You are probably familiar with the concept of suspension of disbelief in the context of Hollywood movies, but the principle applies more broadly to the art of storytelling. In this article, we will discuss the role of suspension of disbelief in narrative storytelling and why applying the concept is critical to audience engagement on the big screen and in the boardroom.

According to filmmaker Andrew Stanton ("Finding Nemo"), stories lead to a singular goal, and ideally, should confirm some truth that deepens our understanding of what it means to be human. Storytelling is an art, not a science, so there’s no right and wrong way to do it. However, Stanton identifies several devices used in good storytelling. One of them he calls the “Make Me Care” principle. This means that the audience needs to feel invested in the characters and the outcome of the story. This is where suspension of disbelief comes into play.

Let’s say I am watching Stanton’s “Finding Nemo.” If I say, “That’s a fake fish,” I don’t care about this fake fish or whether he finds his fake fish father or any of his other fake fish problems. But if I can suspend disbelief and just allow myself to accept that what I am seeing is actually real, then I become emotionally invested in the story. The extent to which I can suspend disbelief is directly correlated to the extent to which I care about the characters and outcome of the story.

Conclusion

Business is storytelling. While filmmakers work to reshape reality on the screen, businesses work to reshape reality in the real world. As professional communicators, our role is to share a vision of what the world could be if the characters in this real-life story succeed in their journey. That beings with instilling a sense of faith that the journey matters because the characters and consequences are real. This is only possible through suspension of disbelief.