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- Stories need to be sensory
Each week, we share a practical technique to become a more effective storyteller and analyze a video that demonstrates its use in the real-world.
Quote of the week
“Rhetoric is the art of ruling the minds of men.” Plato
photo: lil artsy via pexels
Stories need to be sensory
Storytelling obviously involves the use of words. But what kinds of words?
In previous newsletters we’ve said
stories make you a better communicator, that
stories are all about the listener, your audience and
pauses can make you powerful storyteller
Entire books can and have been written about the use of words. As early as 4th century BCE, Plato spoke and wrote about rhetoric—the art of persuasion.
The word rhetoric itself traces its roots to the Greek rhêma—that which is said or spoken, word, saying."
Today we’ll look at one category of words—sensory words.
These are words that evoke one of our senses be it sight, smell, sound, taste or touch.
My co-founder often recounts the story of taking two visiting German customers for a day of sightseeing. Halfway there, traffic had come to a complete stop. While people had gotten out of their cars and were milling about no one seemed to know what the issue was.
“Suddenly we saw some people running towards us. It was a few initially and then turned into a flood. ‘What happened? Why are you running?’” he asked.
“Wild elephants. They are on a rampage.” was the answer.
Worried he returned to the car and reported to the customers what he’d heard. He suggested that they turn around. Instead they got out of the car.
“‘What are you doing?’ I asked them.
‘We don’t want to miss the elephants,’ they said barely able to contain their excitement. And they began running in the other direction. Towards the elephants!”
“I was sure that day we were going to lose the only customers we had!”
Notice, the use of evocative sensory words, “turned into a flood,” “They are on a rampage,” and “barely able to contain their excitement.” These allow you to visualize the scene, hear the excitement and feel the absurdity, even when hearing this second hand.
And why should we use such sensory or descriptive words?
Because science shows it works1 . Tangible words are recognized faster.
So whether at work—a pitch, presentation or proposal or at a social event—a graduation, wedding or a wake, examine the words you use. What sensations—an image, a smell or sound do you want to invoke in your listeners?
In today’s video we’ll see how the use of sensory words makes the speaker—the sixth or seventh one in a series of speakers, stand out.
1 Barbara J. Juhasz et.al Tangible words are recognized faster: The grounding of meaning in sensory and perceptual systems, The Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology (2011)
Video
Denzel Washington, one of the great actors of his generation was recognized by the American Film Institute with a Lifetime Achievement Award. To celebrate the occasion many peers, colleagues and those he mentored or inspired, paid tribute to him, in their own distinctive ways.
Issa Rae’s entire speech is barely over 2 minutes. She opens with an unconventional sensory description of herself as a “thirst bucket.” When she speaks of her mother and aunt, she uses both the sounds they made (Umph!) as well as describes them as “hyenas in heat.” And then she says “Denzel is the man; he is everyman; and he is that man" before wrapping up thanking Denzel for giving hope to “this passionate black girl with drought DNA.”
Share with us in the comments:
What sensory images arose when you heard Issa Rae’s talk?
What sensory words do you find you or other speakers using?
How would you work the word hyena in your next story?