Two words to drop, two words to adopt
Whether it was because of a drive to improve my 2025, or a fundamental yet vaguely defined fear of not falling behind, i listened to a lot of podcasts over the Christmas break. I did it while doing the dishes. While going on a run. While waiting to fast asleep.
Increasingly podcasts feel like the sane medium in an overwhelmingly insane media landscape. I call them slow media, which feels like an antidote to our intra-venous addiction to speed, and there is probably a study to be done on whether slower media help you retain information better than faster environments.
(I see similar psychological benefits with audiobooks. But this is assuming you don’t listen to podcasts or audiobooks at 1.2x speed or higher, which i tried and it just feels empty by the time you’re done. In a way, it feels like eating a chocolate cake where the first bite tastes like gold and the last one tastes like guilt.)
While on one of my morning runs with a pod on, i stumbled upon a nice trick that can help any of us who tell stories for a living. Which sounds woo woo, but if you work in strategy your job is to turn stuff into a story that others get behind, so there you go.
This trick is very simple, it involves:
Two words we need to drop from our stories
And two words we need to adopt instead
And it’s from the creators of South Park, who know a thing or two about crafting interesting stories that cut through, and often do so at a crazy fast speed.
So, the trick is very simple: avoid saying “and then” (the two words to drop), and embrace “but” and “therefore” (the two words to adopt).
It sounds basic, but think about the last ten decks you did, and how often do you introduce tension in your stories? And how often does it happen versus simply adding more layers without necessarily adding more meaning? Chances are we can all do a little better.
If you spot yourself saying “and then”, or “plus” a lot, you’re adding layers, but not necessarily building a story. For that you need tension, inflection, or a sense of consequence. Ideally a healthy balance of all three.
That’s where introducing “but” (you have great awareness, but your brand meaning is at an all time low), or “therefore” (your category is too associated with elites therefore affluent middle classes don’t even think they’ll ever be ready to buy from you) get you closer to defining a problem, and shaping a story.
Try it for yourself next time you do your presentation outlines. Do a good ol’ “cmd + f” and search for these words. See if you’re happy with the ratios. And if you’re not, you’ll know where the story needs work.
