Ep. 134 Emojis in Your Stories?

Hey there, Mark Brown. Emojis in your stories.

What? Yeah, right?

I love this. Emojis in your stories.

Yeah, it's crazy. We often type our messages or text messages. Even in our emails, we add emojis. But it'll be interesting to find out how we can use emojis in our stories. Let's take it. Let's talk about it. Okay, man.

Anyone can give a presentation. Few deliver unforgettable presentations. What's the difference? You're about to find out. Welcome to the Unforgettable Presentations podcasts with your hosts, world champion speakers and coaches, Mark Brown.

Mark Brown, your life tells a story, and there's someone out there who needs to hear it.

And Darren Lacroix. And Darren Lacroix.

Stage time. Stage time. Stage time.

Ready for some powerful presentation? Ahas. Let's dive right in.

All right there, Mark Brown. Like you said, people communicate texting all day. And why do they use emojis? Because they want the listener to get the intention of the words by infusing the emotion that goes with it. I was thinking about this today. I was like, oh, my gosh, we gotta do a podcast lesson on this. Because it's true and we get a lot of people. And I get it. When you're working on a story, the first few times you deliver it, you're kind of in your head. And as I say, if you're in your head, your emotions are dead. Your emotions are dead, which means another way, you're emojiless. Your emoji list.

Here you go. Emoji list.

New word just created on the spot.

Emoji list. What's funny is when we do our podcast, and our regular listeners know this, that there are times I will say something odd, strange, or weird, and you have the audio emoji, you get the wa. Wa. Wa. Wa. You get the wa, the angelic harp sound. We've got the applause. And oftentimes not only in the podcast, but in our. In our workshops, we'll use those sound effects to magnify the emotion that we feel. We congratulate somebody or maybe in a really bad pun, like I always do. Thank you very much. Now, when you think about the emojis you post on your text Messages, we use WhatsApp or whatever tools to communicate and sometimes even our email correspondence, the emotion that we share. We use the emoji to reinforce and magnify the emotion. Now, if we think in terms of what emoji would fit, when I say this particular line, tell this particular story, or make this particular point, if you're thinking what emoji you would use, chances are you become more keenly aware of how to say that line in a way that would create the emotion that the emoji represents. So if I know I'm gonna deliver a corny line, truth be told, if you don't watch this podcast, you're missing this. If you do, Darren almost always puts one or two hands to his head and he plays the wa wa sound. And Darren has an emoji that represents how he feels. When I say those really corny, bad jokes and those who are viewing, there it is. There it is, like, oh, my gosh, did he just say that? But when I deliver a line and I want the audience to cringe, if I visualize that emoji in my story, I can almost guarantee I'll get the reaction I want from that audience.

Yeah, there's. It's just like a secret, a magical way. I wonder who really actually started the emojis in text. It's an interesting question. Don't have time to research it now. Our friend Maureen is probably researching it and starting to type in when she listens to this immediately. But it's also not just the emotion of that dialogue, which is important. But then what happens with the character? Do we see the change in emoji? Do we see the change that goes from one to another to that's funny. To poop, to crying?

Are you saying my story is poop, Darren? And by the way, I know there are purists out there who are watching and listening, and they may say, now, Darren, Mark, I need you to be accurate. Now, you were showing us emoticons, not emojis. The only emojis were colons and brackets, and dashes represent sideways, smiling faces, sideways frowns, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera? And you'd be correct. I would yield to that. But for the purposes of us sharing this idea, to some people, emoticons and emojis are interchangeable. Again, purists, please forgive us. We simply want to use the example of how the characters and the yellow smiley faces that we see so often can really help us to magnify the impact. And I'll say magnify our impact a lot these last couple of weeks, because that's what changes the audience's hearts and minds. If we can magnify our impact, then we know the change we want to see in them is much more likely to occur. And hopefully, when I tell a joke, it won't get a poop emoji. From Darren or anybody else. But then again, if I want to get a cringe reaction, I just might think along those lines and watch really, really bad. Those who know me well know I'm a very bad punster, and my children often send me back smh. Shaking my head. Or you'll do the hand over the forehead because they know I'm sending them really, really bad puns. Here's the best part. I do it with intention. I do it deliberately so I can send really bad puns to my kids and tell these really awful jokes or at times, use really long words to confuse Darren intentionally. What could you do in your presentation, in your story, if you choose the emoticon slash emoji intentionally to generate a specific emotion from your audience? Think about that. This is a powerful principle. If applied well, that can really be a game changer for you as well, Darren. Yeah.

