A Simple Technique to Supercharge Your Storytelling
How Game Design Principles Can Enhance Storytelling in Presentations
Have you ever been hooked by a story's foreshadowing or a game's first winning streak? Would you have been as engaged if the story had been linear or if the game had started with the most challenging levels?
What is true for games is true for engaging your audience. In impactful speaking, understanding the nuances of narrative arcs is crucial.
This article delves into strategies to blend elements from story and game design to enhance audience engagement, whether weaving a tale or designing an interactive experience.
The Story Narrative Arc: The Journey of Suspense and Anticipation
Golden rule: Start Strong and Intriguing
Stories often begin with compelling hooks: a significant event, a looming threat, or intriguing stakes. These elements capture the audience's attention and trigger a release of dopamine through emotional investment and anticipation.
The Art of Foreshadowing
Stories leverage foreshadowing to build tension and maintain engagement. Storytellers keep audiences on the edge of their seats by hinting at future events or challenges, eager to see how the story unfolds.
The Game Narrative Arc: A Journey of Incremental Triumphs
Golden Rule: Start With a Win
Games typically begin with effortless challenges, offering players early success. These levels are designed to tap into our brain's reward system, releasing dopamine and serotonin and fostering a sense of achievement.
Starting with overly complex tasks might discourage players, as our brains naturally shy away from excessive effort without immediate rewards.
Skip the Boring Intro: Learning Through Agency
The benefit is skipping the tutorial or introductions that are usually boring.
Learning by playing not only teaches the game mechanics but also provides a sense of accomplishment, encouraging them to delve deeper into the game.
The Key Difference: Activity vs. Passivity
At the heart of these differences lies the nature of engagement. In games, we are active participants, directly influencing the narrative through our decisions and actions. In stories, however, we are passive observers, our journey guided by the storyteller's craft. This fundamental distinction shapes how each narrative arc unfolds.
How to use it in presentations
Provide an Early Win: Gain Your Audience on Your Side
Start by connecting with your audience and giving them something relatable as an "early win."
Tell a relatable personal story, share something you sincerely like about them, or ask a question where everyone would agree... Start with something simple and low-stakes to engage the "winning streak" used at the beginning of games.
Use Interactive Elements in Stories
Incorporate interactive elements into stories, such as asking questions, requesting a show of hands, or weaving in humor, to transform passive listeners into active participants, enriching the storytelling experience.
Adding Narrative Depth to Interactive Activities
Similarly, integrating storytelling elements into your interactive activities, like foreshadowing potential rewards or highlighting upcoming challenges, can add depth and anticipation to the experience.
Instead of disclosing what to do in a pure step-by-step manner, add anticipation by lifting the veil on where the activity is going and what it will used for.
This technique is used in Desing Sprints and Strategyzer workshops to give a sense of coherence.
Conclusion
Understanding the narrative arcs used in both stories and games allows for creating more immersive and engaging experiences.
By blending these different approaches, you can captivate your audience, whether they're listening to a tale or immersed in an interactive activity.
Remember, the key to impactful speaking and storytelling is not just in the content but in how you engage your audience through every twist and turn of the narrative journey.
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