You heard us talking a lot about narrative lately. And that’s because we think it is a really important subject.
Narratives stand at the core of how we understand the world. Narratives constantly surround us and the narratives we choose to believe in can have a huge impact on how we think, how we see the world and how we behave (so there’s quite a lot at stake).
But what makes narratives so powerful?
1. The narrator
A narrative is a narrative because it has a narrator. Meaning the one crafting and manipulating the story (be it writer, director, marketer, or politician). Stories are essential for us to make sense of the world and the story-teller has a huge power. Why? Because they can shape the story to fit their own needs and desires. They are like a little God creating a reality that suits their wishes and desires. And that is a wonderful thing in the hands of someone like Han Kang, not that great in the hands of racists or totalitarian leaders.
The narrator chooses the message the story tells.
Which brings us to
2. The message
To narrate something is an act of translation and curation. But how do you choose what to keep and what to cut from the story? The most effective way is to decide on the message you want to say and align all of the small choices with that overarching message.
The message is like a red thread binding everything together, making sure everything makes sense. When you get lost, you can always turn back to the message to make sure you are not losing sight of what is important.
This way, your story starts to support and cover your intended message, making it memorable and relatable for the audience. This message in turn becomes very powerful because it is reinforced multiple times in multiple ways throughout the story. If everything is done right, it is the one thing people will remember (even if they might phrase it in different words).
3. The structures
Human beings have been telling stories for millennia. It is part of who we are and how we understand the world. However, some story structures keep repeating across cultures and times.
Now why are these structures so powerful?
Our brain tends to simplify information so often that it relies on structures it already knows and recognises to make sense of the world. So if it hears a story, it will automatically compare it to similar stories it has heard in the past.
There are many popular stories and archetypes out there that give us shortcuts to meaning. Think of the love triangles, successions, friend betrayals – we have all seen them. Now think of the good girl, the smart-pants, the jackster, the lover. All of these are character archetypes that are easy to recognise.
Let’s take as an example the story of the underdog. You have seen it in so many stories and you are so used to rooting for the underdog that you might subconsciously do so even when the underdog is actually the perpetrator. You can also subconsciously frame yourself as the underdog of a story to receive compassion and excuses for your behaviour. The crazy part is that you are so used to it that you might not even realise it. And that comes from the power of the story structure.
Understanding these 3 elements of narratives can make you less open to manipulation. You can train yourself to become better and better at decoding the real meaning of the stories you hear. The more you bring this to your conscious attention, the more you will learn how to ask the right questions and become less and less vulnerable to a well-said story with an actual shitty message… Always come back to these 3 main elements of the story and ask yourself these questions:
- Who is telling it and why?
- What is the message of this story?
- Is there an underlying structure to the story that is weaponised to make things look different than they actually are?
If you want to hear more about our take on narrative, please check out our Narrative episode.
And if you want us to keep doing what we are doing, please support us in whatever way you can.
BLoW 