The Script Phrases We've Become Allergic To (with Christy)
Hello, and welcome to the Studio Sessions. I'm Chris Gore, and alongside me today is my wife and business partner, Christie. Say hello, Christie.
Speaker 2:Hello.
Speaker 1:Because together, we run our community, the studio, where we help people create the best social media they can, and part of that is the Script Lab. And I've promised or I'm promising now that we're gonna be doing this up until Christmas. Maybe Christie will be on HF. So maybe she will duck out.
Speaker 2:I to see how I go.
Speaker 1:But I've been thinking about scripting because of all the advice that we give in the studio and you give, Christie, there are phrases that I'm I've become fully allergic to. And I know you've got some bugbears. So what's the worst parts of scripting that you see at the moment?
Speaker 2:I mean, I think I noticed stuff online. About six months ago, we were telling people to be careful of AI isms. You know, watch out because even though they may be putting their own original content into into AI, the way AI phrases stuff is really generic. And back then, I could see it, and now it's just absolutely rampant through everything. So one of the...
Speaker 2:I don't know why this is, but one of the words that AI just, like, shoehorns into everyone's script is quietly.
Speaker 1:Alright. How?
Speaker 2:Like, quietly deciding... Your audience is quietly deciding not to buy or something. It's like, the hell does that mean? You know? Like, it's such a weird word to insert into a script.
Speaker 2:What about you though? What's your number one allergy?
Speaker 1:Think it's the thing that's been on my mind for quite a while is most people think that. Because when you say most people think that frogs are green, you're sort of saying that most people are wrong you're Most
Speaker 2:dumped most people.
Speaker 1:Yeah. But you're sort of also pushing that on the viewer going, yeah, you probably thought this too. So you're an absolute idiot. I think that's that's a real tricky thing. And I think that's when our...
Speaker 1:Well, my content started to take off when I started to sit next to the viewer rather than talking in front of them. And I think that's kind of part of that teacher trap where if you say most people think that, you're sort of pointing at the viewer in some way. I have a sort of real vivid dream about that.
Speaker 2:But but then I think that's another thing, another AI suggestion, common AI suggestion, is most people do this. And everyone goes, well, that's a great way to start a script. But actually, we wanna write scripts that are talking to that one person. So have you ever felt like this? Have you, like, speaking in that kind of language?
Speaker 1:I wonder if that comes from a few years ago when you used to have, like people online saying, here are the 50 hooks that you need to do, need to use on social media. And everyone would just use those same 50 hooks. And I wonder if it sort of came out of that. So it could just be a legacy thing.
Speaker 2:Possibly. But either way, it suggests to the viewer that if they if they are one of those most people, then they're a bit shit. Yes. So, you know, it's one to avoid.
Speaker 1:Yeah. And it's... My content has only got better when I've kind of just gone look. If if there's a bad person in this video, it's me. So here's a mistake that I made, not here's a thing that you think is wrong.
Speaker 2:So... Yeah. Interesting.
Speaker 1:Right. What's your intention?
Speaker 2:Know why... I don't know why this is why I hate this so much, but I really hate the word clarity. I've I've spoken openly within our community about this. Some people absolutely love it, but I don't... I think it's a really clinical word, and I don't know what it means.
Speaker 2:Like, do you want clarity? Does anyone ever say, man, I just need clarity right now? I mean
Speaker 1:No.
Speaker 2:Maybe they need to be less overwhelmed or, like, have more time to to to think through stuff. I don't know. But clarity is like... It's such a solution word for business people. It's such a neat solution for them, but I don't think it speaks to what the viewer actually is feeling and wanting.
Speaker 2:So... Yeah. I don't know, man. I just...
Speaker 1:Yeah. I mean, I'm completely allergic when it comes to people using it in a salesy way because, yeah. Do you want clarity? I don't know. Do I?
Speaker 1:I mean, it's it's also like that scripting method around trying to make your scripts like something a seven year old could read. Like, no no seven year old is saying the word clarity, are they? Mhmm. But...
