The creators of South Park once explained how they check whether an episode is good. They write out everything that happens, one line per event, and look at the words that sit between the lines. If the lines are joined by “and then”, the episode is gonna be boring.
For example: Cartman gets a job, and then he goes to the mall, and then he meets a girl.
Their fix: Make every line connect to the next with “but” or “therefore”/”so”:
Cartman gets a job, but his boss humiliates him, so he quits and ends up at the mall, but the girl he meets there turns out to be the boss’s daughter.
The consequences are what make the story.
The same test works when you get asked about your story - i.e. your elevator pitch. Most of us do the list - I studied economics, and then I joined a bank, and then I moved into product.
Rewrite it so each step is caused by the last. I studied economics, but I realized I hated the math, so I moved to the bank’s product team. The facts are the same, and now you sound like someone who notices things and makes decisions. Much more engaging!
(This tip also works when you give presentations, speeches or LinkedIn posts!)
