From Bedtime to the Boardroom: Why Storytelling Matters in Business These innovators are connecting with consumers, colleagues and investors on an emotional level.

It's one of the biggest buzzwords in business—storytelling—and it's how savvy companies are satisfying the public's never-ending hunger for content. With compelling characters, relatable plots and, most important, authenticity, these innovators are connecting with consumers, colleagues and investors on an emotional level.

"What is a story?"Andrew Linderman asks a group of students, most in their 20s and 30s, who are gathered in a Manhattan classroom for "Storytelling for Entrepreneurs," a lesson in how to better pitch themselves and their products.

One student offers a complex definition straight out of a comparative literature class. Linderman, founder of The Story Source, a New York-based coaching and consulting company, shakes his head. Another student raises his hand hesitantly.