Speaker 2:But also, if you're... It's like if you're asking the viewer to figure out whether they want that thing, then you're not helping them. You know? Like, if you're saying, I've got this square clarity hole, can you fit your triangular self into that square hole? Because it's like we're saying to them, here's this thing that we think you are, but they're not that thing, and they're trying to fit themselves into it.
Speaker 2:Whereas they are actually stressed, overwhelmed, tired, short on ideas, needing inspiration, you know, that kind of thing. So that's my problem with that. And generally, all jargon like that is not is not for the viewer. It's for the person, like, for the creator, the person who's saying it.
Speaker 1:So you're saying it's not getting into the problem enough?
Speaker 2:Yeah. I just think it's not empathizing enough. You know? Like, if you were actually putting yourself in the position and the body of that person, like, what does it feel like to be them with the problem that they have? Then you wouldn't go, well, what I need right now is clarity.
Speaker 2:You know? That's what you're aware of as the expert that they need. But actually, the symptoms of the problem they're experiencing are different to that. And you can't speak to them from your position. You have to go to where they are and meet them where they are and speak to their stuff.
Speaker 2:So I think that's it's an issue of empathy for me.
Speaker 1:And it sort of feels like you might run out of ideas because you haven't explored the problems that your ideal client has. I think because it's such a shortcut that without that empathy, you can't really go right. What we suggest is people list the problems that their ideal client has, and then work on tiny solutions that to give them. But when you work on such a high level, like float above them and just say words don't really mean anything, then how could they actually get something out of their day? If you could, we try and give people actionable advice in short form content, but what actionable advice would give them clarity?
Speaker 1:Yeah. I completely get that.
Speaker 2:Yeah. It's tricky. But I mean, it is really, really worth doing that exercise to to think into the the experience of your viewer because it does unlock a load of content ideas.
Speaker 1:Yes. And talking about thinking about yourself too much, my next bugbear is intros. Just anyone in this piece of short form going, hello, I am this person, and I do these things.
Speaker 2:This is what I learned.
Speaker 1:Yeah. Yeah.
Speaker 2:If you use the word I, it just switches people off. Like, it's, you know, and it's it's difficult really because, yeah, people go, well, hang on. I've got loads of good stuff to tell people. Like, I just wanna say I did this and I did that. You know?
Speaker 2:But there's something about that that just turns people off. They don't have time. If you're if you're phrasing things around your experience, then you immediately signal to them that you're not about them. You're coming at things from your perspective. And anyone who is, like, any adult essentially now living in the world is really busy and stressed, like, doing loads of stuff, like, on social media for information or entertainment.
Speaker 2:You know? Like... But if you tell them straight away, my name is this. I think this. Here's what I know kind of thing.
Speaker 2:It's like a turnoff. Like, I don't wanna be... I I want you to tell me what I can do to to help me. Like, I want you to help me. I don't want you to phrase everything in terms of your own experience.
Speaker 1:Yeah. I think there's a subtle sort of slight difference where you're sat next to someone and you're going, well, I did this and it was I cocked up basically and owning that. As opposed to if you say, hello, my name's such and such, and I've won 50,000,000 awards for that sort of bragging kind of thing. And if you put that at the start of any video or even just a I saw someone online the other week just have just an image at the start of their video saying, follow me. And he's like, well, how could anyone who's not, who doesn't know you get through those first five, ten seconds because I don't don't care.
Speaker 1:That's a brutal point of some of this is that we've got to get some value early doors.
Speaker 2:But that's the thing as well. Like, you wouldn't start that video where you go, well, I'd made this mistake and ta da. You would say, have you ever done this? Like, what does it feel like to to mess up so badly that you lose x, y, and zed? You know?
Speaker 2:And then go, well, actually, I did that, and this is what I learned from it. It's a totally different vibe to being straight away, I know this, and I'm telling you this. You know?
