We often hear that marketers need to appeal to the emotions of their target audiences. Too many technical communicators think that they have nothing to do with marketing, even though Forbes magazine says that over 50% of qualified leads for technical products come from people who have read technical information on line before ever calling a sales person.
We also often hear that technical communicators should use storytelling techniques to communicate effectively. And stories appeal to our emotions. For most of us, it seems the main emotions evoked around what we do are related to anger and frustration on the part of our users. But why not engage the aspect of delight, wonder, surprise, or even pathos to teach people about our products? People retain information better when it moves them. Jill Bolte Taylor’s TED talk, where she shows the structure of a real brain while speaking of her own stroke, is a beautiful example, and there are many more.
Technical information doesn’t have to be written, either. It can be presented with rich media, and by speaking. Steve Jobs was a master of emotion at product launches. Among UX designers, there is a “design for good” movement that, consciously or not, does just what we’re talking about.
This presentation will explore how we can tell a moving story, and show some examples.
Leave a Reply
Be the First to Comment!