Retail Observer

RETAILOBSERVER.COM OCTOBER 2019 48 W hen I stepped out of the vast convention center to clear my head, I found New Orleans sweltering under a blazing summer sun. I was midway through a multi- day technical conference and straining under the burden of too many demands. I wandered across the small patch of lawn and suddenly became a 12-year-old boy again. It was the rich aroma of freshly mowed grass that flipped my inner switch. I took a deep breath and found myself transported to a bunk bed at Camp Fitch, my childhood paradise. For a few precious moments I wasn't just remembering those long-ago days, I was there. I recalled the shimmering summer heat and reveled in the promise of an endless afternoon. Decades disappeared. I remember that moment more vividly than anything I heard or saw in the conference hall. MAKING SCENTS IN YOUR COMMUNICATIONS You've probably felt the sensation of being carried back in time by a distinctive smell. Researchers believe the phenomenon has to do with how our brains are wired. The olfactory region that processes smell is localized near the amygdala and hippocampus: key areas of emotion and memory. Scientists believe the mingling of these neurons is why our sense of smell evokes such powerful emotions. This unique brain architecture offers us unique opportunities for connecting with our customers in irresistible ways. Put plainly, you can become a better storyteller by using sensory words. In my storytelling workshops, I give people an exercise to helps them experience this for themselves. I tell them to go back to a time in their childhood when they were perfectly happy and felt utterly safe and alive. I then ask them to name a smell that they associate with the memory – a special scent that takes them back to that time. It's often the highlight of the workshop as people reveal their favorite recalled smells. One by one, they describe the smell of salt air at the beach, bread baking in Grandma's kitchen, or the first blush of rain. What's worth noting is that hardly anybody can name a cherished smell without sharing a bit of a story. "The aroma I remember is Dad's Old Spice aftershave," a man explained. "Every time my brother and I smelled it, we knew our parents were going out on a date and we'd get to raise hell with the babysitter!" SENSORY LANGUAGE BRINGS A STORY TO LIFE Each mention of a particular smell prompts us to imagine it. Unconsciously, we generate a virtual reality – we hear "wet dog" and we're suddenly smelling one. If we have an association with a wet dog the memory springs to life with all the joy, melancholy and beauty it carries for us. The kicker is how the effect can scale. You can tell an audience of a hundred people, "The room smelled like cotton candy," and everyone in the room will have an experience of cotton candy as a result of those words. Even if you quickly move on, the minds of your audience will resonate with sticky, sweet, happy memories. Six small words have created a hundred separate small bursts of happiness. Too many businesses commit the crime of using bland, generalized language in their communications, robbing them of their potential to make people feel something wonderful. It's sadly ironic that, just as the desire for meaning is deeply engrained in everyone, and especially cherished in a world of cynicism and noise, it's so easy to miss the opportunity to appeal to that fundamental longing in the stories we tell. The good news is that simply presenting your story in human terms, with words that are rich in physicality and sensation, will give you the chance to connect in small ways that can have a tremendous impact. THE SWEET SMELL OF SUCCESSFUL STORYTELLING Mario Juarez Business Mindset RO Mario Juarez is an organizational consultant, coach, and motivational speaker. He focuses on helping organizations and individuals achieve better business results through strategic storytelling. An award-winning former journalist, Mario led a series of innovative communications initiatives at Microsoft before founding his company, StoryCo, which serves clients across a range of industries.

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