Speaker 1:Yeah. I think the vibe that we try and get out on our social media is probably the most important part of it, like, so people can understand that we are here for the other person. And it's it's a really tricky thing to just nail down in single sentences. It's like the feeling that you give the viewer when they follow you that you're you're not going be patronizing to them. You're just going to be a friend on this journey with them.
Speaker 1:And part of that is not going viral, just going, I'm going to be here for the long run, and I'm going to be here giving you like solid advice and help for a long time. I'm not going to try and preach at you. If you just do any of the things that I suggest that have helped me, then you're going to do okay. So I think it's sort of part of that. And I also liked someone online a few years ago, it was like, it's weeing all over your social media or websites like, we did this, we do this.
Speaker 1:Oh my god. The big I am kind
Speaker 2:of thing. What were you saying then? I was like, Chris, what are you saying?
Speaker 1:It's a way to remember it. It's just you peeing all over your social media that makes it just absolutely stink. And what it puts me off that bloke who talks about his helicopter and his Bentley all the time. And there's plenty of likes on it, but it's just like, oh my god, you've put me off this completely. It completely stinks.
Speaker 1:Anyway, Christie, what's next on your list?
Speaker 2:Well, I think my final one really is is back to AI phrasing, some classics, which I suggest everyone remove from their scripts. It's not this, it's that, is a huge one. You know? And it's... Often, it's in scripts.
Speaker 2:It doesn't need to be. You know? Like, it's just been, again, kind of shoehorned in there. Three no's and adjust. No effort, no focus, no flexibility, just chaos or something like that.
Speaker 2:It's like, who says that in conversation? How is that real? You know? And and it makes me think when you're talking about showing up to help people regularly, you can't have those same sentence patterns in all of your videos and have someone watching them regularly and not notice that. You know?
Speaker 2:And, again, it's like, sure. The content may be yours. You may have put something into AI that is your original thought, which is great, but it's going to change it to be a very generic way, like, phrasing and way of speaking. So... And that is really noticeable now.
Speaker 2:And and, I mean, Chris and I don't... We don't think it's a problem to script videos yourself. You know? Like, we have frameworks, obviously, that we use, but it doesn't take that much time. The time that it takes to actually load something into AI and then get it spat out and then fiddle with it, it could be done.
Speaker 2:You know? So I really wanna challenge people to take their original thought and try and structure it themselves into something, into a really short video.
Speaker 1:Yeah. And this this one hits hard on me because I started YouTube long form really properly in April, and I started using Claude to help me script it. But trying to get it to use my voice and interview me and get the right ideas, so it could help me structure it and bring out script. And for the start, I would get it to do that and I would just take the script and go, yeah, think that's about right. And I would read it.
Speaker 1:And then people started calling me out going, is this... These... This phrase is this? I was like, oh my god. So ever since then, I've taken what it's pulled out of it and then gone, right, I'm gonna rewrite this.
Speaker 1:I'm gonna try and get Claude to write exactly how I would write. So I keep feeding it back and I keep editing it. It takes me maybe twenty minutes each time, but it does get better. But... And every time it going, yeah, you're trying to just make things simpler.
Speaker 1:You're you're spotting AI things really quickly. And I'm making things simpler to be easier to speak, really. A lot of the words that comes out of generic AI on a prompter is really hard. But obviously, when we're doing short form, we're trying to make it so easy. We're trying to just do a few shots.
Speaker 1:So I think you also notice that if you are using a script that's come out of AI, you will find it more difficult to speak because you don't quite understand it because it's not fully your language.
Speaker 2:Is it the word soup?
Speaker 1:Yeah, there is word soup. We watched a video in a live session in our community the other week, where this, there was a lady in a forest, right? And she just said stuff for about two minutes. And everyone came away from it going, I've got no idea.
Speaker 2:What did she even say? It was just so many words. Like, they were all pitched at the same level, the same speed, and they were all kind of longer, you know, like, slightly more complicated words than you would use in normal language. And at the end of it, I was like, I have no idea what that lady just said. I mean, props to her for making a video.
