1414 – Bore Bunny Method | Bore to Win

Episode 1414 – Bore Bunny Method | Bore to Win

SCOOTER: Friends beyond the binary, ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, it’s time for the podcaster who’s coming to…a boredom seminar will be coming up later, a boring seminar about boredom. Not…well, I don’t exactly know, ‘cause usually our seminars are hosted by people that sound similar to me, but who aren’t exactly me. Interesting stuff. But, yeah, welcome to Sleep With Me, by the way. This is a podcast that’s here to put you to sleep, to keep you company while you fall asleep, to be your friend in the deep, dark night, and to keep coming at you like a lull…like a lulling horse. Like, more of a horsey. What’s more lulling, a horse or a horsey? I mean, ‘horsey’ kinda sounds cute. I guess what would be lulling is me talking about a horsey. Oh, well, I never owned a horsey, but I did have a horse. It wasn’t a rocking horse.

 

When I was a lad, we had horses, plastic horses, on springs. A bouncy horse? I don't know what you call it. They don’t have them anymore, but that was my horsey, which I shared…it was…it may have been the kind you buy at a second-hand horsey store, too, 'cause…I don't know if it was new, but it was a horse. Well, it was a horsey. It was a plastic…it was a plastic plaything. You couldn't…I mean, you couldn't…it was good for playing in your…I mean, maybe that’s why I make a sleep podcast, 'cause I was just bouncing up and down. Like a rocking horse, but different. So, welcome to Sleep With Me, the podcast that puts you to sleep.

 

If you're new, this is how it’s gonna go, but what’s gonna happen…we're gonna have a break here with some support, then a long, meandering intro meant to ease you into bedtime, and then our seminar, all to take your mind off of stuff and keep you company so you could fall asleep, which is a bit different than most stuff that’s…I’m not here to just put you to sleep or…I’m here to be your friend, to hang out with you and talk about things like my horsey, the kind that was purchased at a second-hand store. It wasn’t a raspberry horsey. I don’t sing on this podcast, but how could I not say that? It was not a raspberry horsey, and…but it may have been the kind that someone in my family bought in a second-hand store. More than likely it was a hand-me-down horsey that…that has a similar about of syllables as raspberry.

 

But anyway, if you're new, you're probably already confused. Give the show a few tries, though, 'cause alls I’m here to do is help you out. So, welcome to Sleep With Me. This show is really here…it benefits a lot of people every single episode. We put out multiple episodes a week. We work really hard. The only way we're able to do that is the listeners — and I’m not sure if this is you or not — that benefit the most from the show, that listen on a regular basis, that have listened the longest, whose lives have been altered in a positive way by this show when they support the show back or support our sponsors. If you're new or you only listen occasionally, don’t worry about it. But if you say, hey, this podcast has made my life incredibly better, here’s a way you could give back and keep the show benefitting you and everybody else. Thanks.

 

Intro: Hey, are you up all night tossing, turning, mind racing? Trouble getting to sleep? Trouble staying asleep? Well, welcome. This is Sleep With Me, the podcast that puts you to sleep. We do it with a bedtime story. Alls you need to do is get in bed, turn out the lights, and press Play. I’m going to do the rest. What I’m going to attempt to do is create a safe place where you could set aside whatever’s keeping you awake. It could be thoughts on your mind, things you're thinking about; thoughts about the past, the present, the future…so, thoughts, it could be…thoughts, feelings, physical sensations, changes in time, temperature, routine, you could be going through something, getting over something, in the middle of something. Whatever it is, I’m here to keep you company and take your mind off of it so you could fall asleep, which is a little bit different. But what’s more…I guess what’s important about all that is that…there’s two things, right?

 

I’ve had trouble getting to sleep, trouble staying asleep, trouble waking up early, particularly right now, trouble waking…yeah, and I know what it’s like for me when I have any issues with sleep and then I start to anticipate those things. I just know what it’s like not getting the sleep I need. I’m not sure what it’s like for you or what brought you here, but I think we have some sort of connection we could establish, even if it’s not a connection. It’s like a shared sensibility. Or, what I like to…the way I like to talk about it is we root for one another. So, I’m here rooting for you to get the sleep you need or just to have some relief in the deep, dark night, to have a bore-friend to hang out with and make things a little bit less…a little bit more pleasant. But I’m not the only one rooting for you. There are other listeners around the world, some of who…whom? Who? Whom. Some of whom have been…do those…?

