Theatre of the Mind
Ok, let's try something out.
What comes to mind when you think of a cat?
Is it this: C-A-T?
Or this:
Chances are it was the second one.
Although admittedly, it probably didn't help if you saw the image before reading the text.
My point is, most people think in images. In fact, about 60-65% of people are 'visual thinkers'. That's a huge chunk of the population!
Is the content you're writing playing into that? Or is it as dull as listening to your Great Aunt Matilda rattle on about "when I was your age..."?
Theatre of the mind is a technique I picked up in radio school which quite frankly, creates theatre in the audience's minds.
Think about the last radio show or podcast you listened to.
What did the presenter look like? What sort of room were they in? What did it feel like?
The number one thing I'm told as a radio announcer when meeting listeners face-to-face is "you don't look like how you sound."
Have you ever experienced this? Maybe your favourite novel got turned into a movie and it didn't look like it did in your head.
When we're reading or listening to something without a visual aid, our minds create the images to 'fill in the blanks'. It's like theatre of the mind
So, how can you tap into this?
Whether you're writing copy for your website or planning a podcast series - theatre of the mind is an important element that's often forgotten about.
Here are 5 ways you can amp up your copy with theatre of the mind
1. Descriptive Language
Descriptive language is such an important aspect of any sort of writing. Good descriptive writing plays into the audiences 5 senses: sight, sound, taste, smell and touch.
Here's an example: Property listings.
Real Estate agents have such a great opportunity to get creative with their property listings. By using descriptive language, you can actually get people to imagine themselves living in the home.
Here's the opening line to a property listing a wrote recently:
"Imagine waking up to the smell of freshly brewed coffee, sitting in a large light-filled lounge, and staring out at a beautiful, unobstructed view of the sun rising behind the city.
I could have easily just stated the facts - Large open plan living area, city views, north facing. But instead, I played on the reader’s senses. Smell the freshly brewed coffee, a large light-filled lounge, staring out at the sun rising behind the city.
2. Directives
Fact is, people react really well to directives. Some people feel rude using them, but they're a powerful technique that gets your point across adds to the reader experience.
In the example above, it starts with the word imagine. Already, you're playing to your reader’s imagination, getting them to really clearly picture what you're about to describe.
3. SFX
Sound effects are a great way to aid theatre of the mind. This tip is mainly useful if you're creating an audio project like a podcast or audio docco, but you can actually use it in the written word too.
I'll chat about audio first.
SFX can be used as atmospheric sounds, creating a setting or emphasising sounds that can aid the listener experience.
A few years back, I was making an audio documentary about a woman (Tracy Hickman) who had run a marathon in Antarctica. Obviously, I didn't go to Antarctica to record the interview. But I also didn't want the interview to sound static, like just a normal chat in a boring office.
I asked Tracy to describe what she saw, and as she was describing the ice crunching under her feet, the lake, the glaciers and the penguin that arrived at the finish line, I added subtle sound effects to recreate the environment.
But SFX doesn't have to be restricted to audio projects.
An onomatopoeia is a word that's spelt as it sounds. Bang! Sizzle. Ouch. Purr.
These words are another great way to play on peoples senses and paint an image in readers minds. Use them, but only where they fit. Don't just chuck them in the middle of your sizzling sentence just because.
It'll interrupt the flow of your story and leave people scratching their heads.
Sizzling sentence? Really?
4. Music
In the right context, music is such a powerful tool at evoking emotion.
Music is actually scientifically proven to have an impact on your mood by stimulating chemicals in your brain. Now, I'm no psychologist but music does something with dopamine "the brain’s motivation molecule."
If you're working on a project, be it a video for your website, a podcast or audio documentary - think about what emotion you want your audience to feel, then find music to suit.
I'm not going to get into the whole editing saga, but just make sure your levels are right and if you're using music with lyrics underneath a voice-over, be careful it's not too distracting!
5. Be Relatable
Now theatre of the mind only works if a reader can actually imagine what you're describing. Things that people have already experienced, or can easily imagine are definitely the way to go.
The more relatable you can be to your readers and their experiences, the more impact your copy will have.
There are so many more ways you can use Theatre of the Mind in your copy. Be it a podcast, video, book or website, there is always room for creativity! So, get creative - your audience will thank you for it.