Throw Your Hands in the Air
How to Make Your Audiences Care About Your Topic
My high school’s basketball team was remarkably average. There were no star players or Division One college scouts. Even the students rarely attended games. The squeaks from the players’ sneakers made more noise than the crowd. ?
One day, my friend Abel went to a game to support his friend Leo, a player on the team. As Abel describes it, “Leo was the 12th man on the bench,” barely seeing any playing time. Leo contributed more by elevating the overall Team GPA than he did on the court.
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Abel is incredibly clever and has a knack for noticing and celebrating the unique and uncommon. It’s the foundation of his humor. He once made a documentary,?The History of Choking, about Henry Heimlich, the inventor of the Heimlich maneuver. While some shy away from attention, Abel thrives on it.
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As Abel watched Leo sitting motionless on the bench, he started cheering for him. To him, it didn’t matter whether Leo played or not. It was about celebrating the underdog. As he left the game, he decided to make Leo the focus of his next video.
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He showed up at Leo’s home with a camera and basketball. Abel filmed Leo dribbling around his home: getting out of bed, making an obstacle course around the dishwasher, and even eating cereal. Leo played along, pretending it was his first time holding a basketball and practicing fundamentals.
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Abel convinced the TV Production class to air the two-minute video on the morning announcements to promote the next game. Within minutes of it airing, Leo was famous. In a school of 4,000 students, suddenly everyone knew who he was.
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The next game saw a record turnout. The stands were packed with students who had never attended a game. The crowd chanted Leo’s name as he sat on the bench. It was like the movie?Rudy?but years before it was made.
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Our team was up in the fourth quarter. The coach sent Leo in during the final minutes, and the crowd erupted as he hit the court. His teammates quickly passed him the ball. Leo aimed for the basket, but the ball made a slow arc and fell far short. The gym fell silent as his big moment ended in an airball.
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Leo’s teammates quickly grabbed the rebound. As the clock ticked down to the final ten seconds, Leo was the only person open, standing on the three-point line. He caught the pass, pivoted, and aimed the ball. The gym was so quiet, that you could almost hear the ball leave his fingertips. This time, it swooshed through the net perfectly.
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Students screamed and jumped out of their seats like we’d won a championship. The surge of excitement caused a few people to fall into a pile as they rushed the court. Leo was picked up and carried off on the shoulders of fans.
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The team never won a championship, and I’m not sure if Leo played again. But that magical moment happened for one reason: Abel made us care. He took this idea he thought was funny and leaned into that humor, helping us relate to Leo as the bench-riding underdog and that we wanted to succeed.
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Before the video, no one paid attention to the team. The video made us have FOMO. People showed up to be part of something special. Winning or losing wasn’t the focus; it was about sharing the experience.
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The past few weeks the world has celebrated athletes from all over the world during the Olympics. If you were like me, you had one thought as you watched Judo, badminton, and Rugby 7s: “What would it feel like to be an Olympian and compete in this event?” It’s part of what makes the Olympics so inspiring. Like I said in Chapter Two of?The Perfect Story,
“I’m ready to buy a jersey with the athlete’s name and become a certified fan of the sport I just learned about. There is no way I am missing their event. I’m now on their cheer squad and with them each step of the way. I pump my fist with joy at their successes and feel crestfallen at the moments that don’t go their way.”
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These moments happen quickly. In under three minutes, you care about a person or sport you knew nothing about. It’s why we filled a gym cheering for Leo, and it’s what happens when you tell stories that make your audience care.
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Make characters relatable. Make characters relatable by asking yourself:
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Create tension. What challenges do the characters face? Leo’s big tension was, “Will he get to play?” and evolved into, “Will he score?” Make us experience what is hard about the setting and what is at stake. Describe what the characters are grappling with or striving for so we can cheer them on and feel their setbacks.
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Make us feel what they feel. As we watch Olympians, we imagine what it would feel like to compete or stand on the podium. A great story makes you wonder, “What would that feel like” and uses vivid details to make you see, hear, and experience everything alongside the characters.
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People want to be part of experiences that make them feel a sense of belonging and connection. The next time you tell a story, focus on making your audience care about the topic, characters, and outcome. It’s the quickest way to get them on your team.
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Three ways we can work together when you’re ready: