AEE 2622: How to Save a Spot in Someone's Mind for Your Story

This is an All Ears English podcast, episode 2622. How to save a spot in someone's mind for your story. Welcome to the All Ears English Podcast, downloaded more than 200 million times. Are you feeling stuck with your English?

We'll show you how to become fearless and fluent by focusing on connection, not perfection. With your American hosts, Lindsay McMahon, the English adventurer, and Michelle Kaplan, the New York radio girl. coming to you from Colorado and New York City, USA. And to get your transcripts delivered by email every week, go to allearsenglish.com forward slash subscribe.

People love cliffhangers and mysteries. Today, find out how you can let someone know you have something to tell them, but need to share it later. This is a fun part of life that builds rapport and connection.

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Hi, Michelle. How are you today? I'm good, Lindsay. Lindsay, I have something to tell you, but I'll tell you later. Oh gosh, Michelle, I can't wait. Michelle, what are we getting into on the show today?

So today we are going to share how to tell someone you have to tell them something, but later, right? So Sometimes it's just not the right time to actually go into a story.

You see them in a busier location. Maybe you're at a show. The show is starting and you can't quite go into it, right? Yeah, for sure. Yeah. So this is a huge skill and it allows you to save a spot in someone's mind for later.

What do you think of this, Lindsay? Yeah, I like the idea of saving a spot in someone's mind. You put a bit of a bookmark there for them and they know that there's something important you have to talk about. Is this for lighter things or for heavier things or both?

I think it could be for both. However, if it's something like a cruel thing to do is if you have something really heavy, like if you have bad news for someone and then you tell them Friday, oh, I'll tell you Monday, right? Oh, that's horrible. Yeah.

Oh, God. You know, that's the only thing. So it could be for either, but I wouldn't use it for something where it's like, oh, you can't tell them for a few days. Yes.

Yes. Okay. Perfect. So a little lighter, but not hugely bad news. Being kind and gracious with people, obviously, when you have something to tell them.

And so timing is a big thing. Often we are in a situation where we don't have, like, we can't just be talking to someone all the time. Maybe we're in the middle of a meeting, right? Right.

With our co-worker. And then there's other people at the table. We can't talk to them necessarily. Right? Right. Or maybe you're still waiting on some of the information yourself.

So you're just waiting on something. And once you get all the information, you're going to tell that person. Mm-hmm. Or again, it's a bit of a surprise or a secret and you want the right moment to share it, right?

Exactly. Yes. So yeah, let's talk about how we can do this. We want to remind you guys to hit the follow button wherever you're listening to the All Ears English podcast so you never miss anything.

Yes, be sure to hit follow so we fall right into your queue for five days a week on this show. So let's share the expressions, what exactly we would say, Michelle. The first one is I'll tell you the details later or I'll fill you in later. This might be an interesting one for our listeners.

It may be a first time for this one. Fill you in. Right? Right. Yes. Or I'll explain later. Yes. So let's see how this would sound. Okay. I have some updates on Charlie and Rita, but I'll tell you the details later.

Okay. It sounds a little gossipy, right? Yes. Or I have news. It has to do with the school tuition. I'll explain later. Okay. Or wait for me after class and I'll fill you in about the graduation plans.

Yes. This kind of makes life interesting and a little bit exciting when someone knows they have something exciting that's coming to them, right? Yes. Yes.

And if it is – every once in a while, if I think someone might think something is bad news or something, I might actually say, oh, it's nothing bad. Don't worry. Right? Do you ever do that?

If you're worried, they'll think – mistakenly think it's bad news. Yeah. You don't want them to – Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yes. For sure. Like, let's say I did know that it was going to take a day or two to find out more information.

Yeah. it's nice to just kind of yeah you let that person know okay we're not you know nothing nothing terrible is happening the world isn't coming crashing down so that's kind of a nice courtesy yeah totally totally another one we could say is stay tuned right stay tuned yeah i remember you know the i feel like uh kids cartoons always said yeah stay tuned stay tuned after these messages uh before the cut to commercial break right

Right, exactly. So stay tuned. It's like stay tuned in. So it's, you know, it's basically using that. It's from TV, I think. Right, exactly. So you're kind of letting them know that something's coming.

So I can't talk right now, but I have a huge story for you. So stay tuned. Hmm. It's also kind of fun being the person that's kind of what you're not withholding the information, but you're delaying it.

It's kind of fun to be that person because you're in a bit of a position of like, oh, I have a secret. This is fun. Yeah, yeah, yeah. On both sides, it's kind of fun, I think.

Right? Yeah, yeah, exactly. Yeah. And then we have a little bit more of a professional sounding one, a little more elevated one. What is it, Lindsay? I'll tell you more shortly.

We haven't talked about shortly very much, but it is a professional, more formal way of speaking. Yeah, definitely. So we received some updates from our clients. I'm still waiting on more information, but I'll tell you more shortly.

So yeah, you're waiting on something. They know generally what it's about. It's not like, oh, on Friday, I say to you, Lindsay, I need to tell you something on Monday.

Exactly. Yeah, for sure. Yeah. When I was growing up, my best friend was British. She was born in England. Her parents still spoke with British accents because they came to the US when they were adults.

