As the visionary who brought us the likes of “Jaws,” “E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial,” “Schindler’s List,” and “Saving Private Ryan,” Steven Spielberg knows that the best projects are elevated through the use of powerful storytelling techniques.
“I hear amazing stories,” Spielberg explained in an interview with EW. “The most amazing thing for me is that every single person who sees a movie, not necessarily one of my movies, brings a whole set of unique experiences. Now, through careful manipulation and good storytelling, you can get everybody to clap at the same time, to hopefully laugh at the same time, and to be afraid at the same time. But you can’t get everybody to interpret the result in the same way. And that’s thrilling to know—that everybody will see it differently.”
Here are some tried-and-true methods that will keep your audience engaged and coming back for more.
Storytelling, or the act of sharing narratives for entertainment, informational, or educational purposes, is at its most compelling when storytellers choose the narrative they’re meant to tell—and then make it next-level by weaving together elements that resonate with audiences.
1. Choose the right story.
To make sure you’re telling the right story for you, consider the following:
- Consider audience and purpose: Who will receive your story, and what do you want them to take away? What are your reasons for telling this specific story?
- Know the stakes: Is your story impactful on an emotional level? Does it genuinely move you?
- Check for authenticity: Does your story align with your values and beliefs? Or does it otherwise ring true for you? (For example, we doubt “Terrifier” creator Damien Leone values demonic clown torture… but creating a delightfully horrifying film franchise likely rings true for him.)
- Evaluate its memorability: Is the story strong enough to keep your audience thinking about it long after they hear, read, watch, or otherwise encounter it? Will it stick with people due to an original concept, emotional impact, an important message, or some other reason?
2. Understand your story type.
Before you can start applying storytelling techniques, you must know your storytelling type, since each medium uses different strategies to connect with the audience. The four main types of storytelling are:
- Oral: verbally relaying a narrative, as with a podcast or a TED Talk
- Visual: using images to share a story, such as a comic strip or TV show
- Written: storytelling with the written word, like a book or poem
- Digital: telling stories through digital mediums, such as TikTok clips or video games
While oral storytelling thrives on timing and the performer-audience relationship, visual storytelling factors in composition, movement, and color, and written storytelling creates rich inner worlds through word choice and pacing. Digital storytelling combines many of these elements to create an immersive, often interactive experience. By understanding your story type, you can lean into its strengths and create a meaningful audience experience.
4 Types of Storytelling3. Know how to start.
Think about how your favorite book, film, TV show, or video game begins. It likely doesn’t start at the beginning of the story, but rather pulls you in by dropping in at an intriguing plot point. This is known as “in medias res,” a tactic that makes the audience hunger for more and builds suspense about what’s coming next.
Many of the best stories thrive by dropping the audience right into the middle of the action. In the pilot episode of “Breaking Bad,” for example, we see Walter White (Bryan Cranston) in an RV in New Mexico in his underwear. We’re immediately drawn into his story and want to know more—a feeling that only grows throughout the next five seasons. Similarly, the opening of “The Green Mile” flashes forward to Paul Edgecomb (Tom Hanks) as an old man in a nursing home, before depicting the events leading up to it.
To apply this technique to your story, think about the most crucial moment and build it out from there. If you’re sharing your life story, you probably don’t need to start at the moment of your birth (unless, of course, it was particularly memorable). Maybe your story starts at the birth of your own child or the day you lost the love of your life. Maybe it starts when you made a major scientific discovery or found out your boss was leading a secret life. Whatever the moment, use it to intrigue your audience and make them want to keep engaging with the narrative.
4. Take your audience on a journey.
Mapping out a clear progression that builds stakes while maintaining momentum helps transport the audience into your storyworld. Many storytellers do this by generally following the Hero’s Journey, a concept explained by Joseph Campbell in “The Hero With a Thousand Faces.” Campbell wrote that every story worth reading has a hero who sets out on a journey, faces obstacles, learns lessons along the way, and comes back transformed. To illustrate, in “The Wizard of Oz,” Dorothy leaves Kansas, makes friends, fights a baddie, and ultimately realizes she loves the home she left behind.
Storytelling 101: How to Be a Great Storyteller It can help to frame your stories in terms of lessons learned and transformations. For instance, TikTok creators like Elyse Myers often use this technique to keep their followers engaged while sharing their stories of failures and triumphs. Myers’ stories often detail her living through something embarrassing (such as the time she was tricked into buying 100 tacos for a date), making her followers invested in her eventual growth.
5. Show, don’t tell.
Children often engage in the tradition of show and tell at school—but the best storytelling takes out the tell and just shows. While words matter, stories are made even more effective through visual elements, sensory details, facial expressions, and gestures; demonstration through action brings a story to life. Disney/Pixar’s animated film “WALL-E” is a prime example of this technique, managing to convey complex emotions without any dialogue. Instead, it shows the titular protagonist’s world through actions, expressions, and visuals.
Screenwriters can use the “show, don’t tell” technique in their own films by cutting unnecessary dialogue between characters and using actions to share information instead. For example, if a character is poor and hungry, they can express that by reaching toward another character with outstretched hands, rubbing their stomach, or pulling the liners out of their empty pockets. Even without any dialogue, it’s clear that the character is struggling.
How to Write a Screenplay Using Three-Act Structure 6. Pace it out.
Picture yourself at the bottom of the mountain, where your story begins. To get to the top, you need to build tension. Each point of the story takes you up another section, replete with challenges conquered along the way. Once the story reaches the top, it heads down on the other side to a climactic conclusion. Think of the film “Speed,” in which a city bus is rigged to explode if its speed drops below 50 miles per hour. It’s filled with many heart-stopping moments where the potential for death and destruction feels imminent. Following a minor reprieve, the tension just continues to escalate—right up until the climax and exposition.
While you likely won’t be aiming for the super-high-octane pace of “Speed” and its ilk, try balancing emotional intensity with moments of calm to keep your story dynamic and your audience engaged.
7. Master setup and payoff.
Another potent storytelling technique is setting up the audience early on with a concept or connection that comes back later in the story in a major payoff. A great example in film is the use of the burn book in “Mean Girls”: After a seemingly minor early introduction, the book comes back later as a pivotal part of the film’s climax. This form of foreshadowing (which follows the dramatic principle of Chekhov’s gun) can apply to props, thoughts, dialogue, or actions.
When crafting your story, consider what you can use in early scenes that might come back later. It can help to do storyboarding to fix any inconsistencies and ensure consistency throughout your narrative.