Keep Your Listeners On The Edge Of Their Seats By Adding Surprise To Your Story

The moment you share a story, you’re fighting for your listener’s attention.

Every second you’re talking, they’ll be tempted to check their smartphone, think about their next meeting, or dream about their upcoming holiday.

How can you get people to hang onto every word you say?

By bringing in elements of surprise.

Surprise refers to moments in the story that are unexpected — that can be anything that breaks the typical patterns of what your listeners expect.

The Pattern Interrupt

We as humans have very clear ideas of what is normal. How people should behave, what actions they should take, and what results to expect. While you tell your story, your listeners anticipate how the story is going to evolve.

You can add surprise to your story by breaking the typical patterns of what your listeners expect.

A pattern interrupt leads your listener into one direction (aka the Setup), but then breaks that expectation (aka Unusual Activity).

Examples:

The Setup doesn’t always have to be immediately before the unusual activity. The Setup can be early into the story or even not mentioned at all if it’s a very unusual activity.

That’s it. It’s the unexpected twists and turns that keep audiences on the edge of their seats and coming back for more. So go ahead and try it out, and watch as your listeners become fully engaged and attentive to every word you say.

Curious for more techniques to add surprise to your story? Check out my blog article that shows you another three techniques to keep your listeners on the edge of their seats.