This week a video popped up in my Facebook feed that truly captured my attention. It was a funny, engaging and authentic and easily relatable experience. The characters felt real and in the end I felt like I had shared an experience with them. I could immediately relate to their experience and feel like it I had shared it, because I have had similar experiences, not just with candies but with other foods as well. I know the tension that comes with preparing for the unexpected whether good or bad.

Take a couple of minutes and watch the video here, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wCNbIsHYZFQ,

While the video is entertaining and will add a little laughter to your day, that is not the reason that I am sharing it with you. I am sharing it to pose a question that I don’t yet have an answer to.

How do we create authentic experiences like this that help our audience share an experience with the cultures we are working in, with the people we are serving?

We as humans crave authentic experiences, that immerse us in the world of others for even a few minutes. How do we as non profits, storytellers and filmmakers create authentic experiences for our audiences to engage in.

Recently Charity: Water has been using Instagram stories to bring their experiences in the field to life. Their method of telling Instagram stories is only the beginning though. I can’t help but think that there are even more innovative ways to share authentic experiences. That we need to be looking outside the conventional constraints of how we have been communicating to find new ways to engage our audiences.

We definitely need to be telling stories, that will always remain true, but how can we create a shared experience. How can we include elements that everyone can relate to, like having no idea what you put in your mouth is going to taste like?

I’d love to hear your thoughts on how we can move beyond the standard content that everyone is producing and create something new and authentic.