 

I’m trying to figure out another way to tie it back into that song. But some of those listeners have been some…through something similar to whatever it is you're going through or dealing with on a regular basis, or whatever’s getting in the way of you getting the rest you need. Whatever brought you here, there’s at least one person listening that really understands, and that person, that listener, is rooting for you right now, saying, man I hope this podcast helped you…helps you like it helps me. I hope it gives you something. I hope it brings you some relief. Someone you don’t even know that cares about you, and not only that; they feel good about it right now. I can’t tell you how good they feel. But they hope you get that feeling in the future. Not only did the podcast help you out, but that down the road you could be someone rooting for a new listener, too, and being like, yeah, this is what I dealt with.

 

If you're dealing with something similar, man, I hope you get some relief. So, that’s really the magic of the show, in addition to the fact that you deserve a good night’s sleep. You deserve a bedtime where you don’t have to struggle, where going to bed’s not full of rigmarole, that you just get the rest you need on a regular basis, and that when bedtime’s coming, you say, well, at least I got that podcast to listen to, so it’s not quite as bad as it used to be. I mean, I yearn and strive to make it great and to bring you relief every single night. But even if I get to like, ‘well, I mean, the podcast guy’s not too bad, so I’ll listen to him’, that gives my life meaning, right?

 

‘Cause I know what it’s like on the other side and I know about this magic that happens in between the listeners across the world, and I know that if you're getting the rest you need on a regular basis, your life is better, that means something to me, and that if you could be out there in the world flourishing, we need you out there in the world flourishing, right? Our world’s a better place with you in it and with you in it doing well. So, that’s why I make the show. Now, besides that, most of the show is me goofing around, so let me explain to you that. What happens is I send my voice across the deep, dark night. I use lulling, soothing, creaky, dulcet tones, pointless meanders, and superfluous tangents.

 

So, I go off topic, I get mixed up, then I double back, then I forget what I was talking about, and I used a lot of filler words, there’s a lot of pauses, I have trouble putting words together sometimes, then I’ll go on a long…pointless meanders and superfluous tangents. So, I’ll talk about a song, then I’ll say, wait a second, how many…what’s a syllable, anyway? How many syllables are in ‘syllable’? Syllable. Three, I believe. Syllable. If I…syllable. Even if I say it fast…Cybill Shepherd…Cybill…Cybill Shepherd. Four. Syllable…syllable; three. So…I don’t do this on purpose. It’s just what my brain’s doing, and I try to have some sort of filter. But those are pointless meanders and superfluous tangents. Superfluous…so, yeah, what else do you need to know? I think I was explaining…oh, the most important thing you need to know is that no matter what brought you here, you're welcome here.

 

But when most people get here, they're…you're tired, you're skeptical, you're doubtful. Then you start listening to me. You say, I thought this was a sleep podcast. When are you gonna help me fall asleep? You're talking about words? You're counting syllables, you're misquoting songs. When’s the sleepy stuff start? So, if you're skeptical, you're doubtful, you're frustrated, that’s a pretty normal way to arrive at the show. That’s how I would be if I got here. But, I mean…what do I need to tell you? It does take two or three tries to get used to the show. That’s what just hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of e-mails that I’ve gotten over the…since 2013 have said; yeah, it took a while to get used to what you were…first I didn’t like you, then I didn’t understand the second time, then the third time I just woke up the next day, and I said, for some reason I was thinking about Cybill Shepherd, but I don't know why.

