I have a crush, a fierce one. And I can’t say anything to the person who I have a crush on. And it’s killing me.
(no pun intended)
By “can’t”, I don’t mean what’s ordinarily implied in this situation, “I don’t want to”. I mean I literally can’t.
Because the crush I have is not on a person.
It’s on a movie.
Stay with me.
Last night I watched The Voices, and I can’t get it out of my head.
(no pun intended)
When I say I have a crush on it, I don’t mean that I have a crush on the actors (though, Ryan Reynolds, Gemma Arterton or Anna Kendrick, if you’re reading, suddenly available and interested then LET’S TALK).
What I mean is that I have all the feelings and impulses that I get with romantic crushes on people:
- I can’t stop thinking about it.
- I keep replaying in my head the times we had together (me, on the couch, it…playing on the computer).
- I’m endlessly Googling it, and gazing lovingly at photos from it. Watching any videos I can get my hands on. Talking about it to anyone who’ll listen.
- I’m even tweeting and writing Facebook posts about it – then refreshing over and over, hoping that someone has responded so I can talk about it some more.
I wasn’t expecting this. It didn’t seem like that kind of a film.
The trailer implies that it’s a black comedy, a bit gruesome, very funny and kind of hip.
Here’s the truth:
It is all of those things. It’s also beautifully, hauntingly shot – and incredibly moving.
If you’ve seen the trailer, you’ll know it’s about a guy whose pets talk to him, and sometimes tell him to kill people.
Crucially, what the movie does is make you really, really care about him.
Not just because he’s a nice guy. It goes deeper. It takes you into the darkest places of his mind, and helps you understand why he would try and blot them out. It shows you his vulnerabilities – not just the nerves he has around asking a girl out, but real, meaningful ones.
I cried three times. Sobbed at the end, in spite of the credits’ best efforts to cheer me up.
I’m telling you all of this for two reasons.
Reason #1:
There are three different kinds of story worth telling:
Funny ones – like the one I recently told onstage and showed you here.
Poetic ones – ones that have a lot of beautiful visual and sensory descriptions, and transport us to where the storyteller was. There is value in these even without much narrative.
And, my favourite sort – and the kind YOU most need to know about:
Emotional stories with vulnerability, that make us CARE about the storyteller.
The Voices could have been a straight-up fun, funny movie. But the director (the brilliant Marjane Satrapi) went one step further, and made us care – really, really CARE – about the main character. And now I can’t get him – or the film – out of my head.
If you want to make an instant emotional connection with someone, you need to make them CARE.
If you want your ideal people to immediately understand that you are one of them – whether they are a potential client, potential friend or potential patron saint – you need to make them CARE.
If you want to move people into action – whether that’s signing up to your email list, backing your cause, or just wanting to stay in your orbit – you need to make them CARE.
If you want you, your business or your cause to have on them the effect that The Voices has had on me – you need to make them CARE.
How do you make them care?
By telling the story of why YOU CARE. Whether it’s your business, passionate hobby or worthy cause, tell the story of it in a way that shows us why it’s important to you.
Tell us the emotions that you felt as part of this story. Were you excited? Angry? Weak with joy?
All of the above?
Show some vulnerability. This doesn’t have to mean pouring out your innermost turmoiled diary thoughts (you can totally save those for your therapist). Just give us enough to know that you’re human.
Tell us how you got there. Were you introduced by a mentor you loved? Was it something that saved you in a dark time? Did you stumble across it by accident, and discover that you LOVE it?
Has it helped other people, and that result is what gives you all these feelings?
Let us know. Tell your story. Tell us which parts of it made or make you emotional. Show a little vulnerability. Make us CARE.
(And if you think you need a hand to do this, helping you with your story is literally my favourite thing to do. Find out more here, or book a free chat with me here)
How do you make people care about what you’re doing?
Tell your story. Show some vulnerability
Reason #2:
Because I LITERALLY CANNOT STOP TALKING ABOUT THE VOICES.
And I needed another excuse to.
Thanks so much for reading (and indulging me). If you know anyone else who’s seen The Voices and wants to talk about it with me, you can share this blog with them using one of the round buttons below. Please do. PLEASE I NEED TO TALK ABOUT IT MORE, PLEASE.
(ok, I’ll stop now).
You RULE!
xx (Yes Yes) Marsha
PS want to know my best-ever client secret – and get even more advice, tips, plus stories that I won’t put on the internet? Come and join the Yes Yes Family – it’s free! Just pop your details in below:
Photos courtesy of Lionsgate Publicity.
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