or episode ends.
So whether I’m designing eLearning for clinicians or crafting sci-fi horror for YouTube, my goal is the same:
👉 Make it stick.
👉 Make it resonate.
👉 Make it mean something.
Because when the software closes and the episode ends… the story is what they’ll remember.
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