How can you make your stories better?

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

Whether it's marketing or sales, stories come in handy because stories help you find common ground and get your message across. Do you use stories in your work or, for example, in your blog?

Why do you need storytelling?

He works! Still, why would you complicate your writing with the ornate patterns of stories? Most people believe that stories are useless if you have facts that you can simply state. But it is not, and then, HOW you speak is equally important WHAT you say … If you refuse to acknowledge this fact, then you risk losing your useful information in a sea of less useful content. The expression of sympathy or antipathy for history, understanding and acceptance of it depends on how the story is presented.

How do stories affect the brain?

Would you like to be able to influence people in such a way that they treat your proposals more favorably? Of course. The only question is how to do it.

Are stories really capable of influencing us that much? Research by Drs. Green and Brock has shown that they can. The reason stories affect us this way is because we are receptive to both what we are told and how they do it (in other words, the way they are told). Stories are able to "teleport" our brain to another place, where we can accept things that we would only laugh at in the harsh reality.

Example: Think of almost any speech by a politician. They spend a lot of time preparing the stories used in their speeches. The story of the "determined guy who is hot on hand and sticks to the law" is much easier to follow than discussing the administration's plans to reduce crime. Another very striking example is TED talks. Rather than using facts alone, TED speakers begin their talks with phrases such as "Imagine if you …" And as we can see, this is a great tactic. Stories Help Sell Arguments ranging from “I believe this liberal / conservative point of view is correct” to “I believe this product suits my purposes”.

How can you make your stories better?

Involvement

There are millions of blogs out there talking about how to create amazing stories. But is this information backed up by any research?

Indeed, there is research done by the same Doctors Green and Brock who provide insights into what makes stories interesting.

Here's what they found:

1) Unknown

The suspense effect is the oldest technique used in books and movies. Despite the fact that we see this effect very often, our brain continues to react to alarming moments: we need to know what will happen next.

The now often cited Zeigarnik effect suggests that you will automatically be drawn into the story, waiting for a denouement as the best way to eliminate uncertainty.

Research in this area has shown that people are used to finishing what they start.

Researchers interrupted people's unfulfilled tasks with other tasks, and, despite the fact that the initial tasks could not be completed, 90% of the subjects returned to them to complete the task.

Keeping the audience in a state of obscurity ("How will it end?") Is one of the best ways to create a compelling story, provided that uncertainty appears early enough in your story to activate the Zeigarnik effect.

2) Creation of detailed images

Do you want your audience to be completely immersed in your story?

Images make up a picture of any good story. For example, Tolkien spends an entire chapter detailing the trials of Frodo and Sam as they fought a giant spider to help the reader imagine the ferocity of their enemy and the courage of the protagonists who overcome difficulties despite their natural weaknesses (anxiety, doubt, fear and etc.).

Wrapping real messages in a fantastic wrapper sometimes helps to establish a better connection with the reader. Moreover, all those feelings that are not difficult for us to understand (anxiety, fear and doubt), presented in a fantastic or fairy-tale manner, are much easier to perceive than a real story filled with negative feelings.

3) Means of artistic expression (such as irony or metaphor) are an integral part of a good story

Practically each of us read, following the school curriculum, the tales of Saltykov-Shchedrin. Everything that Saltykov-Shchedrin describes in his fairy tales, generously sprinkled with irony, is real. In fact, they are about politics and the state of the country.

There are a whole host of literary techniques that you can use in your story. Do not hesitate to do this in order to make it even better.

4) Simulation

If you want your audience to be more supportive of you, or if you want them to make the decision or point of view you want, use modeling.

The hero of your story should change throughout the entire action in the way you want your audience to change as a result.

Why it works: People present themselves within the story, reimagining themselves as the protagonist.

Below are 6 more properties inherent in compelling stories identified by researchers Melanie Green and Dr. Philip Mazzocco

1) Presenting history

We have already mentioned above that it is important not only what you tell, but also how you do it.

In many ways, whether a story is remembered or not depends on the author and his ability to be “in the flow” and amplify the impact on the audience during important key moments.

Best remembered stories are told in a way that makes a lasting impression on you.

2) Imagery

Without very detailed and exciting visual cues, the reader or listener won't be immersed in the story as much as if you included visuals.

If the prosecutor wants to convict a perpetrator, he describes a picture of the victim's suffering and uses language to create sympathy for the victim of violence in the jury, who, while listening, will visualize the suffering of the victim.

Research shows that when we read a good story, our brains actually activate and seem to take us into the events we are describing.

3) Realism

Even if you are describing a fictional story, its elements must belong to the reality that the audience is familiar with, such as basic human motivations. (Dooley)

It can be said with almost certainty that if there are realistic elements in a fictional story that are easy for the audience to perceive, then it will easily imagine what is happening, even if this, in principle, cannot be.

4) Structure

An example that researchers cite is Christopher Nolan's thriller Remember. The reaction of critics to the film was diametrically opposite: some extolled the film and its plot structure, some assessed such a reverse development of the plot very negatively.

The story of the protagonist unfolds in the reverse order, he has amnesia and we see the end of the story and how the events that precede it gradually unfold.

Film critics point out that it is quite difficult to enjoy the film a second time: the "tension" is almost invisible because the plot is so confusing when you watch it in reverse. In contrast to Remember, critics argue that great films can be watched over and over again, even if you know what will happen.

This is because they use an effective structure that keeps you literally glued to the screen to see what's next, even if you already know the sequel.

Researchers agree on something with critics: people prefer stories that unfold in direct order. At the beginning of the story, you need a plot to keep people on their toes, not a denouement.

5) Context

Context is very often the element that can have a significant impact on the persuasiveness of a story.

The image of the narrator, the manner of presenting oneself, the place where the narration takes place, the level of noise, a lame site where you send people for examples and additional. information - all of this context has an impact on how the story will be perceived.

6) Audience

Different people can react very differently to the same story.

Decide for whom you will tell your story, present a product, or make a business proposal. Only then can you start working on your presentation.

P. S

When it comes to sales or other areas where facts and figures are needed, they are an important addition to your story. But remember that we make decisions based on emotions (and, to one degree or another, unconsciously). So let our rational processes then justify this decision with the facts.

Use stories to activate the experiential side of your readers' brains and you will win their attention and interest.