And she had an American accent, but she always spoke with slightly more formal vocabulary, or at least that was the way I saw it. It may not be the way it would have been seen in England, but it was the way I saw it. And she would often say this shortly, and I always thought it was interesting because we were teenagers, and she just spoke a little bit more formal, in a bit of a more formal way. It's kind of interesting.

That's kind of fun. Yeah, yeah, yeah. If you're ready to start your business, start your business. Shopify helps you to start your business, run and spread your business.

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Okay. There's another thing we could say. One last one. What is it, Michelle? I like this one. It also makes me think of TV, right? But on the other end, kind of like that towards the end of an episode is to be continued.

So... Yeah, this one and Stay Tuned sound like TV shows. They do. But To Be Continued, Lindsay, when would you see To Be Continued with a TV show? Oh, man.

Back in the day with the sitcoms, right, that would come out, especially, you know, maybe towards the end of a season, there was a very dramatic episode. And it clearly wasn't wrapped up. The drama wasn't wrapped up yet. And they would just put this little note on the screen and say, To Be Continued, dot, dot, dot.

And you'd be like, oh man. So you're in suspense. Yeah. So it's at the end of the episode. So this is actually almost like you're starting to tell someone and you get a little interrupted, right?

Or you just can't continue. So for example, so anyway, that's why I was acting so odd yesterday. But oh no, look at the time. Okay. To be continued. Yeah.

And this one's a little more theatrical, a little more dramatic. If it fits your personality, go for it. Right? Yeah. Which one would you say you're most likely to use?

Which one are the most likely to use? Let me see. Let me look at them again. I'll fill you in later. Right? I like that. I'll fill you in later. I'll fill you in on the details later.

Yeah. That one feels natural to me. So what about you? um i actually like to be continued i i like uh i'll let you know the details later yeah all of the all of these but i i don't know to be continued to me is really fun and it holds like i said you know in terms of connection we said this kind of reserves a spot in this person's mind yes um so it's that bookmark like you said which i really like that idea um because it is i mean even even in books you could have to be continued um yeah

I think the human mind likes cliffhangers. Even though we didn't like it when those TV shows said to be continued, we kind of did, right? Right, right. Well, I think Friends always had a really great cliffhanger at the end of seasons.

Dramatic, right? Oh, they were so good, yeah. So those are really fun. So yeah, but these are just really great ways to connect with people. keep them thinking about whatever you need to tell them or what you were talking about.

But again, you do need to do it strategically and think about being kind to that person and not telling them something in a way that might make them worry. Of course, you don't want to have someone going through a day or a weekend worrying. Absolutely not. No, no, that's the worst.

Let's show our listeners how it's done, Michelle. So we're friends and you are telling me a story about your day. Okay. Yes. All right. Here we go. So I know we have to go soon, but yeah, I walked into the grocery store and I saw my ex from high school.

Really? Yes. And it was a messy breakup. I'll tell you the details later. Wow. Yeah. But anyway, he walks up to me and says, I broke his heart. Whoa. Yeah.

I got to go soon, but I'll tell you more shortly. Stay tuned. This is a wild story. Okay. To be continued. So here I'm saying to be continued, even though I'm going to be the one waiting on the information later.

Yes. Right? Yes. Yeah. And that works too. Mm-hmm. Right. Because you're echoing. I mean, I said something about, I said one of those TV sounding ones say, stay tuned.

And then you said, okay, to be continued. Oh, okay. So I'm sticking with that theme, right? Sometimes we do this and we should do more episodes on the art of mirroring in this way.

I've seen that you've gone into the TV analogy theme. And so I come up with another TV analogy. Right. Yeah. Very cool. Huge connection skill. So, um, I said it was a messy breakup.

I'll tell you the details later. So, and you can tell from the beginning of the role play, I said, so I know we have to go soon. Right. So I, I, but I'm just priming you.

I'm telling you a little bit, I'm giving you a taste of what happened. A little taster, a little appetizer, right? Yes. Yes. Yes. And then you said, you made a little bit of information and then you said, I got to go soon, but I'll tell you more shortly.

That's the one that's a little bit more formal. A little bit more formal. And now we go into the TV analogies. Stay tuned. Right. Stay tuned. Yep. And then you said, okay, to be continued.

So very good there. Okay. Interesting. So this is kind of, today's episode is kind of all about leaving someone in a Because it's necessary due to the circumstances, right?

You just can't go into the full story. You also want to make sure you have the time and space. If you truly have a good story to tell, you don't want to try to sneak that in, in between other things, right? Right, right, right.

Exactly, exactly. So very, very good, useful connection topic. And this is just part of, you know, everyday life, right? You get interrupted, you know, you don't have time to share something.

Or you just want someone to know that something is coming to them. They have something to look forward to, a little gift to unwrap later. Yes, exactly. Guys, go check out 2599 of All There's English.

That is build someone's confidence by fighting this battle. Go check out that episode. If you love our style of connection, not perfection, keep listening, hit follow, become a part of our community of listeners. All right.

Yeah. Anything else? I mean, that is, we've done the takeaway. I mean, that's really the point. It's mystery makes life interesting. And you and our listeners have the skills to tap into this in English, right?

Love it. Yep. All right. Well, guys, give it a try and stay tuned for the next episode. All right. Take care. Bye. All right. Bye. Thanks for listening to All Ears English.

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