From Strangers to Heroes
The Storytelling Techniques of the Olympics That Captured Our Hearts
We were cheering for MANY athletes going into the 2024 Olympics.
But I know I’m not the only one who was introduced to a few of them for the first time these past few weeks.
Among them…
Stephen Nedoroscik, Noah Lyles, Gretchen Walsh, Nic Fink, Illona Maher, Ryan Crouser, Hezley Rivera - just to name a few.
How to Use Details In Your Story to Make It Juicier.
We’re inspired by their courage, tenacity, teamwork, and individuality.
But it’s not just their wins that are connecting us to them. It’s their stories.
These are the storytelling techniques I’ve noticed that are making these athletes our heroes.
We see their fears and failures.
We get close-ups of their eyes, which almost let us in on their thoughts. They’re calculating the run, the jump, the flip, and the length. And when they’re in their heads, it’s like we can actually see it on their faces.
For some, we see a replay of their failures from the previous Olympics, championship, or attempt, illustrating the hurdles they now must overcome.
We see their focus.
Many of them talk about their mindset going into these games - most have a specific strategy to keep them mentally strong for the task ahead.
Katie Ledecky, a U.S. Olympic Swimmer spoke of how she focused on all the people that helped her get where she is today during her 1500 meter swim.
We watched Kishane Thompson, from Jamaica, step away from a heated moment after someone was disqualified after a false start and then place first in a 200-meter run.
We see their families.
We watched Simone Biles, 3 time Olympic Gold Medal U.S. Gymnast, make her husband and parents proud as she led her team and several more medals.
We saw TEAM USA Swimmer, Ryan Murphy find out after coming in second, that his wife was pregnant with a baby girl. (she told him from the stands!)
We see their communities.
We watched the brother of Dominican track and field Olympic Athlete, Thea LaFond find out that his sister won a gold medal in the triple jump and then be surrounded by his cheering football team.
We saw dozens of kids at Simone's home gym in Spring, Texas, watching her compete and cheering her on.
We see behind the scenes.
We seem them chalking up, warming up, stretching.
For some, we get a glimpse of their rigorous training leading up until this moment - showing the level of committment they’ve brought with them.
We see them have fun.
We see the smiles on their faces, the way they cheer for their teammates, the way they make every move look effortless.
We see their humanity, and it reminds us of our own.
So we invest in them. We follow these stories.
We tune in for the quarter-final, semi-final, and eventually the final, or we make it a point to watch the replays. We talk about them to our friends, colleages, and family because we all are cheering them on. Their stories are now our shared experience, bringing us closer together in our relationships.
As special as the Olympic events are, and they truly are, these stories happen around us every single day. These storytelling elements are vehicles of connection.
Businesses are leveraging the Olympians’ stories to connect viewers to their companies.
Almost every commercial that’s running in between coverage has a reference to the Olympics, some even feature specific athletes.
Why?
Because they’re leveraging our shared identity.
When we see TEAM USA, familiar faces that capture our attention, and scenes from events that we cherish as our collective history, we feel seen because we already relate to these stories.
These commercials are riding the brain pathways these stories have already carved out in our thoughts and hoping to plant ideas of us using their products and services.
It’s smart.
It can be borderline manipulative.
But it’s how our brains work.
And it’s just how powerful stories can be.
The only problem with this tactic is that the Olympics only last a little more than two weeks. And they’ll be over.
We won’t be replaying these stories in our minds much longer.
The good news is, you don’t need olympian stories to share the impact of your product or services.
But you can use the same elements.
You can feature the fears and failures of your customers before they worked with you or even when they started using your product.
You can feature the everyday commitment to the process and your expertise as you helped them achieve their results.
You can feature the impact their experience has had beyond just them, expanding to their families, friends, and communities.
Stories translate what things mean to us.
They realign our priorities for us.
And tell us who we are.
