Searching for entertainment on a rainy Sunday, I took my daughter to the Science Museum and we wandered into the Information Age gallery. It’s a real playground for tech geeks – featuring everything from an undersea cable cross-section to a Google Street View car – but what does any of this mean to the general public, let alone a child? For a moment, I wondered if I had made another terrible life decision. It turned out I hadn’t, because the gallery adds the crucial “so what?” by telling the human stories behind the technology. And during this visit, one moment proved just how powerful this approach can be.

Bringing wireless telegraphy to life

We stopped in front of the section devoted to the Titanic’s wireless telegraphy system – which, on paper, may not sound the most interesting or suitable for a child. But the display immediately made sense of the technology by explaining how it was used once the boat tragically struck an iceberg. We heard how Titanic and other nearby boats sent and received distress signals, with operators trying to relay messages under immense pressure, and communication becoming a lifeline in real time.

We didn’t get lost in technical detail. Instead, the exhibit focused on the people behind each message: their judgement, bravery and the consequences of every decision. Suddenly, the technology clicked. It wasn’t just an old machine; it was a story about humans trying to save other humans.

Striking a chord

That encounter captured something we talk about constantly at Spark: people connect with stories, not specifications. A century-old device became compelling because the human context was impossible to miss. We pride ourselves on depth of technical knowledge, but the story only truly resonates when we understand who it helps, what it changes, and why it matters.

That principle applies just as much to the stories we tell in our work – from our PRCA award-winning campaign about people having their parcels stolen, to research showing how much stress IT can cause at work. The human angle is what turns an abstract technical issue into something audiences can intuitively understand and care about.

A simple reminder

That moment in the gallery was a reminder that behind every technological breakthrough is a human story. When we lead with those stories, the technology becomes far easier for anyone to understand and far more compelling to engage with.