Speaker 2:I do absolutely commend anyone who's got the courage to make a video. But I think Word Soup is a massive problem. Simplicity is so important.
Speaker 1:I think that Word Soup came out because she hadn't scripted it and didn't quite know what she was saying. She was going, I'm going to I'm going to do a video about X and I'll just speak. And you could sort of see when she got a nice line in her head and she sort of did a bit of a smirk as, oh, this is a really great line, isn't it? You're like, well... This is the good thing.
Speaker 1:Exactly. But I couldn't understand what it was. So we've gone completely round the houses getting to that point.
Speaker 2:But that is a major problem because essentially you're asking people to wait for you to know what you're going to say, you know, while you figure it out in real time. And it's just not respectful to people's time, Yeah.
Speaker 1:Completely. We
Speaker 2:can all do better than that.
Speaker 1:And it leads on to my final gripe, which is that every video turns into an advert. I've I've reigned back on a lot of things that are overtly advertising. So even at the end of a video going, comment this word and I'll send you this lead magnet thing and do this, like getting people to do a thing. I'm like, well, why would you be on a social media platform? You're on here for entertainment.
Speaker 1:And if you've enjoyed the video, then you might delve into the comments to find that thing, or you might delve into the link in the bio to find out more about this person. But really, I'm trying to take everything off that. And the other thing about turning everything into an advert is that I see a lot of social accounts where the actionable advice at the end of the video is basically, well, you should hire me. Well, how many of those videos could you actually make? Like...
Speaker 1:And...
Speaker 2:But also, like, for the viewer... I mean, obviously, I'm a... I consume content. I've seen those videos all the time. I feel really frustrated slash a little bit angry after watching that because someone's made me a promise at the beginning of a video that I'm gonna get an outcome.
Speaker 2:And then we get to the end and they go, the outcome is that you can solve this problem by using my service, which then means I have to either click through to something else, give my email address away, you know, to sign up to a lead magnet, or I have to pay them. You know? So it's like, you promised me something and you didn't give it to me. So I think that erodes trust with your viewers, in fact.
Speaker 1:Yes. So that's why my Instagram, especially short form is not now all value, value, value, value. And even my YouTube is probably just go to the link in my description to find out this thing. And I sort of don't really mention it. And on here, we might not do massive reads to our Creator Confidence course, but it's in the thing.
Speaker 1:It's not like a... But that is an advert, but we're not gonna do massive long two minute reads into it. Kind of it's like just respecting people's time that you've had to listen to get loads of value before you drop a bomb to try and get people to buy. It's like, how I think people can spot a deal or something like a sale coming a mile off. And I'm trying to backtrack away from that as much as possible now.
Speaker 1:But...
Speaker 2:Yeah. It's really tricky. I think people are fatigued and everyone is suspicious of of your motives and and whether what you're making is is true or real. I mean, we really, really encourage anyone to speak to people as they would normally would, to just be brave enough to start making video content and talk to the people that you wanna work with because it's so powerful and it makes you stand out. If you do nothing else that makes you stand out amongst this sort of sea of AI isms fake people.
Speaker 1:It's like we're just building something different. There is a world where people just build social media profiles to sell a thing. And there's a world in which people build a social profile to build a personal brand to help people. And then a tiny fraction of those people have to take some action and buy a thing to support that person. But I think that is a much stronger foundation than if we play the game of social media.
Speaker 1:But maybe we'll get into that on another podcast. Yeah. Cool. Well, thank you, Christie. And we'll turn up again next week.
Speaker 2:Pass the test. Oh, this is exciting.
Speaker 1:Cool. Well, make sure you're subscribed everyone, and we'll be here until at least Christmas. But if you have any questions, I will leave a an email address in the show notes where you can ask us anything. Alright. See you then.
Speaker 1:Cheers.
Speaker 2:Bye.