And whether you're a keynote speaker or a speech contestant, know in toastmasters, the time of this release is right in the middle of content contest season. Consider this. When you write out your story, your speech, your presentation, put a little next to each dialogue line. Put an emoji before it or after it. And here's one of the keys. And here's why I think this is. Can be so powerful. I want to see somewhere at the beginning of story, a line of dialogue and the emoji that's appropriate to that. No, I need to make a change in my life so you can hear. I'm. Even if you're not watching the YouTube version of this podcast, you can hear the emoji of oh, which goes along with the delivery. And then somewhere in the middle, I got the aha. So, you know, where's the lesson learned? What is the emoji around that dialogue? And by the way, doesn't even have to be dialogue. It could just be the revelation hitting the person's face face where they're realizing the lesson is being learned. And then on the end, on the other end, what is the emoji that goes into dialogue that knows we know the character has transformed? So think of each line of dialogue, each time we see one of the characters, even if it's in silence. What if you started telling your stories and you. Okay, Mark, please correct me on this. What if you emojisize each line of dialogue? Emojisize.

I. I think you just. You just coined a phrase there. Got a word. We gotta go. I'm gonna write it down.

Emojisize.

Yes, emojisize. Okay.

Yeah, write that down. That's that should be in your presentation at Game Changers.

I could probably do that, yeah. A line of dialogue, perfect emojis. Darren, your idea is really. You know, honestly, I believe your idea has great merit. Because if we as the presenter preparing so diligently to deliver a message we can't wait to give, if we can be sure visually, what is the emotion that the character is feeling at this point in the story, in the presentation, in the speech, if you can visually put the emoticon there on your script, you'll see the face. It could be a blank face, flat lips, meaning very blah meh. But as the story progresses and as the characters go through certain experiences, you could see the shocked emoji at one point and at the very end, you could see the big smile. Ah, he got it done. But if you use it as a visual, it is a reminder to you as a presenter. Have I painted the character in a picture that that emoticon represents? And can we see the change in the character throughout the dialogue, throughout the story, throughout the struggle, as Darren calls it in his story? Model the struggle. And when the aha comes, you can use those emojis as almost like road markers, mile markers along the way. He or she should be there, they should be there. They need to be here. If they're not here when I'm done, I've missed it. I'm not properly told the story. They could be your guidepost. It's a revolutionary idea for me. When I was competing in Toastmasters way back in the previous millennium, in 94, 95, I knew I had 7 minutes and 30 seconds to write to end my speech. I knew they're going to give me a green light at 5, a yellow at 6 and a red light at 7 minutes. And I used to incorporate in my script green. So I knew at that point I should be about five minutes in. I put a yellow. I should be at 6 and A. I knew where everything should take place in my speech. If it goes according to plan, use emojis the same way. You know what the emotion should be here, what it should be here, and what it should be there. If you're not seeing it in your rehearsals when you record yourself, then you know something is amiss. This could be a game changer that transforms how quickly you prepare and present the speech. You want to present with the Darren word now, with the commensurate emotion to match the emoji. If you're not seeing this, you're only hearing it. Darren's got both hands over his eyes. Oh, here goes. Marcus, big words again. I know. Here's you. Excellent. Perfect. Perfect. Thank you, Darren. I got it.

