Tip #9: To drive change, bring the audience into the pain.

Written by Dr. Sally Perkins , Authenticx

If Dorothy landed in Oz, immediately met the Good Witch Glenda, clicked her red shoes together, and went home, we would neither care about nor remember the story.? We care about Dorothy because we feel her pain of wanting to get home and the suspense of every obstacle in getting to Oz entices us to stay with the story until it’s resolved.?

So too, effective data-backed storytellers don’t just name the problem, they take the audience into the pain point by sharing data to show prevalence, evolution over time, and impact. They also help the audience feel the pain by giving examples of the impact on real people.?

For example, a strategically designed story might use conversational data to show what customers say they are wanting — their “object of desire.” Then the story might show quantitatively how often the customers are struggling to get what they want. That data point might be followed by qualitative micro customer stories that show the audience how it feels to the customers not to be able to get what they want.???

Then, the story becomes even more potent if another layer of pain, proven quantitatively and qualitatively, is added to that.?

“Not only can our customers not get what they want, they’re also having to wait days to find out that they can’t get it. Ouch.”??

This strategic structure leaves the audience:

1. Cognitively convinced of the extent of the problem?
2. Emotionally sympathetic to the human experience impacted by the problem??
3. Needing to get to a resolution?

Is there a moment when you’ve experienced taking the journey for the emotional and cognitive pull rather than “clicking your heels”? Describe the moment in the comments and share some takeaways with us.??

To find out how Authenticx uses conversational data to help audiences feel what their customers experience, check out our Crushing Complexity presentation.?

Sally Perkins serves as Sr. Manager of?Storytellers at Authenticx. She analyzes quantitative and qualitative conversational data from which she crafts impactful data-backed stories that offer insights into how professionals across industries, such as healthcare, can improve the customer experience and their business outcomes.?

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