Why the Hard Stuff Makes Better Stories

What The Power of Bad Teaches Learning Designers

If you’ve ever wondered why people lean in a little closer when a story takes a dark turn, The Power of Bad (Tierney and Baumeister) has the answer. Our brains are wired to pay more attention to threats, loss, conflict, and anything that carries even the hint of danger. Bad pulls focus. It sticks. It shapes memory.

We don’t have to like that truth to use it.

In fact, if you work in learning design, leadership development, or behavior change, that truth is gold. Tragedy, setbacks, embarrassment, fear of failure, “worst day ever” moments: these are the ingredients that give a story weight. They are also the moments that make learners stop scrolling mentally, look up, and follow the thread.

I still think about a woman in one of my executive presence programs years ago. All day long she sat in the back row, barely participating, eyes on her phone, giving me every signal that she wished she were anywhere else. I spent eight hours silently troubleshooting my own facilitation. Then, in the parking lot at the end of the day, she sprinted across the space to hug me. Through tears, she told me her divorce had finalized that morning. None of her behavior had been about me. Her own personal earthquake had shaken everything loose.

Moments like that carry the emotional voltage that lodges a story in your mind. Not the easy moments. The hard ones.

Kids reveal this instinct early. A small win earns a triumphant “best day ever!” Then something tiny goes wrong and suddenly we’re at “worst day ever!” The drama is outsized, yes, but the instinct is real. The negative hits harder, faster, and lasts longer.

Instead of trying to fight that instinct, we can build with it.

I’m reminded of a simple activity I’ve used in workshops. As the facilitator, I ask everyone to close their eyes and gently rest a hand on the shoulders of the people beside them. Once the room settles, I shift my tone and fire off a stream of sharp criticism. “No. Not that. What a ridiculous idea. Why would you think that would work?” It echoes the kind of dismissive comments people face in real meetings every day. After a moment, I have them open their eyes and look around the room and I ask, “Are they still here?” Of course they are. That’s the lesson. You can take a hit of negativity, stay on your feet, and keep moving.

This is where the Master Storyteller Trilogy earns its place.

Great stories aren’t built on cheerful moments strung together. They’re built on friction. On the turn. On the thing that goes wrong and forces the hero to decide who they are. When you use the Foundations Deck, you’re learning to frame these beats. You’re shaping tension, pacing conflict, and turning the “bad” into the engine that drives meaning. You’re not avoiding negative emotion. You’re putting it to work.

And this matters for adult learning. If you want people to change behavior, you can’t rely on positivity alone. You need a moment that catches in their throat. A moment when something familiar breaks open. A moment when they recognize a struggle they didn’t have language for until you gave them the story.

The Power of Bad explains why those moments carry more weight.
The Trilogy gives you the structure to use that weight for good.
And that’s the real work. Not sanding off the rough edges, but shaping them into a story that moves people.

If this feels different from how we usually talk about learning, good. Learning that sticks is almost always anchored in a moment that wasn’t easy. The power isn’t in avoiding the dark. It’s in knowing how to light it.

If this resonates, you might enjoy exploring the Master Storyteller Trilogy. We created a full deck of cards to guide you as you shape and write your stories. It has a playful, game-like feel, which means you don’t have to be a “writer” to use it well. The deck walks with you, helping you find the structure, the tone, and the moments that bring a story to life. The deck shows you how to connect with your listeners or learners in a real way.  It gives you practical tools and clear structures. You can put the deck to work right away.