Good stories grab us. They take us in, transport us, and allow us to live vicariously and visually through another’s experience. Increasingly museums will be seen as content businesses and as much as we are working with, and affected by, digital media and technology, we are producing experiences. The best experiences rely on good stories. We retain stories far longer than data, and have evolved to listen and learn from them. Storytelling also greatly helps anyone speaking or presenting in front of an audience, so we'll be putting that theory to the test. In this round-table discussion, we will be inviting participants who work outside of the museum field to talk about how they use stories to communicate ideas. We will also hear from museum professionals using stories to effectively bring alive exhibition ideas. The discussion will include representatives from the Holocaust Museum in Washington D.C. and the newly opened Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture as well as a NPR reporter, and a singer/songwriter. Each participant will bring a story and explain the path that was followed in its development and deployment. Through a facilitated discussion we will unpack how we can learn from different approaches to engaging audiences and how we might blur the lines between what is entertainment, education, history and news. Speakers Session Leader : Daniel Davis, Manager Media Group, Smithsonian NMAI Co-Presenter : Lanae Spruce, Digital Engagement Specialist, Smithsonian National Museum of AA History & Culture Co-Presenter : Erin Harper, Multimedia Producer, United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Co-Presenter : Alix Spiegel, Host of Invisibilia podcast, and NPR Science Reporter, NPR Co-Presenter : Candace Rogerts, singer/songwriter/performer, Independent MCN 2016 Presenting Sponsor: Piction New Orleans, LA