terrywiththelazyeye

You must not fear.

Was recently explaining to one of my $16k coaching clients the numerous factors and aspects involved in storytelling at the master level… And chiefly, ABOVE all else - BEFORE you start telling anyone about anything… The FIRST thing you need to do Is ASSESS your audience & establish: A - HOW MUCH CONTEXT do I need to add? Time period. Location (broad), location (specific), Characters. Their relationship to you. Their role in the given environment. Etc etc B - HOW FAMILIAR ARE THEY with the subject at hand. How long have they been studying/practicing/working in/involved in the thing you’re talking about. What jargon needs to be explained. What concepts need to be elaborated on. How deeply do you need to link causes with their effects. If you fail to take A into account? You’ll lose their attention. The picture you paint will either be foggy (too little) OR painfully boring (too much). If you fail to take B into account? You will destroy all rapport with them. You’ll either be speaking at a level that goes way over their head (concepts not explained well enough) OR you’ll insult/offend them by assuming they’re a beginner (too many concepts explained) while giving a subtext of “I have not done any due diligence in understanding how much you already know, either BECAUSE I don’t care OR because I can’t see it. I’m either rude or ignorant.” Here’s a magical line for B that will save your ass: “As you know…” As you know allows you to explain concepts to people that already know them for the sake of emphasising certain points in the story. This works well to actually BUILD rapport because it says “I know you’re not dumb and respect your knowledge here.” Trump does this very well, with a line of “[Concept/Subject] … and you’d probably know that better than anyone, right?” 10/10 line. Also very useful when talking to a mixed crowd, is: “As most/some of you already know.. [explain concept at beginner level for the noobs in the room.]” It is absolutely paramount. Before you tell a story, ask yourself and ASSESS YOUR AUDIENCE: How much context do I need to lay down? How deeply do I need to explain the concepts involved? This is the FIRST aspect to master if you want to be an elite storyteller, public speaker, and persuader. CONTEXT & CONCEPTS. Namaste.