Bite Size Comms

“We’re wired to make snap judgments based on what we see. 100 milliseconds, that’s all it takes. But when we listen without visuals, without distraction, something else happens. We imagine. We empathise. We connect. In a world obsessed with video, maybe it’s time to remember what sound alone can do”. 

The words of Nick Dunkerley, CEO of Hindenburg Systems, not mine. The connection is that I use their software to record and edit podcasts. His words got me thinking. Although I produce videos for promotional purposes – posted one on LinkedIn and YouTube this week – or for teaching, I rarely watch videos and much prefer audio. To listen, not see. I’ve loved music since I was 17 (a long time ago!). I like listening to drama or informational radio programmes. And for the last few years, it has been narrative audio podcasts. 

I was thinking about why that was the case. Do I get easily distracted watching videos (“What on earth is he wearing?”) or find it too superficial (“That was just set up to get a viral video”)? Reflecting on this, I realise that I love the art of storytelling. The purpose of storytelling in PR/communications is to engage, inform, or persuade an audience by creating a connection between the teller, the tale, and the listener. We build the storyline and describe the situation and the story’s characters. We craft a narrative. Although that can be done on short videos, it rarely is. How can audio help with storytelling? It sparks the imagination, allowing listeners to co-create the story, which can lead to deeper engagement and empathy. Plus, audio is more accessible and portable than video, allowing for multitasking while maintaining emotional engagement.

What really hit home was Nick mentioning empathy. My Chambers dictionary defines empathy as ‘the power of entering into another’s personality and imaginatively experiencing his or her experiences’ or ‘the power of entering into the feeling or spirit of something, and so appreciating it fully’. Good start. Let’s dig deeper. Psychologists say that there are three types of empathy:

• Cognitive empathy involves understanding another person’s thoughts and feelings by intellectually grasping their perspective. Audio allows listeners to focus on the narrative without visual distractions, enhancing cognitive empathy by engaging the listener’s imagination to understand perspectives.
• Emotional empathy is the ability to feel and share another person’s emotions, creating a shared emotional experience. The human voice in audio conveys nuances like pauses and tones, fostering emotional connections and empathy more effectively than visuals.
• Compassionate empathy combines understanding and feeling another’s emotions with a desire to take action to help alleviate their distress. Audio storytelling encourages active listening, which can lead to deeper emotional understanding and compassion.

Audio can connect with all three types of empathy just by listening.

What evidence is there that video doesn’t achieve the same impact as audio? Firstly, excessive short-form video consumption can reduce attention span and impair cognitive functions like focus and concentration. Secondly, the fast-paced nature of short-form video may hinder deep learning and retention compared to more immersive media like audio. This isn’t just an assumption from someone who prefers audio (me, as you will have gathered!). A UCL study from 2018 found that audiobooks elicit stronger emotional reactions than visual media, supporting the effectiveness of audio for storytelling. A BBC study found that audio allows multitasking while fostering deep emotional engagement, making it suitable for diverse audiences. And the term ‘TikTok brain’ highlights how short-form video can negatively impact cognitive development and attention span. I was just reading an OECD study that found that in the US, 30% of adults have a reading level of a ten-year-old and that a third of Americans have difficulty reading simple things. We are already seeing the effects of this. President Trump notoriously does not read anything. The tariff chaos relied on no empirical evidence and was not advised, discussed or approved by serious experts. 

Civilisation has moved from an oral culture to a literate culture and now to a visual, screen-based culture. As PR people, professional communicators, it is within our gift to balance short videos with good, old-fashioned storytelling with empathy.

[Image of headphones by C D-X on Unsplash]