 

So, that’s the…that’s really how the show works. Now, if you find out or you already know that you don’t like me, you don’t like the show, that’s totally okay. It doesn’t change anything I said up to this point. Even if you can’t stand me, you have a strong distaste for me…it’s common, and I have a website set up in that case. I do say just give it a few tries and see how it goes, 'cause you have nothing to lose, but if you already say, nope, I’m done, don’t worry; sleepwithmepodcast.com/nothankyou…you click a couple things on there. It’ll bring you to a list of sleep podcasts and other sleepy audio so you could still find something to help you fall asleep, because that’s important to me. So yeah, check that out. But if you're not sure or whatever, here’s a couple things that does take some getting used to. One, this is a podcast you don’t really listen to, but you can listen to it. You can kinda just barely listen.

 

So, you could listen to it, you could tune me in, tune me out, and…but, yeah, it’s like…it’s something you could just kinda barely listen to. It’s kinda like background noise or a TV on in the other room, a show streaming under your pillow, talking to your roommate or your roommate talking to you and saying, tell me about that. Tell me about sibilance or whatever. Oh, okay. I don’t…can I just talk about words that start with S? Sure, yeah, but I’m gonna fall asleep. I’m not gonna actually listen to you. Or if you have a partner or a friend that would do that or even do it over the phone…but are they available three, four, five nights a week, right? Well, I’m here, yeah. So, it’s kinda like that. It’s someone you're not totally paying attention to, but if…you know they're there to help you out, and you could listen to them if you need to. It’s kinda like a out-of-focus picture or sand passing through your hands. So, that’s one thing.

 

The other thing is this is a sleep podcast that’s been around before sleep podcasts were a thing, but I’m not here to put you to sleep. I’m here to keep you company while you fall asleep, to be your friend in the deep, dark night, to be here, 'cause there’s people listening who can’t sleep at all or people who need a break during the day and they need something mild to listen to while they're working, or they just need a friend in the deep, dark night. So, I’m here to be here to the very end of the show. There’s no pressure to fall asleep. That’s why the episodes are over an hour. My job is to be your bore-friend, your bore-bae, your bore-sib, your bore-bud, your neigh-bore, your bore-bie, your boreman, your Boris Borelaf, your bore-bor, your chairman of the boreds, your best bore-friend f’eva, and just keep you company and take your mind off of stuff so you could listen whenever you want. So, that’s what I’m here to do, right?

 

And I’m here to keep you company and take your mind off stuff. So, that’s the job of the bore-friend, to be here for you. So, those two things…the only other thing I like to explain in the intros to meet you where you are if you're new is to explain what the structure of the show is, why it’s structured in the way it is, and then how you can adjust as you become a regular listener. So, the show starts off with a greeting; friends beyond the binary, ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, so everybody feels seen and welcomed in. You say, oh, okay, I could check that show out. Then there’s a long, meandering intro after the support…oh, wait, so there’s the intro, then there’s support so that paying for the show is optional for the people that benefit the most, so the people that only listen occasionally, situationally, people that are new, students, people that are having a tough time, the show is available for everybody.

 

It’s not behind a paywall. But that’s because of the people that support the show and support the sponsors. If you don’t like to hear that stuff, you could get ad-free versions on Sleep With Me+. But for a lot of people, they just come and go. They just need the show for a little while, and that’s what’s great. But that’s the support, then separate from the support, totally separate from the support, a show within a show that we're about fifteen, twenty…fifteen minutes into, is the intro. The intro, yeah it takes fifteen to twenty minutes, and it’s me going on and on and on because what I’m here to do is introduce what the podcast is inefficiently but in a similar structure every single intro. But every intro is new so it’s familiar, but every intro is different so it has variety and it’s a little bit unpredictable for whatever parts of us keep us up awake at night that seem, for me, at least, to…once things get predictable, my brain starts to point that out and be like, oh, here come the birds again.

 

Oh, there’s the rain, then it’ll cycle back, you know? So, I’ve found that that’s one of the things that works about the show; it’s familiar but it has variety and consistency. Also, the intro’s the kind of time for everybody to hang out, and a lot of people start winding down during the intro. So, they get ready for bed, they do some sort of chill activity. Even if it’s just looking out the window or doodling or getting in bed getting comfortable, the intro is a buffer between being awake and asleep. If you fall asleep fast, please support the show on Sleep With Me+. Or if you decide you like the show without intros, you just like the stories, you could get those on Sleep With Me+, or in a ad-supported version, listener-supported version on all podcast apps, Bedtime Stories from Sleep With Me. So, you could do…you could try that out or you could use both and make playlists. That’s the great thing about podcasts.

 

But for most people, the intro is a big part of the show 'cause it’s a community part with no pressure, right? A indirect community. What could be better? For people that are a little bit introverted like me…hey, I get to wave at people and smile and tell them I care, but I feel comfortable, too. I just know for me personally, having a wind-down that’s consistent but has some variety is what helps me get the rest I need on a regular basis. So, that’s the intro, then there will be some support again, and then there will be our bedtime story. Tonight, I think it’ll be a bore-to-win-type seminar. I’m not sure. All told, we’ll be here about an hour, and I’m really glad you stopped by the show, whether you're new or a regular listener. This show wouldn’t exist if it didn’t help people out, and it couldn't be here consistently if the people it helped out on a regular basis…on a sustained basis that helped the show back.

 

So, if you're one of those people that have been listening three years, or in the last few months you listened to twenty, thirty, forty episodes, and you say, wow, this podcast changed my relationship with the night, the deep, dark night, please consider supporting the show back, and these are the ways you could be a part of that so that we can yearn and strive to help you and everybody else who’s listening out there get the rest they need on a regular basis. Thanks so much, and goodnight.

 

Alright everybody, Scoots here. This is a special seminar episode, a bore-to-win seminar episode, where I turn things over to Brad Braderson. Brad does these seminars somewhere at a Western Best 6 Motel somewhere out there on the highways and the byways. Brad’s working Brad’s craft. I don't know who…I can’t credit who came up with Brad Braderson. I’d say probably…there’s a good chance it was Tina Fey or Maya Rudolph, but it could be Amy Poehler. I don't know. Maybe it predates them. But I don’t believe…but Brad Braderson is a real being in this case. So, I just gotta pull up Brad’s presentation, if I can ever find it. Oh, bore-to-win…okay, so, here you go. Here’s Brad Braderson with another way to health, wealth, and happiness through boredom.

 

Oh, thanks, Scooter. Yeah, welcome, everybody. Please take your seats. This year we don’t have any pamphlets or outlines as you sit at the conference table. So good to have you here. I’m Brad Braderson, and this is another bore-to-win seminar where we teach you the ways to health, wealth, happiness, love, success, and so many other things through using…what do we say? Boredom and boredom-related techniques. This time we're gonna cover ways you can use them softly and not…less softly, I think. This is called the Bore Bunny method, and we're gonna…I’m gonna run through it here. Now, you know that…those of you that have purchased the actual upgrades, the instructional upgrades, you could receive instructional kits other than this audio. Oh, the recorded audio does not come with the seminar you're attending. It’s part of our VIB Package, Valuable Important Bunny Package, for bore…Valuable Important Bunny Packages.

 

There’s various degrees of that. But I’m gonna walk through and I’m gonna tell you what I’m gonna tell you, then I’m gonna tell you what I’m gonna tell you, and then I’m gonna tell you what I’m gonna tell you again. But we're gonna talk about why boredom is the ultimate strategy to health, wealth, happiness, success, love, power, and the softest and the most loving of ways. You’ll learning timing, using boredom…a way to time your boredom, boredom…a strategic use of boredom, particularly from misdirection, using boredom to turn people that are not your allies into collaborators, or say, well, you're not my ally; I’m gonna move on from you. We’ll even give you a chance…now, you will have to do this in your head, of other questions we could ask you that you may use and how you could apply this, and we’ll even give you some real-world examples.

 

Like I said, this is a two-part class, and I don't know if we’ll cover everything tonight or if it’ll be an add-on, but we're gonna be covering the B…Bore Bunny System, B-U-N-N-Y, and we're gonna run through how the…so, BUNNY is a five-part system, and the first B stands for Boredom. But it’s a ‘boredom’ in quotes. Bring them to the boredom. So, it’s also for B; B for Bunny. B-U-N-N-Y, bore bunny. Use boredom to lead them to you or bring them to the boredom. The way you do that is you let them be interesting. A real-world example would be if you were conducting a seminar not about boredom and using it for health, wealth, and happy…let’s say you…once upon a time, your name was Brian Brianson and you wanted to be the…you thought you had a system to make excitement, palpable excitement, to change the world. Then the people said, this is so boring, Brian. Why don’t you make a seminar about boredom?