And, Mark, here's the thing. If you don't put it in there, if you don't know it has to be in there. Just if you create the new habit of. I'm going to take the time to think of what emoji would go with each line of dialogue. Just by taking the time to think about that, to make it part of your checklist in storytelling, I promise you, you're going to develop and deliver a more compelling story because you're infusing the emotion along with the dialogue. So just having it as a checklist. Okay, Line of dialogue, what would go with it? What emoji should go with this? And if you're not sure, it's okay. But taking the time to actually identify for every line of dialogue or if the character's not talking or having internal dialogue, there should still be an emoji with internal dialogue. So, like, even just using the word what it could be, what it could be.

Wow. What could be what, what?

So right there, just taking the time, and maybe it's not right. Maybe you have to change it to tell the story better, but just using it at every line of dialogue. Internal, external, verbal, nonverbal communication. You know, when I go home and tell my parents I want to be a comedian, and my face goes from excited emoji to deflated emoji, there's a change in the character, there's a change in emotion, there's a change in emoji. And that's what helps make that. Even though it's a line delivered in silence, making it more compelling.

And you said deflated emoji. Well, it mean I would deflate those balloons that are emojis right now. I know, I know. I also want to point out, Darren, I agree wholeheartedly about dialogue, definitely. And even though one word, like what is dialogue? However, if you've heard Darren and me talk for any length of time, you know, we have one particular mantra regarding your response. We say the reaction tells the story. So sometimes it may not be the dialogue, the internal dialogue, or the one word. Sometimes the emoji is the reaction to what a character sees, hears, feels, or experiences. And Darren, let's give a prime example. He was met by parents, silence. When he brought his dream to them, there was no dialogue. But the reaction tells a story. So include as part of your checklist what emoticon? What emoji do I use to reflect the reaction? To either a line of dialogue or an occurrence, an incident that happens to within the body of the story. This really could be a game changer because now you and I as presenters have a clear understanding, a roadmap, so to speak, of emotionally where we want the audience to go as well. This is really, really cool. And I recommend you try this as soon as you can. Perhaps you're going to speak tomorrow and your script is ready. If you have time and you aren't nervous. For fun, just make a second copy of your script and this time insert those emojis and see what it does for you in terms of your understanding of how you need to deliver so your audience can feel the emotion and then again enhance their experience of having heard you deliver your presentation.

Here's another phrase, Mark. Emoji this.

Emoji this.

Here's your story.

Not emoji this, but emoji this.

Here's your reaction. Emoji this. And if you could just start thinking that way, you're gonna tell better stories. People are gonna enjoy them more, they'll be more compelling, and you'll also have a clearer transformation of the characters, which is why When Harry Met Sally, I'll have what she's having. Yeah, I don't think there's an emo, an orgasm emoji, but I'm not gonna go there, man.

I'm not gonna go there today. Yeah. But the truth is, for me, honestly, for me, this is a game changer because I realize even with my years, my decades of experience, if I just do that and put emojis in my script, even in my outline, I know clearly that's the emotion I need to be clear that the audience sees. And here's a cool part. When you begin to do this, we always say, rehearse and record yourself. It might be fun to see how you deliver the presentation before you added the emojis and then with acknowledge you have of what you really want to portray emotionally. Not saying to be melodramatic and overact and be, oh, no, it's me. I'm not saying anything like that. But it just is an indication. You need to be sure the audience understands the emotion. Record yourself again with the confidence to know the series of emotions involved and see what it looks like. It's a great way to also rehearse and not only memorize, because we don't want you to memorize it, but you internalize it, knowing that here is an emotion the audience needs to see for fuller understanding of the situation, the scene, the circumstance. And the result of what the character goes through.

Mark, I don't think we need to belabor the point. I think we got it across. Some of our podcasts are longer, some are shorter. We invite you to join us at some of our upcoming workshops. Work with Mark and me, especially using our new principle emojisize. Your speech.

Your speech.

So, Mark Brown, final thoughts.

My final thought is this. Since emojis almost rule our lives right now, we can use them as a great tool in our presentations to go from good to great to unforgettable. We'll see you next week.

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