Buzz
It’s always enjoyable to share travel tales and showcase all the amazing places you’ve discovered. But research suggests that listeners tend to connect more when the story involves something they’ve personally experienced.
A study published in Psychological Science had participants watch a short video, then narrate it to others. Some listeners had already seen the video, while others hadn’t. The speakers anticipated more engagement from the audience that hadn’t seen it, but the results were different.
The people who had already seen the video and knew the story enjoyed hearing it more than those who hadn’t watched it. You might expect the opposite—who would want to hear a story they already know? The researchers suggested this happens because explaining new information is harder. The study concluded (emphasis ours):
While the novelty of an experience might make stories more engaging to hear, it also makes them harder to tell. This creates a dilemma for storytellers: If they share familiar tales, they’re more likely to be understood, but less engaging, whereas new stories may be more captivating but harder to follow.
The key for successful speakers is to find a balance, telling stories that are familiar enough to be understood, yet new enough to hold the listener's interest.
When sharing a story, it’s easy to overlook key details. For example, when you talk about the amazing monkey park you visited in Japan, your goal is to express how incredible it was. However, you might not spend enough time explaining what a 'monkey park' actually is, leading to confusion and disengagement from your listener.
In essence, most of us tell stories to be entertaining, not to provide clear explanations. As a result, our audience may become confused and lose interest. To make your story more effective, try linking it to an experience your listeners (or readers) can relate to and easily understand. For more information, check out the study.