 

Then you maybe were moved to tears or to moved to leave the room or to raise your voice or to do all of those repeatedly. Brian Brianson may have done that. But Brad Braderson learned from a past experience that he doesn’t have to do that anymore — neither does Brian Brianson — and Brad learned to ask questions. You could play…I learned this one from Scooter. It’s a technique Scooter leans on so much. Feign…I think it’s feign…do you feign ignorance or do you feign intelligence? You mostly do that with your physical characteristics. So, you could let your jaw go, you soften your eyes, and you stare unknowingly as they say that. Instead of reacting, you become a sponge. If you actually…think about a sponge, and you start to form your face in a sponge way. Your eyes are a sponge, your mouth is a sponge, your entire face is a sponge.

 

Absorb…warm water that’s not hot and not cold, you could absorb it, but you're also…the physical manifestation of that makes them think you know nothing. You could say, oh yeah? Tell me more. Huh. Really? Things like that. Or you could ask them questions. Are you saying I’m boring? Oh. Are you sure you're at the right seminar? Then what you could also do is…another strategy…part of the strategy is you agree with them, even if you don’t. A sponge is absorbing. You say, uh-huh? Oh, huh. And you are curious, but your curiosity makes them curious. You never…this is a passively-active strategy where you don’t…like a sponge…have you heard the thing, you gotta bring a sponge to…? You can’t lead water to a…you gotta bring…lead a sponge to water or…unless it’s a real-life sponge that lives in water. You can’t lead…you gotta…sponges that I know of on land don’t move around.

 

So, you gotta take water to a sponge or a sponge to water. But…you know what I’m saying? So, you gotta let them come to you. You just say, uh-huh, uh-huh, okay. Really? Uh-huh. But just embody the sponge. The sponge is passive, but lo and behold, it’s not passive anymore when it’s absorbing things. It’s life changing…or when you're squeezing it or using it for bathing or cleansing. So, that’s B. Bring it. I guess you could say it’s already been broughten, or let them bring it to you, the boredom. I guess it could have been…it should be…be a sponge. There you go. BUNNY; be a sponge, but not…you're not actually absorbing…be like a sponge. Instead of singing ‘I’m like a bird’, sing ‘I’m like a sponge’. My mouth and my eyes are Os. I want to absorb away, and I’m soft, except when I’m…I have no moisture within me at all; then I’m hard. But what you're saying to me…I’m absorbing.

 

Now, I guess in the other thing, it’s like…you could say, 'cause I’m gonna squeeze this…I’m gonna squeeze out the water all over your head later, all that negative water you're bringing at me. So, I want you to think about that and think about a situation where feelings, strong feelings, regularly increase and…it grows, you know, and think about how you could be a sponge. You could let them make the first move as you're…how could you be sponge-like in your next situation you're faced with that’s not pleasant? But remember, the sponge only seems passive. It's not passive at all, this sponge, this figurative sponge. Okay, next up is the U of BUNNY, right? U, the U, letter U, but you are who we're talking about, obviously, but that would be Y. That would be at the end of BUNNY. For now, we're using the letter U, and it’s…Under is the U. Under, get under, undermine, under, under, under.

 

We're using…we're gonna use a playful attitude like toys under a bed. You say, I’m gonna break out these toys from under the bed with…and I’m gonna play. What do I do with toys? I play with them. So, this could be…some examples could be using humor or lightheartedness to diffuse tension or sarcasm. You could repeat their words back to them but in a playful way. Really? This is the most boring…this seminar has nothing exciting in it at all. You seem pretty excited about the lack of excitement here. That’s what Brian Brianson could have done, but he doesn’t need to anymore because he’s changed. He’s kept the peace. But he’s so much more now. B-R-A-D…B-R-I-A-N. So, yeah, it’s not just removing letters; it’s also adding them in. Now, this…now remember, nobody’s perfect that’s working these methods, right?

