Storytelling Mastery: Dr Melanie Green's Insights on Media Impact

Introduction

Narratives or stories are a fundamental form of communication: authors create imagined worlds that are brought to life in the minds of readers or viewers, and individuals can also share stories of real events. Although media narratives are often associated with entertainment, narrative messages are regularly used for persuasive and motivational purposes in marketing, health communication, and social issue messaging. These messages are most effective when audiences become immersed or transported into the narrative world. Transporting narratives can have effects beyond the immediate enjoyment of entering a narrative world; stories (even fictional ones) can also lead to changes in real world attitudes, beliefs, and behaviours.

In order to learn more about these issues, we would like to invite you to this interactive and informative masterclass on:

Story Worlds, Real Impact: Narrative Transportation and Media Influence by Dr. Melanie Green

This masterclass will describe some of the psychological processes underlying the effects of these mediated messages, highlighting the role of affective or emotional responses. Finally, it will discuss current directions in narrative persuasion research.