You can see the sheer effort on his face, it was a difficult weight to carry.
Today's #SimpleStorytelling tip comes from the guy squatting some serious weight at the gym. This morning, I was in sheer awe at the guy at the squat rack. He put on three blue bumper plates and set himself under the rack.
As he looked into the mirror, you could tell he was mentally preparing himself. On the way down, his face contorted and he let out a sound of pure effort. After completing the lift, he let out a sound of happiness (it was more of a weird growl but I recognized my fellow squatter sounds). Stories work the same way, your audience connects with your story if there are emotions involved. Whether it's suspense, anger, or joy, keep your audience on their toes.
You don't necessarily have to include dialogue, inflicting emotions into your story can be done without it. Look at Disney's Up, in the beginning, Carl and Ellie were able to make a whole audience go through a roller coaster of emotions without uttering much. Same things with the guy at the gym, he didn't say much but I could sense his emotions.
Storytelling Tips for Brands - Emotions
- DO: Add suspense, disgust, surprise, anger, or joy to your story.
- DON'T: Just create emotionless characters that don't resonate with your audience.
Let your audience feel what your characters are feeling. Emotions will allow them to be invested in your storytelling project.
If you want to talk about brand strategy, storytelling, content development, project management, and/or marketing communications, drop me a line.