 

But you do want to do this from a place…ideally as you become more…as your esteem grows from estimable acts, you may be…become more esteemed. But there are times you may use this out of passive-aggressiveness, or your smile may have a sourness to it, and that’s okay. But remember, your goal is to do this in a way that is additive to the world but also respectful to yourself and stuff. I guess in this…to get into this situation with Brian, I was…a lot of the examples I did write down were more negative. But as I’m sharing it with all of you, I’m thinking Brian could say something like, huh, what are some ways you would make this more exciting, this seminar you say is so boring? What are some things you could…can you tell me some examples, or could I come back to you? Is that okay if I come back to you? Do you have any examples of…? Well, yeah, there was the launch of the iPhone.

 

Oh wow, you were at the launch of the…? No, but they go, one last thing. Oh, okay. What’s the most exciting part about that? I don’t…so…oh, okay. Oh, thank you. Thanks. And if you think of any other examples, get back to me. But can you see what happened there? As long as we're…our goal is to diffuse it. But notice how that person, they kinda…now, some people will…you say, oh, okay. So, one last thing…okay, let me write that down. You could pull a Scooter; oh, huh, interesting. One last thing…okay. What’s the most important part of that, the thing, the lead-up, or the middle part, or the fact that it was Steve Jobs or…? You say, which…? Okay, interesting. You don’t know. Huh. That’s…that means it’s even more powerful if you can’t put your finger on it. Curious. You could do a little bit of a member of Starfleet; curious. None of us know what’s the most exciting part about one more thing. Is that what they say?

 

Or do they say, one last thing? Or, oh, we forgot? Also, we got this iPhone here, by the way. So, that’s you; under, playful, playful, toys under the bed. You're gonna get under there, you're…you're using play, though, to go under their hot breath. We're gonna use humor instead of aggression. We may take…if they're saying stuff like…we may amplify it. If they're saying, Brian, I want a full refund, well, maybe I should just refund everybody. I mean, maybe that’s…if I can’t afford to do it, I wouldn’t have done it, but…I did do that. But maybe I should just refund everybody in the history of…I mean, I could refund everybody for this whole thing if it’s the most…but should we call the Guiness Book? Again, notice the tonality difference. When Brian would say stuff like that, he was…he hadn’t gone through many of these seminars or taught many of these seminars, so he wasn’t in a place of…not self-actualization, but a more boring state than that.

 

You say, yeah, maybe…if this is…do you think…? I mean, 'cause it would be terrible if this was the second-most-boring seminar on earth. But, I don't know, do they give seconds…? Stay curious. Do they give second place in Guiness Book? I don't know. Do you have…is that an app on your phone? Do you have the number for Guiness Book? Is it still a book? You say, no, really, if this is the world’s worst seminar, I’d like to…can we get the top ten? Let’s take a break. So, yeah, that’s how we do it. We could be absurd, right? The more…it is…'cause the thing is, if we're all in the world doing our best and that mechanism within us or within some other people is so flustered and frustrated, it is absurd if you're like, well, I’m just doing my best to make a seminar. It didn’t…I mean, I did…I know it is titled The Most Rockinest Seminar Ever to Rock the World, and there’s no…I mean, they have rock music playing in-between my slides, but it’s not about rock, and it wasn’t exactly exciting.

 

But I’m just doing my best, and now you're kind of behaving absurd. You don’t say that out loud, though. But you say, yeah, there’s no rock in this rocking. Don’t come a-rocking at this…yes, this isn’t a rock…yeah, I get it. So, I guess that’s one thing. But I want you to think about ways you can use humorous redirection for common challenges you face. For example, this…and this happened, actually, to Scooter. This is a honest-to-goodness, real-world example, and we won’t give the details, but this actually, really happened. Someone said outside of the podcast to IRL Scooter…they said to Scooter, that sounds like a terrible idea. Scooter was in this similar state. He said, huh, you think that’s a terrible idea? Yeah, why would you do that? It doesn’t sound…it just doesn't make any sense at all. Scooter said, doesn’t make any sense at all? Then he said, I guess you're right. It doesn’t make any sense at all. Then he changed his plans. But so, in that case, the misdirection was actually to his reactivity versus this person’s…'cause sometimes with Scooter, for example, what he perceives as aggression is not aggression at all.

