Anytime I’m training new sales or marketing staff I always make a point to spend some amount of time talking about the five senses. Yep – the good ol’ five senses: touch, taste, hear, see, smell.

When describing something over the phone to someone or when writing long copy or when sharing an experience with someone, the more we share about the five senses, the more real the experience will become for the other person.

And the more enthusiastically you can describe each element, the more excited the other person will become. Think about your favorite events of places – they all have a unique set of sensory elements. Let’s look at a few together.

Movie theatre:

• Touch – the cold drink cup, the warm popcorn bag, the melty chocolate, the comfy leather seat (with mechanical leg rest even better)
• Taste – the sweet soda and candy, the salty, buttery popcorn
• Hear – huge speakers with surround sound that makes you feel like you’re right there; also don’t forget about the sound the popcorn makes as you grab handful after handful, shaking the bag at the end to get the kernels away the last few crumbs
• See – huge screen, nice curtains, lights on steps with fancy carpet designs
• Smell – popcorn….mmmm….popcorn

Sporting event:

• Touch – room temperature, high fives, seating, proximity to other people
• Taste – gameday food: nachos, fries, burgers, popcorn, soda, drinks
• Hear – crowd noise, game sounds (crack of the bat, slap of the puck, crunch of the collisions)
• See – lights, signs, fireworks, food vendors waving, crowd activities
• Smell – barbeque smoke, firework smoke, food smells, turf on the field, trees and flowers in the area

Golf course:

• Touch – clubs, feel of the sand traps, stickiness of the cart pedals
• Taste – burgers, salty snacks, hot dogs, cold drinks
• Hear – smack of the ball, birds chirping, carts whizzing by
• See – green grass, white sande, trees swaying, balls soaring through the air
• Smell – turf/grass, pollen, cigar smoke, friends wearing too much cologne/perfume

Church:

• Touch – hands, wooden benches, old cement/carpeted flooring
• Taste – bread, wine
• Hear – music, chants, singing, talking
• See – lights, shiny objects, special clothing
• Smell – incense, furniture

Everything we do is a sensory experience – after all thats the only way we can truly experience the world – through our senses. By describing something in full detail with regard to the senses a person can be put at ease and given confidence that the thing you’re describing is something they’d like to engage with.

Use descriptive language, break out the old thesaurus from high school and be creative. Life is hard, be the light in someone’s day and make them excited to spend time at your event. Go Forth.