Who comes to mind when you think of someone who is a great speaker?
For me, it's comedians. Especially late-night radio hosts like Hikaru Ijuin, Bakusho Mondai, and Hiroiki Ariyoshi. Those people are incredibly skilled at talking.
Just like in "Suberanai Hanashi" (Talks That Never Fail), when an interesting person speaks, images start to form in your mind as you listen. You can see the location, the facial expressions, the atmosphere, the timing, the awkwardness, and even the way a strange person is standing.
Conversely, when someone is bad at talking, the listener has to work hard to track the information.
"What are we talking about now?"
"Who is this about?"
"What's the point?"
"Is this a detail I need to remember?"
This becomes exhausting. It feels less like listening to a story and more like searching for a lost item in a cluttered room.
People who are good at talking don't just hand over information. They show you a scene.
Idea Tanaka, author of "Learning from Comedians: Talk Techniques That Kill!", writes about the techniques comedians use to turn ordinary stories into hilarious ones. This is quite essential and interesting, so I highly recommend reading it. Interesting talk isn't just about talent; it's the skill of creating scenery in the listener's mind.
Whether it's sales, seminars, or posting on X, if you want to influence people, the key is how much scenery you can create in their heads.
I've spent a lot of time thinking about how to speak more interestingly and move people, listening to comedians' talks, reading over 50 books on writing techniques, and doing my own broadcasting and seminars.
Today, I'll share six psychological techniques I value most.
1. Create a Punchline.
In a comedian's talk, there is always a word that grabs your ear.
"This incredibly filthy old lady appeared..."
"I thought about going to a haunted spot, but..."
"At that point, I was the only one breaking out in a cold sweat."
Words like these make you want to hear what happens next. People react to words that deviate slightly from the everyday.
If you say ordinary things in an ordinary way, no one stops to listen. But if you insert a word that feels slightly out of place, the listener's attention shifts to you.
On X, you want a punchline every one or two scrolls. In a talk, you want a word that hooks the ear once every minute.
A punchline is, in essence, "a word the brain cannot pass over."
Unheard-of combinations.
Deviations from daily life.
Strong contrasts.
Slightly strange proper nouns.
A single phrase that makes an image pop.
Just having this makes your talk significantly easier to listen to.
2. Create a Setup (The "Furi").
A story cannot exist on punchlines alone. It's what comedians call "Setup and Payoff" (Furi and Ochi).
If you want the payoff to be strong, you need to place a proper setup before it.
For example, just saying "I missed the train" is weak. But if you have a setup like "It was a day I absolutely couldn't be late," "I stayed up late the night before acting cocky," or "The moment I woke up, I knew I was finished," then missing the train gains meaning.
A story without a setup is like trying to make someone go to the second floor without stairs. The listener can't follow.
In the world of comedy, a payoff isn't funny just by being strong. To make the payoff effective, you need the setup first.
In other words, people who are bad at talking don't just have weak payoffs; they haven't built the ground for the payoff to land on.
Good speakers don't just throw out a conclusion. They place the premise in the listener's mind first before dropping the final line.
So if you want to tell an interesting story, the first thing to think about isn't "what to say," but "what to place beforehand to make those words effective."
3. Create a Gap.
People whose stories are boring usually lack a gap.
Always positive.
Always negative.
Always explaining.
Always the same temperature.
This doesn't move the listener's emotions.
Whether it's a movie or a manga, interesting things always have a gap. There's a crisis, then an opportunity. You feel down, then you stand up. You start weak and gradually become strong.
In "Demon Slayer," because Tanjiro is in a pinch every time, the moment he overcomes it feels great. If he were strong from the start, it probably wouldn't be that interesting.
Tomohiro Nakakita, a former comedian who now applies "laughter" to business communication, explains that laughter is "tension" and "relaxation."
I think the same applies to daily conversation. A flat story doesn't move the listener's emotions. Because there is a bit of tension and a bit of betrayal, the talk gains rhythm.
If you're telling a good story, insert a failure midway.
If you're telling a dark story, insert a slightly funny perspective.
If you're being serious, suddenly use an example with a sense of everyday life.
This up-and-down creates scenery. A story without a gap is like looking at a white wall forever.
4. Use the Listener's Language.
Words the listener doesn't know won't become scenery in their head.
For example, if you say, "It's like a Popochapepenpenpen," nothing is seen. The listener stops at "What's that?"
But if you explain Sepak Takraw as "volleyball played with your feet," the scenery is visible instantly. Because they know both soccer and volleyball, they can imagine, "Oh, so it's like playing over a net with your feet."
People who are easy to understand are good at translating into the listener's language.
If the listener is young, use words they know.
If they are older, use words that resonate with them.
If you're talking to a non-expert, change technical terms into everyday language.
I hear that comedians change their words based on the audience at theaters or events—whether there are many young people, seniors, office workers, or families. They choose their words by looking at the crowd.
Good speakers don't force their own language. They use the words already in the listener's head to build the scenery.
5. Break Down Concepts.
Abstract words don't easily become scenery on their own.
"It was scary."
"It was amazing."
"It was incredibly hard."
"I worked quite hard."
With just this, the listener can't form an image.
For example, instead of "It was incredibly scary," saying "It was as scary as three Sadakos from 'The Ring' coming out at once" makes an image pop. And it's a bit funny.
Instead of "I worked hard," saying "I never broke my routine every day, just like Shohei Ohtani" shows the stoicism.
In short, concepts are better communicated when replaced with proper nouns.
Fear. Effort. Discomfort. Impatience. Atmosphere. Tension.
If you place these abstract words as they are, the reader can only receive them vaguely.
But if you change them into people, places, things, or scenes, they suddenly become visible.
Strong words are not difficult words.
They are visible words.
6. Create Scenery with Words.
All the techniques so far lead to this.
Grab attention with a punchline.
Set the premise with a setup.
Move emotions with a gap.
Translate with the listener's language.
Break down concepts into specifics.
When you do all of this, you become able to create scenery with words.
Instead of "scary," three Sadakos appear.
Instead of "tired," you fall asleep on the train home while still holding your phone.
Instead of "nervous," you keep peeling the label off your plastic bottle before your self-introduction.
When you speak like this, images appear in the listener's head. When images appear, emotions move. When emotions move, the talk remains in the memory.
I don't think a good speaker is someone with a vast vocabulary.
It's someone who can properly create a scene in the listener's mind.
Conversely, people who think they are bad at talking are probably trying too hard to give information. Trying too hard to explain. Trying too hard to be correct.
But what people want to hear isn't just organized information. It's the feeling of being there.
If you want to get better at talking, try focusing on "speaking so it can be seen" rather than "conveying accurately."
Don't give information. Show scenery.
Just this will change your talking significantly.
On this account, I verbalize things daily under the theme of 1mm of growth per day. Follows are encouraging. @antoshia2n
Reference Books + Recommended Books
- Learning from Comedians: Talk Techniques That Kill! | Idea Tanaka | Rittor Music
- "Getting a Laugh" is the Strongest Business Skill. | Tomohiro Nakakita | Nikkei Publishing
- Made to Stick | Chip Heath, Dan Heath | Nikkei BP
- 90% of Communication is How You Say It | Keiichi Sasaki | Diamond-sha
