“Laughter is not our medicine. Stories hold our cure. Laughter is just the honey that sweetens the bitter medicine.” – Hannah Gadsby, Nanette
In 2017, Australian comedian Hannah Gadsby released her stand-up show, Nanette, on Netflix to great success. Both viewers and critics alike appreciated her fresh, new approach to comedy and comedic convention, and that she was able to get people talking about gender perspectives, sexuality, depression, and even self-deprecation. Nanette, for more than just a brief moment, changed the conversation – because Gadsby seamlessly blended comedy and truth into a powerful moment of theatre.
I could pull out several topics that apply to foresight from Nanette alone, and perhaps I will, but for the first part of this piece, I want to focus on the underlined part of the quote, as part II will cover the “laughter sweetens the bitterness” aspect. As I and many of my peers seem to believe, storytelling in current media franchises has become a chore. Instead, a movie is only as good as its explosions. We remake things that don’t need a remake because we can’t create anything new[1]. And that’s just in entertainment. In business or in government where I have worked, storytelling is a “waste of time,” as we need to make decisions, not take flippant flights of fancy. We need the raw data, and nothing else, particularly when focusing on the decisions of today.
And let’s not forget the favorite mantra in many fields: “That could never happen.”
As a writer and a futurist, I would like to state in my humble opinion that this is not so, for several reasons. Gadsby was absolutely correct that stories hold our cure. If the story isn’t compelling, isn’t feasible, isn’t relatable, then it’s not going to matter if you’re creating a television show or trying to convince the CEO to invest in cicada futures – the story will not create the idea of change. This is similar to the rise of computer animation (thanks to Pixar) and the demise of 2D animation, or at least the reason chosen to explain the demise of 2D animation[2]. As Pixar had hit after hit, animation studios closed their 2D studios, claiming that audiences only wanted 3D films, and 3D movies were “a foolproof formula for box office hits[3].” This is another foolish example of people chasing what worked for others thinking it would work for them, but ignoring the other critical (read, “non-technical”) skills that would help them succeed. As Ed Catmull, co-founder of Pixar and former Disney Animation Studios President[4], said of the 2D animated movies of the early 2000s, “[T]he stories weren’t strong, to be candid, and the heads of the respective studios at the time said, ‘Well, the problem is they’re in 2D and the audience has lost a taste for 2D.’” You could have the animation found in Avatar for your feature film, along with elements of 4D as found in many Disney park attractions – but if your story isn’t compelling, then it’s still no sale[5].
When futurists create scenarios, they have to be compelling. They need to evoke some sort of reaction. Futurism in itself is a combination of the analytical and the creative. It falls apart if you have only one without the other. Reciting a series of facts isn’t going to inspire change, and creating a story that has no data, evidence, or facts to back up the claims will leave your audience asking “So what?”[6] Some people may want to believe that scenarios aren’t important when it comes to a foresight exercise, but that does a disservice not only to the futurists, but to the clients as well. If you don’t have the storytelling ability to imagine a future with a trend pushed to its limit, then you may not understand its full implications should it come to fruition[7]. For example, let’s say your foresight team has a trend of nuanced virtual reality for children’s playtime – essentially, VR headsets that understand your child to the point that they can play pretend for hours[8]. Then let’s say your client doesn’t want scenarios, as they believe they can figure things out for themselves. Add to this that your client works in health care. Without a scenario to effectively pull in the reader and provide the needed focus to help with decision-making, how would they interpret the trend in their space[9]? Could they interpret the trend in their space?
Stories help us see connections in the world that we may not have previously realized. But they have to connect to something that makes people think. The best stories are the ones that can create change, even if the change is intangible. We all know of those inventions that were inspired by fiction, but similarly, how we think about specific issues – whether good or bad – has also been shaped by compelling storytelling. One example is the notorious 1971 book Go Ask Alice by Anonymous: as the “War on Drugs” began in the 70s, the book became the quintessential book to read when wanting to scare kids straight from the dangers of drugs. The timings of its publication helped balloon it to success, and was even used in schools as an anti-drug teaching tool. However, in later years, it has been viewed under a critical lens, with many calling it laughable and unrealistic. The main point, however, is that the story was compelling enough to create an almost hysterical anti-drug movement throughout the 70s and 80s, and it still has lingering effects to this day[10].
Compelling stories create the changes in the world that we want to see, and what we wish we could avoid. Think about how many inventions were inspired by fiction. Think about how many times we’ve seen humanity reflecting the art. And better yet, think about how many times we create scenarios in our heads when thinking about if we should go to that party or not[11]. I’ve met many people who want to believe that innovation is simply the creation of a new tool or social media platform, but innovation comes through those who can convince other people to make that change a reality. Storytelling, and by that token scenario creation, enhances the facts. The facts embolden the storytelling. If you want to make change in your organization, start by either becoming a storyteller or investing in stories to open your mind. Read science fiction. Watch the cartoons your kids are watching. Play those games that invite you to think without limitations. But be compelling. Be bold. Be daring. Be a storyteller.
[1] Touch my Cheers and I will be angry.
[2] I still believe it will make a comeback. People love animation, especially when paired with an amazing story.
[3] The Pixar Story
[4] And one of my personal heroes.
[5] CATS. Need I say more? Just…CATS. *shudder* And I loved the Original London Cast.
[6] And may lead to confusion – as fun as giant mechas and the like can be, they may not work if you’re trying to figure out the future of health care.
[7] Now, the process isn’t just trends and stories – there’s a lot more work involved between the steps.
[8] Based on this: https://www.nuance.com/omni-channel-customer-engagement/digital/agent-ai.html as well as this: https://getpocket.com/explore/item/playtime-is-over?utm_source=pocket-newtab
[9] Honestly, this was hard for me, because I already had three future cases in mind before I even finished typing the thoughts. Shutting off my creativity is impossible.
[10] https://www.washingtonpost.com/arts-entertainment/2020/05/07/novels-changed-world/
[11] I say go.
formthefuture.org 