Engineering Emotion
There are two types of people in the world: those who love roller coasters and those who wouldn’t be caught dead on one. Since I was a young boy, I’ve fallen squarely into the “love” camp. (Sadly, as I age, I question my love as the concern for my safety grows.)
You can imagine my excitement in passing down my love for them to my kids on a recent trip to Disney World. It was a whole new experience to live vicariously through their first-time emotions (exhilaration, fear, and excitement) as we climbed hills and dropped at speed, banked into turns, and blazed through tunnels. And I knew we were developing core memories as the cars came to a stop, and they exclaimed, eyes wide open, “Let’s do it again!”
To create something people are passionate about, whether it be an amusement park ride or getting others to believe in or support your vision, you must find ways to connect with their emotions.
Roller coasters and the emotions they enable don’t come together through happenstance. They are designed with a proper beginning, middle, and end, experienced through the buildup of tension, a climax, a release of tension, unexpected twists and turns, and varied pacing. Sound familiar? The similarities to good storytelling are unmistakable.
So much so that John Allen, former president of Philadelphia Toboggan Company, said, “You don’t need a degree in engineering to build roller coasters; you need a degree in psychology—plus courage. A roller coaster is as theatrically designed as a Broadway play.” This type of thinking helped John lead the “coaster boom” of the 1970s, which reawakened the public’s desire for the classic wooden roller coasters we continue to enjoy today.
While we understand John’s quote as hyperbole—you need an engineering degree to build roller coasters—his point stands. Stories are powerful and enrich our lives by inspiring us, taking us places, and compelling us to action. Yet, the workplace tends to be a vast wasteland where impactful stories cease to be told. Why? Too often, facts, figures, and features reign supreme. However, you can communicate more effectively using an underlying framework referenced by the best directors, playwrights, and writers. It’s called a narrative arc.
Most commonly associated with books or movies, narrative arcs are also powerful tools in brand building. A narrative arc refers to the structure and progression of a narrative, guiding the audience through various plot points, conflicts, and resolutions. Using them, you can deliver content that captivates, engages, and persuades more effectively. How? Narrative arcs:
Humanize, organize, and contextualize information by making it meaningful and memorable
Hold an audience’s attention by facilitating a connection and inviting them into your world
Help drive persuasion and action as you highlight their part in your story
There are many variations of a narrative arc, but I’d like to focus on a simple version known as the Four C’s (context, conflict, climax, closure).
Example Story Arc: The Four C’s
While there are several models you can choose from, The Four C’s is a pretty standard and straightforward arc and is especially helpful if your presentation has an apparent problem and solution. Defining each section can quickly frame a more compelling and impactful story.
Context: What’s going on? Who are the players? What research or data supports this? (If I’m stuck answering these, I often reference Don LaFontaine’s infamous “In a World…” movie trailer intros and describe what’s happening in my situation.)
Conflict: What is the challenge I’m/we’re facing? Who (or what) is hindering my/our progress? (It’s helpful to think broadly here, noting external conflicts (e.g., a competitor who is taking our customers or, more broadly, a cultural shift creating new challenges) or internal conflicts (e.g., I want to build trust among our team to execute high-pressure projects more successfully.)
Climax: What is the solution (software, hardware, way of working, brand, etc.) I’m recommending? (This is where most people hyperfocus their narrative by default. And they go way too deep into the weeds. Keep it high level and share the three most important value propositions for the audience. Any more than that is too many.)
Closure: What is my vision of the future? (Maybe the near-term future is enabled by your solution today, or maybe there is something bigger or longer-term that you want to convey. Casting your vision here can help an audience see the benefit(s) longer-term.)
Case: (Bonus) Who has benefitted from my solution? (How is the future already being realized by using my solution? How will it continue to help? What examples or case studies can I share that prove my solution works?)
Additional Story Arcs (via IDEO U)
In Media Res → When you want to hook your audience from the get-go
The Hero’s Journey → If you want your audience to adopt a new idea
Rags to Riches → To communicate a message of hope, optimism, and perseverance
Cinderella Story → To emphasize that adverse circumstances can improve despite obstacles or failures along the way
Man in Hole → If you navigated through unexpected troubles
Narrative arcs are a proven framework to bridge facts, figures, and features to human understanding and action. So, the next time you give a presentation, create a campaign or develop your brand, try mapping it to a narrative arc. By harnessing their power, you can captivate people’s emotions and have them exclaiming, “Let’s do it again!”