A Lesson From Disney: How to Grow Your Business Using Visual Storytelling
There is a scene in Lion King that has the power to make even the most hard-hearted among us shed a tear. In fact, it is so powerful and memorable that you likely already know the exact scene being referenced without it being mentioned in any detail at all: the scene of Mufasa’s murder.
Do you remember it? The look of disbelief on Mufasa’s face when he realizes his own brother is about to kill him? How about the horror in young Simba’s eyes as he watches his father fall into the stampede he was just saved from? If that isn’t enough, who could forget the moment when we — the audience — are struck with the realization that Simba, who is only a cub, blames himself for his father’s death? Pretty gut-wrenching, huh. Yet, all of this — the pain, the betrayal, the innocence — had us holding on to every second, feeling emotions about cartoon characters that most of us likely never thought we could. Why?
When we look at Simba and the pain he must have felt, it’s possible the impact of that moment reminded us of a similar pain we may have experienced. Maybe it forced some of us into the shoes of someone else — someone who lost a parent. Or maybe the objective sadness of it all was just too overwhelming.
The Lion King compelled us — the viewer — to respond emotionally, engaging us through a story that resonated with our real-life emotions even though we knew that the storyline itself was fictional.
How did Disney do this?
Well, the answer is fairly simple: the creators of The Lion King were able to build a strong connection between the story and the audience by tapping into a shared human experience. So, how can you use these storytelling and design tools to create a similar and powerful connection to your audience?
Visual Storytelling
It isn’t just the fantastic plotline alone that engages and connects with the viewers; it’s also how the story is shared. The stunning backdrops and vistas, the detailed characters, and the beautiful use of contrast between scenes all help to create an engaging experience. The viewer is never reminded to question if what they are seeing was created by dozens of animators because those animators delivered a seamless and novel experience.
Visual Storytelling is a creative framework that enables organizations to do exactly this. It enables companies of all types to borrow from Disney’s toolkit and engage with their audiences.
Through combining strategic storytelling (think Mufasa’s demise early in the movie leading to Simba’s internal conflict and eventual growth), and compelling visual elements (think the elephant graveyard and the fear it instilled), companies can increase audience engagement and grow understanding. It also gives companies a unique and meaningful way to connect with their audiences.
Of course, companies often don’t produce movies to communicate their key ideas. In today’s business world, presentations are one of the main ways that this type communication is done. Whether you are part of a large organization, a small business owner, or a startup looking to get off the ground, one of the goals behind every presentation you create should be to achieve a level of the engagement that captivates your viewers’ attention and compels them to action.
Our Brain and Visual Stories
One of the reasons why visual storytelling is so effective in creating understanding and engagement is because it engages the emotional part of the brain (this part of the brain also helps to compel action). As a presenter, that’s ultimately what you want. Your end goal is to have your ideas clearly understood and then to create a desirable response from your audience. As a manager, that might mean using a presentation to achieve greater productivity in your workplace by creating a better understanding of the company’s mission and purpose. As a founder, that might mean using a presentation to convince an investor to grant your business funding through effective communication of success markers and a grand vision. Either way, the value in using visual storytelling is clear: It can help achieve the response you desire by connecting with the emotions of your audience. By taking the time to engage the emotional part of the brain, you are allowing your listeners to better understand your ideas and react to them favourably.
Our brain’s ability to produce oxytocin is also one of the reasons why storytelling can be so useful in compelling action.
Oxytocin is a neurochemical signal in the brain that, among other things, promotes connection and empathy by enhancing our ability to experience other’s emotions. Research found that character-driven stories consistently caused oxytocin synthesis. The more oxytocin that was released, the more likely it was for people to act favourably by cooperating and helping others. This is because empathy — the emotion oxytocin helps produce — grants us the ability to understand the situations others are in, which, in return, motivates the desire to help. What’s cool about oxytocin is that it is also responsible for what Narratologists like to call “transportation,” which is described as the moment listeners begin to resonate with story characters. When the audience’s attention is maintained by increasing tension in the story, their brains begin to mimic the emotions the characters in the story are feeling. This is important when trying to build a connection with your audience. Like previously mentioned, the more they are engaged, the more oxytocin is released, making them more sensitive to social cues that call on assisting others. As neurologist Dr. Donald Calne states, “The essential difference between emotion and reason is that emotion leads to action while reason leads to conclusion”.
With 80% of our learning being visually based, our brains are able to process visual information on a speedier level than verbal information, making the need for strong visuals just as important as good storytelling. The visual cortex, the part of the brain that controls our visual perception, is both faster and more efficient than the cerebral cortex, the part of the brain that controls our cognition (i.e. thinking). On a basic level, this means our brains are more likely to make sense of a pie chart than it would a list of numbers. By creating visuals that focus on the eyes more than the mind, the strengths of the brain are catered to, resulting in a stronger understanding of information. When this is coupled with great storytelling, audience engagement becomes stronger overall and ideas are better understood.
How does visual storytelling benefit your company?
Storytelling is essential in creating understanding. You might be wondering whether the whole point of this article is to convince you that the best way to connect with your audience is to make them cry (hint: it isn’t). Instead, what should be understood is the impact visual storytelling can have on audience understanding and engagement. Stories help to build empathy, and by telling a story, you have a greater ability to impact your audience in the way you desire. With any presentation you make, your goal is to ensure the understanding of the ideas you present. Visual storytelling enables you to do this effectively because it tailors the communication of your ideas to your audience.
Visual storytelling is far more effective than using text only. By adding creative and effective visuals to the mix, you also communicate your ideas in ways words just can’t. Since the brain actually processes visuals 60,000 times faster than text, the two can work together to create a powerful force. Could you imagine what the response would have been if Mufasa’s murder was described instead of shown? We wouldn’t have been able to see the look on Mufasa’s face when he realizes his own brother is about to kill him. Without that subtle animation, the impact of that scene would likely not have been as strong and it would not have been as successful at creating the premise for the rest of the movie. Likewise, you need to make sure that your company is communicating key ideas with visuals that strengthen the impact of their message(s).
Don’t try to sell ice to a snowman. Whether you are a researcher who would like to share complex findings to a client, or a business owner who is making a sales pitch to an investor, visual storytelling gives you the opportunity to effectively convey your message. By communicating a compelling story through character-driven narratives, your audience — whether internal or external to your company — will better understand your key points, as well as better recall these points in the future. An audience that is better engaged will always have a higher likelihood of understanding the message your company is trying to communicate. Just like a business can better sell products or services when it knows what its consumers want, a presentation can better communicate ideas when it knows what its audience responds to.
Conclusion
Disney teaches us a valuable lesson in Visual Storytelling. The ability to communicate effectively comes from a deep understanding of who your audience is and what they respond to. For The Lion King, it was everyday, ordinary people who liked watching movies. The storyline resonated with people of all ages, whether they were adults, children, seniors, or teenagers. They delved into topics that resonated with the human experience and captivated their audience through immersive, beautifully crafted visuals. More importantly, they knew how to maintain their audience’s attention and knew what visuals needed to be shown in order to achieve an emotional response that would make their movie memorable for years to come. Simply stated, Disney knew the power of Visual Storytelling.
A presentation is more than just the conveying of information. It is an opportunity to effectively communicate ideas that can affect positive change for the betterment of your business. That change could be an increase of understanding amongst your stakeholders, an increase of productivity amongst your employees, and increase in sales, or the creation of shared values amongst your audience. Whatever it may be, your ultimate goal as a presenter is to achieve understanding and engagement. Presentations using strong Visual Storytelling enables your company to do exactly that.
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