Storytelling, expectations & creativity

In any story we tell, whether we’re selling, writing, editing, dancing, or speaking, there is an expectation held by our audience. This expectation is actually what keeps the audience’s attention. They have a feeling where the story is going, whether it’s from their subconscious, instinctive gut, or from their informed brain. They want to know they’re right. So they listen. When their expectation is met they are content and comfortable. And they continue listening.

Great.

So – what’s better than having your audience pay attention to your story? Having them remember your story. It’s the difference between visiting for a cup of tea and moving into the spare room. Meeting their expectations might be straight forward enough but creating a memorable story takes creativity.

Getting too creative, however, can upset your audience. If you’ve ever accidentally watched an art-house film when you thought it was going to be a Hollywood blockbuster then you’ll know what I mean. Thousands of years of formulaic storytelling are working against you if you don’t at least try to meet some expectations.

So what does this mean?

Well, next time you’re telling any type of story, make sure to plot a simple course. As in the above graphic, creativity and expectation can get you from A to D whilst still hitting B and C but you’ll need to bend the rules along the way.

So start subverting expectations; have a blank slide in your presentation, say ‘fuck’ in that email and turn the camera to the messy side of the room for a moment. Do it all, but remember to ground your audience in expectations in between.

The moments when you leave the expected route are the moments when your audience stops just listening but starts feeling. Joy, sadness, anger, jealousy. It doesn’t matter. If you can get your audience to feel then you’ve done the difficult part, they’ve invited you to stay in their spare room. Keep them entertained and you can live there.