 

Alright, but it’s time for the first N in BUNNY, right, and that’s Navigation. Navigating soft spots. It’s time to navigate the soft spots. So, what is a person’s soft spot? Do you know what it is? Do they want to be in control? You could…if they want to be in control, put them in control of something. Maybe there’s a big decision or a series of medium…would you prefer to be in charge of one big decision or a series of middle-weight decisions? I’ll work on the unimportant stuff. Or do you want to work on the unimportant stuff or the big decision…I mean, big decision…we need somebody to make that. It’s not ready yet. Medium decisions or…the grind, man. I’m happy to give you the grind, for sure. I’m not…they say, okay, give me the grind. Okay, there’s…we need new TP. We gotta go get some TP for the bathrooms. Oh no, middle decisions…oh, okay. Do you have…how good are you at math and spreadsheets? Okay, great. Can you get those ready? What do you think you're best at? Okay, well, let me see. So, what’s driving their behavior? How can we find that out? Then you let them go after that. You're not here to resist. You're here to redirect their energy, to navigate them around you while you navigate around them. Navigation.

 

Next step is the second N, Neutralize. Neutralize. We're gonna redirect and use…these are all boring things, obviously, of ways we're using boredom. Neutralize with redirection. Is there a way you could pivot instead of pushing? So, for an example, it would be an interpersonal discussion. What about a question to reframe things? Okay, well, if we were talking to another couple and they were telling us this, is there a way we would…could help them? Or if this was…what if Brian Brianson and his beloved Larry Laurelson were not getting along and they were having the same issue, that Brian wanted more excitement in his life? And Larry said, well, everything’s just great. What advice would we give them? So, that’s something. Neutralize and redirect. Step aside emotionally or physically. Introduce a new element, a new frame that my notes came up with. I don't know what that means. Let their energy bounce off of you.

 

Which is kinda like a sponge. Like, you know, a sponge can absorb, but if it was sound waves, it also probably redirects some of them. So, I want you think if you're working along with us, what are some phrases…? And if you have them and you can provide them to me, that would be excellent, too. What are some phrases you could use to change the direction of a conversation that’s not going well? Well, let’s see, if it was someone else, how would we help them? Oh, if you had a sibling or…what would you say to your younger self about this? That is one…a good way to look at things, and here’s how I’m looking at it, too. B-U-N-N-Y. The Y is for yielding. We're gonna yield. We're gonna yield the moment and give it away, let them take whatever they need. You could let…if it’s a meeting, let them…be the…it’s not about being the bigger person, but it’s like, oh, okay…but so, if someone took the credit, be like, yeah, yeah, I’m really glad I was part of a team.

 

We really worked that out. I got to work on these specific parts of it, and I’m happy the project was a success. If it’s…especially if it’s superficial, let them have the win. What do we need it…? We're here for the lasting narrative. Boredom endures because people forget about it, and we could always use silence to…in that sponge-like nature to just make people be like, I don’t even under…this person, they're so…'cause they’ll never…no one’s ever…this is the first…I believe this is the first seminar to ever…not anthropomorphize sponges; that’s been done so many times, but to talk about how we could personify figurative sponge things in a boring way to change our lives for health, wealth, happiness, and more. So, yielded…and we can create a sponge-like mystique. Think about a time where you felt like you lost, quote, unquote.

 

How could you use BUNNY to rewrite…or how would you rewrite the story where there’s…do you do things with grace but there’s some sort of humorous pivot? And think about that. Alright, we're gonna run through some more examples here that I’ve prepared for everyone. Oh no, I have the second half of…it looks like my notes are…now we're gonna have the second part of this, because I’m doing what I just proposed right in the middle of the seminar. I am flipping the script. Now we're gonna look at things and do an entirely new method from the other side, from the person who is…who’s testing your patience…we're gonna become the patience…the tester of patience instead of the person’s patience being tested. Because everybody’s the hero of their own story, right? We're not…everybody’s doing their best, even the people who, in Brian Brianson’s world, you say, whoa, you're a real Not Nicer Nicerson, and holy cow, you're really a Meany Meanyson, a Mr. Mean or whatever.

