Sharing Complex Content Through Storytelling

 

By Amanda Reseburg, Writer — Otter PR 

Writing about complex topics can be challenging. After all, you want to ensure that readers not only understand the concepts you want to convey, but also that they connect with the information in a meaningful and memorable way. 

Studies have shown that storytelling is one of the most effective ways to engage readers on complex topics since it allows them to better remember the information they are told, and can even reduce arguments on divisive topics. 

Effectively using stories to relay a complex topic includes several steps. Here are the best ways a writer can utilize the tool of storytelling to the best effect. 

Introduce your topic 

To kick off your article, you first introduce your topic and explain why you chose to tackle it. Use this time to speak directly to your target audience, explain why they should continue reading, and why the topic is important. This introduction should lay the groundwork for why the target audience should engage with your article and what they should expect out of it in terms of information, feeling, and connection.

Showcase your expertise 

Even though data and statistics can help buoy a point, personal stories often allow readers to understand the depth of a writer’s experience and expertise with a given topic. Stories can also help a writer showcase other’s experiences and expert take on a complex topic. 

However helpful they may be in proving points, statistics can often come across as dry and prevent a story from feeling more engaging with general audiences. Dynamic storytelling works to explain complicated topics by making them more relatable and exciting to read. 

Engage your target audience 

Using your own voice or the voice of the person or organization you are writing about or for helps you engage with one’s intended audience. Some audiences appreciate a little humor in their information, while others may want more intimate, personal stories that pluck the heartstrings, so be sure to use stories and examples that are relevant to your target audience. 

Try to tell the “right” story for the audience you want to target, and try to stay away from straying too far from the topic at hand. Going too far off-topic could cause an audience to become even more confused than if you had stuck with just statistics and dry data. 

Before launching into a personal story or anecdote, make sure you give the reader context and establish common ground with them. This will allow the personal story to hit the right way and express the ideas you mean for it to express.

Using analogy and comparison 

To link a topic to a story, writers can use analogies and comparison language to simplify complex ideas so the average reader can relate to them and wrap their head around the information. For example, one could say something was “as boring as watching paint dry” or “as important as the discovery of fire.” 

Stories and different storytelling tools can help writers illustrate complex information using examples, illustrative concepts, and imagery. Readers can personally connect to ideas and recall them more effectively than if they were to simply read a set of statistics. 

Strong storytelling can help conjure up deep emotion, forge deep connections between reader and writer, and draw the attention of people who may have skipped over the topic altogether. By infusing storytelling into your writing, you can more effectively express complex topics and engage your readership.