Was that unclear?
Speaking in story so you stop rambling
The writers of South Park said this about telling a story:
TLDW: use ‘therefore/but/so/because’ to connect your points; do not use ‘and then’.
I wondered how I could use this knowledge; it seemed so wise. So I decided to try it. Now, of course, they were speaking about the way to make a plot that is captivating. But I didn’t see it as only for plot.
I thought this could help me make my points easier to follow. Why? The pain of not making a point. I know the look of a confused person while I try to make my point.
I might seem articulate behind a screen, but I struggle with being concise in the real world. Or I might seem equally confusing behind the screen at times—you pick. Regardless, it felt worthwhile to work on a way to better get what’s in my mind clearly to someone else’s.
What for? Because someone else can only respond well to what you say if it is said well. Trying this made me succeed a bit. Suceeding in communicating made me wonder what is possible. That led me to work to fully develop all my ideas.
Because of all of this thinking, I realized a reason to develop your ideas… so that they work for others. In short: everyone listening gets to engage with your ideas better.
As an example, you might say that your team needs to remember to take care of the little things, like cleaning the locker room. Stone and Parker would say to tell them:
“the locker room is going to be cleaned by someone, but that someone can either be yourselves or someone who feels it isn’t their job because they didn’t make the mess. Therefore it’s better to clean up after yourself.”
The point would be taken, I hope. Where the typical story goes:
“we have to do this right… and then we will be great/leaders/nice people.”
The people listening and responding will find it much more empowering to understand what you really mean. ‘And then’ is the illogical cousin of ‘because’. ‘Because’ benefits the people who listen. ‘And then’ robs them of understanding.
Not to be dramatic, but maybe our world could use more clarity and less confusion. Think of an example for yourself the next time you have a point to make.
Thanks to the folks who made it possible to find this video.
Have a great weekend and as always, thank you for reading.
Kyle