The Power of the Present is in the Tense
//Summary -Level-A2//
Using the present tense in storytelling is powerful. It engages listeners mentally, emotionally, and physically. It signals "story time," capturing attention and imagination. Present tense creates vivid emotions, making the audience feel the speaker's feelings. It also triggers physical responses involving muscles and sensations, enhancing the connection. When storytellers act out scenes, it intensifies the engagement, forming a feedback loop that energizes the audience, ensuring their full attention.
"Whenever a speaker authentically and congruently 'live' an emotion, the audience journeys along the same emotional path. This happens more easily and naturally when the speaker uses the present tense".
As an Ariel Group facilitator who often runs storytelling workshops for business leaders, I'm always asked about using the present tense. Is it better to tell a live story in the current or past tense?
Experience shows that telling a story in the present tense, whenever possible, engages the audience more effectively. Present tense does this in three essential ways: it engages the listener mentally, emotionally and physically.
(1) Mental.
Because present tense is typically associated with storytelling, its use immediately signals to the audience that it's "story time". Attention is captured. There is an immediacy to the present tense that stimulates the listener's mental alertness and imagination.
The listener quickly 'enters the scene' and mentally searches for related elements, such as sensory details - how do things look, smell, sound, taste and feel? The listener also recalls thoughts they have had in similar situations. This draws the listener deeper into the imagined action.
(2) Emotional.
The present tense is more vivid than the past tense, evoking more robust emotional responses. This is partly because when we, as speakers, switch to the present tense, we immediately become more animated, engaged and emotionally expressive ourselves. This, in turn, triggers more vivid emotions in our listeners.
For example, if we tell our audience in a calm and anxious tone, "I hear a knock at the door. I look at the clock. It's three o'clock in the morning," the audience experiences anxious, tense emotions as their own.
Whenever a speaker authentically and congruently 'live' an emotion, the audience journeys along the same emotional path. This happens more easily and naturally when the speaker uses the present tense.
(3) Physical.
Present tense also brings the listener's brain and body directly into the action. Through a process known as neural coupling, the listener's brain responds to current tense story details as if the listener were experiencing the scene. This can produce actual physical sensations as well as solid physical memories.
As a grammatical device, the present tense recreates the past in the listener's current reality by triggering muscle memory. Specific muscle groups are stimulated, causing them to expand and contract. When the narrator says, "I'm running down the hill" in a breathless voice, using gestures congruent with the language, the listener connects with their own closest memory of running or similar physical exertion and relives the physical sensations of that moment.
Present tense also invites us as storytellers to become more physically involved in the action. When we physically act out a scene, all or part of it, we sharpen our connection with the material and the audience.
Even the voice alone can do some of this. For example, if we speed up our speech as we describe an experience, we may notice a quickening of our heartbeat. This affects our breathing and creates a sense of physical and emotional urgency, increasing the audience's energy.
As our audience becomes more engaged on all three mental, emotional and physical levels, their energy returns to us, creating the magical feedback loop that makes live performance so exciting.
I always keep 'present tense' at the front of my storytelling toolbelt and use it often. In a classic example of present-tense storytelling in the classroom, I remember telling a story about being attacked by an animal. I elicited a surprise scream from several audience members at the pivotal moment. This, in turn, shocked the other participants into their delayed vocal responses.
I knew I had their full attention!
//New words//
Authentically:
Meaning: Genuinely or authentically, accurately and truthfully.
Example: She spoke authentically about her experiences, inspiring everyone in the room.
Congruently:
Meaning: In a way that is in agreement, harmony, or correspondence with something else.
Example: Her actions were congruently aligned with her words, reflecting her sincerity.
Invariably:
Meaning: Always, without exception, in every case or occasion.
Example: The old bookstore owner was invariably seen with a smile, ready to help customers find their favourite novels.
Associated:
Meaning: Connected or linked with something else; having a relationship or connection.
Example: Red is often associated with passion and love in many cultures worldwide.
Stimulated:
Meaning: Aroused, excited, or invigorated; experiencing increased activity, interest, or energy.
Example: The scientist's groundbreaking research stimulated new discussions and innovations in medicine.
Enthralling:
Meaning: Captivating and holding one's attention fascinatingly or delightfully.
Example: The enthralling storytelling of the novel kept readers on the edge of their seats, eager to know what would happen next.
The Power of the Present is in the Tense
English [Present tense] *What are the three meanings? We also explain how to form negative and interrogative sentences!
https://english-club.jp/blog/english-present-simple/
