American poet laureate Maya Angelou once wrote, “There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.”

Everyone loves a great story, whether it’s some fanciful tale picked up at the knee of your grandfather, the latest watercooler gossip, or simply catching up with a friend. But storytelling is a lot different now than it used to be.

In the 21st century, storytelling isn’t just a means of entertainment—it’s a valuable tool that business leaders have begun to rely on to share their message with consumers. It’s also a talent that too few have been able to harness, and that is when they call Kelly Swanson, CSP, CPAE.

Swanson, a master storyteller, was the keynote speaker during today's Closing General Session at the 42nd Annual Payroll Congress. She spoke on the art of storytelling and effective communication in her message, “The Persuasion Principle: Connect and Engage Through the Power of Story.”

Some may remember Swanson speaking at PayrollOrg’s 34th Annual Payroll Congress in 2016, also hosted in Nashville, Tennessee.

“I love speaking to payroll people,” she said. “They were so much fun to speak to and to hang around with when I was in Nashville several years ago. I couldn't wait to see them again.”

For most, storytelling is an art form or a critical 21st-century marketing tool. For Swanson, storytelling is a part of her heritage.

As a young girl, she remembers the stories her grandmother would share on winding car rides after Sunday church services. Swanson recalls watching her grandmother as she peered through the passenger window at the Georgia countryside telling a story about an oft-beaten path or a tree they’d passed along the way. Those stories would continue throughout the day when they returned home. It was magical.

But storytelling was even more personal for Kelly Swanson.

“Stories were my defense mechanism, my coping mechanism,” she said. “I was always the kid who was picked on. I just didn’t fit in the world I was in, so I created my own and lived in this fictional world of story.”

Such a revelation may sound strange to most, but Swanson says that everyone writes their own story internally, and they become what we all believe about ourselves. It’s all based on reality, she says, but there is a fair amount of fantasy mixed in too.

As she matured, her coping mechanism became a highly sought-after talent. The friends and acquaintances she shared her stories with were often left speechless. In 1990, the same year she graduated from Appalachian State University, Swanson launched her career as a professional keynote speaker.

“I didn’t have a clue that I would ever be able to do anything with this talent,” she said. “People would tell me how motivating these stories were, which were all buried under so much humor and real life. Eventually, people started asking me how to tell stories in their line of work.”

Like other gifted speakers or storytellers, Swanson became an avid student of people. She studied comedians, performers, politicians, preachers, and others. She listened to how they spoke to their audiences and observed their mannerisms and delivery. Then she watched the audience to gauge their reaction. This helped her learn how to tailor her message to appeal to her audiences.

In a career that has spanned more than three decades, Swanson continued to hone her amazing storytelling skills, and she also created courses to teach business leaders how to become storytellers for their organizations.

“I help people see where the art of story meets the business of persuasion and, sometimes, I feel like I am standing between those two worlds,” she said. “Stories are all about belonging and identity. Imagine transferring that into business. Stories are as powerful for a business’ identity as they are for the child who asks to hear a story about themselves.”

Over the years, Swanson has spoken to audiences including business leaders, doctors, engineers, lawyers, Amish farmers, and even hundreds attending a Santa Claus convention. While the people in the audience may vary from different backgrounds and professions and the messages may be tailored differently, the goal is still the same: story matters to a business.

Swanson says she hopes Payroll Congress attendees had a good time and were as inspired by her message as Swanson was when her grandmother told her stories all those years ago.

“I hope they all laughed, had a great time, and felt inspired. That’s what I want for everybody,” she said. “People love to be taken out of their seats and taken on a journey, and that’s what I wanted them to experience. I wanted them to enjoy the experience and the power of story and to realize their story matters.”

Swanson's inspiring message on the art of storytelling tugged at the heartstrings and left many Congress attendees awestruck.

"Oh my gosh. She was awesome — the best," said Congress attendee Lisa Baker. "She was energetic and motivating. Her stories and the perspective is great and you can do it, too." 

Bryan Kirk is the Senior Writer and Editor of Membership Publications for PayrollOrg. Emily R. West is a freelance writer and reporter based in Nashville, Tennessee.