The pre-frontal cortex is the most sophisticated part of the brain and is what distinguishes the human brain from other mammalian brains. It works by making predictions about the world based on previous experience and then testing those predictions. It started as a survival strategy; our nervous system relaxes and we feel safe when our expectations of the world are met by the reality that plays out.

When our sub-conscious expectations are not met, our pre-frontal cortex becomes highly engaged and our attention levels spike. The pre-frontal cortex goes into hyper-drive re-calibrating expectations, generating new prediction models and trialling them, so it can eventually return to a state of calm and safety.

We navigate life by continuously challenging and trialling our prediction models. It’s how we grow and develop and is what motivates our actions from an early age. From juvenile play seen in young children to engaging in formal education to sub-consciously trialling scenarios in relationships, setting out on work projects, travelling the world or watching sport. When the pre-frontal cortex becomes engaged, our dopamine system kicks in and we’re motivated into action, to try and find resolution and return to a state of calm.

Great story-tellers are able to high-jack this dopamine system of their audience. In the archetypical ‘Hero’s Journey,’ - the structure of every Holloywood blockbuster - the protagonist goes through a series of challenges and changes that force them to adjust their assumptions about themselves and the world so they can come out stronger, better informed and better prepared for future challenges. Watching or reading about someone else going on this journey of change and improvement engages our pre-frontal cortex. Our mirror neurons engage and we experience their journey as if we were going through it ourselves. When we’re sucked in, we see the proganists’ challenges and we root for them to find the answers so we can update our own expecations and resolve our own uncertainty. When it’s done right, we will connect to them and be emotionally moved by their journey.

These principles of story, now backed up by science, can be applied to all types of content, to highten reader engagement. From company stories to case studies to research projects; by skilfully building continuous change, suspense and challenge into the story-telling, the readers attention can be grabbed and held as their expectations about your work are continuously tested in the writing and resolved in satisfying or surprising ways, generating an emotional pay-off and a deeper connection to your work.

In my writing, I drill into the content and context of your work, to build a narrative framework and tease expectations to present your achievements in the most compelling and memorable way possible. It is a technique I have developed producing high profile science and current affairs documentaries for the major braodcasters and streamers and I believe that this is the strongest way to write with impact.