This is an All Ears English podcast, episode 2622.
How to save a spot in someone's mind for your story.
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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.
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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, you know, in a busier location.
Maybe you're at a show, the show is starting and you can't quite go into it, right?
Yes.
Yeah, for sure.
Yeah.
So this is a huge skill and it's able, like 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.
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 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're 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 you're just waiting on something and once you get all the information you're going to tell that person 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.
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Yes.
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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.
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.
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.
Like let's say.
Let's say I did know that it was going to take a day or two to find out more information.
It's nice to just kind of 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, I feel like kids' cartoons always said, stay tuned.
Stay tuned.
Stay tuned after these messages before the cut to commercial break, right?
Right.
Exactly.
So stay tuned.
It's like stay tuned in.
Yes.
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.
Yeah, yeah, 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.
When I was growing up, my best friend was British, like she was born in England.
Her parents still spoke with British accents because they, you know, they came to the US when they were adults.
And she didn't.
She had an American accent, but she always spoke with like slightly more formal vocabulary, or at least that was the way I saw it.
May not be the way it would have been seen in england, but it's the way i saw it.
And she would often say this shortly, and i always thought it was interesting because, you know, 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, it's kind of fun, okay.
Um, there's another thing we could say, one last one.
Um, 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.
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.
Yeah.
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.
So 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?
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?
I actually like To Be Continued.
I like...
I'll let you know the details later.
Yeah, all of the all of these, but 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.
So it's that bookmark, like you said, which I really like that idea.
Because it is I mean, even Even in books, you could have to be continued.
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 my day, 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?
Yeah.
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 tell, 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.
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, right?
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 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, 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.
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 he 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 bit of suspense 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, 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 Ears English.
That is, build someone's confidence by fighting this battle.
Go check out that episode.
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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.
Yeah.
All right.
Well, guys, give it a try and stay tuned for the next episode.
All right.
Take care.
Bye.
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