What if I had the tools to bring my story to life? What would be the experience for the listener?
No matter what language or subtitles (Spanish, German, English), John Denver's, "Annie's Song," still gives chills.
Why is that? Some might dismiss this song as just a schmaltzy tune for folks who grew up a few decades ago.
But listen to the words Denver uses to express his feelings for a woman. He calls on all the senses, not just what he sees, so you are there with him:
"Night in a forest" is scented pine trees, wind whistling, owls hooting, raccoons rummaging, starry starry nights. 
"Mountains in springtime" is floral meadows, songbirds, rushing brooks breaking free of ice, fiddleheads fried with trout and butter. 
"Like a walk in the rain" is two hands in one pocket, misty sidewalks, trickle down drain spouts, shower clean fresh smells, raindrops on a tongue. 
"Like a storm in the desert" is lightning zigzagging, the tremble of the desert floor, the echo of thunder, dry electric odor, metallic taste of ions. 
"Like a sleepy blue ocean" calls up the sense of lullaby rocking rest, briny breezes, gull cries, vast vast expanses stretching to Tonga, primal tastes. 
The listeners (and decision-makers) to your stories travel virtually as you invite them into the story. The stronger the use of senses to describe what happens, the more likely you are to bring your story to light and to life so the listener is actually there as it happens. Once there the decision-maker can virtually experience your client's story through their own sensations and memories. Those sensations and memories prepare the decision-maker to act on the client's behalf because her experience is "real."
For example, you can describe a car wreck with the sound of shattering glass, twisting steels, exploding tires; the smell of burning rubber, leaking gasoline, hot asphalt; the taste of grit, blood and teeth; the feeling of thudding, jerking breaking; the sight of twisted wreckage, hair, skin, clothing. You may have a medical malpractice case.
What about a broken contract case? You have the feeling of the shattered dream of the business venture - or betrayal. The sight of your competitor besting you. The hollow sounds of explanation or apology. The bitter taste of regret. And the sight of a document that bears witness.
Not everyone is familiar with the inside of a hospital. In your writing and oral argument provide the decision-maker with the antiseptic, steamed food smell; the sound of hushed voices, the overhead pager system, beeping monitors; the sight of curtained beds and patients glimpsed through doorways; the acrid taste of indoor heating; and the touch of cold instruments, strangers hands.
Here's a longer example from a case I worked on: An unmarried single mom struggling to resolve, or at least get help with her drug and alcohol issues is doing a good job raising a child, interacting with friends and family members, living a life one might even consider relatively normal. Walking through a protected pedestrian crosswalk one afternoon she was struck by a bus. The bus driver turned left and didn’t even realize what happened, not even with the thump of the body striking the fender. The resultant brain injuries left this young woman in a permanent vegetative state. The care facility where she lives and where in all likelihood she will remain for the rest of her days smells like urine and vomit and stale food. One can hear the moans of patients restrained, like herself, in a bed. Walking into her room the first thing you notice is that this young woman has developed thick masculine eyebrows and the shadow of a beard. The caretakers say this is from the medications; a clean shave would help her look (and probably feel) more like a woman. You know that there is a light on, however dim, behind her eyes. You know because Thursday is chocolate pudding day at lunch. And when the aide puts the spoon close to her mouth, she yawns over at it like a baby bird.
Storytelling thrives on imagination. We know what we experience. We know what we experience with our senses. Turn on your stories with the 5 senses and experience high fidelity that translates the images you have into action you want.
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