Mind the __ gap

Hi Storytellers!

One of the struggles I often hear when it comes to pitching and communication is: “How can I be more engaging so that people listen to me?”

Many leaders believe they need to turn into stand-up comedians.

It’s much simpler. What you need is not only clarity about your message but to package your story in the same way as popular page-turners.

Let’s dive in!

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Talk about withholding information. Don’t you want to know what is the mission? The key to engaging storytelling and pitching is to let go of the logical structure. Yes, I know that goes against everything we were taught in school (and business).

But there is a reason logic doesn’t engage. Our brains are pattern-making machines - we assign meaning to shapes we see in the clouds or everywhere around us. But this works against us, too. When we are listening to a pitch, and we figure out there is a repeating pattern (cough, cough; generic pitch deck slides), we disengage.

Predictability and over-explaining kill great storytelling.

So, how can we do better?

First, we need clarity about what we want to say (the main message) and what we want the audience to do and feel after hearing it (the action).

Then, we can experiment with storytelling techniques that create strategic gaps in knowledge to arouse curiosity.

Four ways to build curiosity gaps

According to Loewenstein, there are different strategies to arouse curiosity. Let’s have a look at how using these can help you win attention and achieve your goals.

1. Pose an interesting question or a puzzle to solve

This tactic can be very effective. You don’t need to have the audience answer out loud - the point is to make them think of an experience, feeling, or belief.

“When was the last time you bought a piece of clothing and almost immediately felt an inch of discomfort growing into a heavy, sinking feeling? Guilt. Do I really need the 10^th pair of yoga sweatpants? Too late.”

This helps you connect and be relatable. It also builds a bridge for you to continue with a story.

Be careful, though. Avoid lazy questions that don’t connect by doing a quick check: Does this question trigger the right emotion? Is it something your audience can identify with?

2. Start in the climax of the story with no clear resolution

Most stories need a sentence or two to set the scene (especially when you are presenting). Movies and books can afford to take you into the midst of action immediately. This is called “In medias res”.

However, you can play with this technique, e.g., by creating an experience for your audience. Bring something they can touch, smell or try. But don’t explain why immediately. Give them a short moment to try to figure it out by themselves. Or make them do a simple activity. Then, close the curiosity gap by telling them why and creating an AHA moment.

One of my favorite speakers (and a former magician), Vinh Giang, does an amazing job at this. He uses magic tricks to later demonstrate his points.

But you don’t have to be a magician. Just think about what physical object, product, or activity you could use to demonstrate your points. When you let your audience experience something with you, they will never forget you.

3. Challenge the expectation and trigger the search for a solution

We come across so much obvious content every day. The key to grabbing attention is breaking the pattern and flipping the expectation or something widely known on its head.

Boom! I have never thought of it this way. Now you have my attention.

4. Possession of information by someone else

To demonstrate the power of holding key information hostage by the storyteller, have a look at this example. 👇

Why didn’t they see it? What happened? Revealing what happens in the end helps you create anticipation. The attention spikes. The listener wants to know what happened in between.

That’s it for today, folks!

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Talk soon,

-Dominika