This morning I was chewing on a carrot — I’m trying to eat more vegetables — and to distract myself, I put on a standup comedy routine by Larry David, the writer behind Seinfeld and later the star of Curb Your Enthusiasm. David opened his set by saying:
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You seem like a very nice audience. I’m wondering, in case I break into some Spanish or French, may I use the familiar “tu” form with you people? Instead of “usted”? Because I think “usted” is gonna be a little too formal for this crowd. I feel already that I’ve established the kind of rapport that I can jump into the “tu” form with you.
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Larry David’s brand of humor is awkwardness. He always hits a snag on social interactions that others handle smoothly. He has to verbalize and negotiate things that others do subconsciously or nonverbally. That’s why his opening above illustrates the following point so well:
Comedians assume familiarity in their sets.
Why familiarity? Because being familiar is a precondition to being funny.
Comedian Bill Burr opens his “Why Do I Do This” special — my favorite — by saying, “It’s nice to be here. I didn’t do shit today. I didn’t. I’m a loser man. I just sat around watching TV and all that type of stuff. Let me tell you something…” Only then does he launch into his actual set.
You might wonder why I’m killing the joke in this way.
It’s because the same applies to you, at least if you want to influence other people, to sell your products, your services, or your ideas.
Comedians assume familiarity. So do pick up artists. Hypnotists do something similar that suits them, and that’s to assume trance.
The result is that their audiences, targets, and subjects, follow.
So that’s my suggestion for you too:
Figure out what goal you are trying to lead people to. Then figure out what the preconditions are for that.
And then, just act as-if. Assume that the preconditions are true.
Do it with enough conviction — not like Larry David, but like Bill Burr — and people will fall into step with you. This is as true of sales and copywriting as it is of comedy, magic, and seduction.
Speaking of seduction:
If you think you might learn a thing or two from me about influence, then consider my Copy Riddles course.
I break down the seemingly simplest type of copy — sales bullets — along dimensions you might not have ever thought about.
The result is you go from unconscious incompetence to conscious competence quickly… and then with a bit of practice to unconscious competence, where you simply own these copywriting skills, cold.
In case you’re interested: