When 2+2 is not equal to 4

I’m always learning.

Day in and day out.

I have dedicated time slots in my day specifically reserved for reading books, going through courses, watching videos, and listening to podcasts.

He’s a film director, screenwriter, and producer who worked on films such as Toy Story, Finding Nemo, WALL-E, Up, Cars, The Incredibles, Ratatouille, Coco, and many, many more.

Long story short: he knows what’s up. He’s a master of his craft.

One of the storytelling devices he spoke about is what he calls The Unifying Theory of 2+2. 

What this means is that when telling stories, you don’t simply give the audience the answer.

You don’t give them 4. You give them 2+2.

The audience wants to work for their meal. They just don’t want to know they’re doing it.

Basically, don’t tell the audience everything that’s going on.

Give them just enough information that they’re able to put the pieces together themselves.

If you’re writing a character in a story who’s running late for a job interview and has to wait for the bus.

Don’t make him say, “That damn bus is always late. I’m never going to get to my job interview in time.”

Make him pace around nervously. Have him look at his watch repeatedly and wipe some sweat off his face while adjusting his tie.

He’s in the same scenario, but it’s so much more enticing to watch. The audience has all the necessary information to deduct what’s going on.

Make your audience invested.

Now, you might be thinking. “That’s great, Alex. But I’m not a screenwriter. I just want people to buy my productivity coaching.”

And I get that. But here’s the thing. This works for you as well.

This works for anyone.

Don’t tell your audience “Hey I’m a productivity coach and I’ll decrease your time spent working by 30% after implementing my system”

No.

  • Show testimonials from previous clients saying “I decreased my time spent working by 30%”

  • Share tweets about how you’ve developed a new system

  • Create case studies about what kind of journey you're taking your clients on and what industries they work in

Give them so many pieces of the puzzle that help them make the conclusion “If I work with this guy, I’ll be able to decrease my time spent working by 30%”

You’ll be so much more captivating. And your audience will become much more invested in your message and your products.

With that said.

Here are a few testimonials people have given me:

And on another, totally unrelated note. I also offer strategy calls for people who want to build a one-person business on Twitter and monetize their audience.

Check it out here: https://calendly.com/alexvandromme/clarity-call