 

You were not nice to Mr. Green Jeans, Mr. Mean Jeans. Just because both of you have ‘Jeans’ in your name does not give you the right to tell him his green jeans are, by definition, not jeans at all. Who…so, the…sorry, I got distracted there. But yeah, we're gonna look at stuff from Mr. Mean Jeans’ perspective. I guess I was trying to think of a soft way for a name. Mr. Mean Jeans…Jean Mean Jeans is the name, and you could figure out my game. I’m gonna be the representative against the sponge, the bunny…bore bunny sponge. I’m Jean Mean Jeans, esquire. I don’t know what esquire…the…esquire the III and IV or just call me Jean Mean Jeans. Please always call me Jean Mean Jeans.

 

Alright, so, we're gonna talk about my strategies here, because this is my strategy for outsmarting tricksters like Scooter and gaining control of the story where I’m portrayed as if Mean Jeans are a bad thing. It’s just my name. Don’t wear it out. Our philosophy is to control the stage before the trickster rewrites the play. I’m gonna have purpose, I’m gonna be loud, I’m gonna be quick with my planning, and smarter than they expect. I won’t let your tricky boredom control me, Brian Brianson. Because we did BUNNY, we’re gonna call this one FUDDY, F-U-D-D-Y, in honor of Elmer Fudd, who was Bugs Bunny’s foil. We're not just gonna be talking about Elmer Fudd; we're just using Elmer Fudd as…because…you may call me a foil. Mean Jeans is no foil of yours. So, one of the things for Fudd is…FUDDY, FUDDY, F-U-D-D-Y. B-U-N-N-Y? F-U-D-D-Y. BUNNY; FUDDY. Buddy, I’m Jean Mean Jeans, and the thing is…FIRST; F is for First.

 

Frame it first, though. The only way to stop the trickster from taking over the story is to be there first. There’s a couple things. First within…we don’t want them to know…maybe I say I’m Jean Mean Jeans. I’m Jean Mean Jeans, Jean Mean Jeans. They say, what? Oh, nice to meet…yeah, nice to meet you, too. So, they don’t hear I’m Mean Jeans and say, were you named…? Which came first, your name or your attitude? Hey, I’m Jean Mean Jeans. Great to meet you. Great to meet you. I’m Jean Mean Jeans. Sorry, what was your name? Jean, Jean Mean Jeans. Yep, nice to meet you. Megees? Oh yeah, it’s…so, yeah, I’m here about the…and then we're gonna try to…so, we're keeping our intentions undercover, we're being kind to shape the story, and set the tone. The tone? Hey, everybody’s a cutesie here. We're gonna be prepared for anything, because it’s gonna be chaotic. Then what we’ll do is lay out our plan.

 

Like, we’ll be…we’ll use their same technique, but we’ll be a confident foil out loud. So, we’ll lay out our plan. Oh boy, once they say, no, you're not Jean Mean Jean. You're Jean Mean Jeans. You're the one who ran that campaign against Mr. Green Jeans, saying jeans are blue. I’d say, yes, I am Jean Mean Jeans, the one who ran the campaign about jeans are blue. Yeah, I’m working on a new campaign, blue without blue jeans. Then you'll lay out a fake important detail that your trickster could try to think…and be like, well…whatever it is. Use their confidence and their ability against them, 'cause we're setting a little surprise for them. We want to have them follow a false narrative and then…thing…so, we could say…I don't know what it would be in that case. But I guess I’d say something like, oh yeah, I got my secret plan right in my pockets here about how we're gonna…it’s a total secret.

 

The only way to get it is to get out of my pocket and then maybe…I don't know, maybe we have something in the…our pocket that helps us catch them, or what…I don’t have a good example. But we want to be there first, obviously, because…and we want to frame things in a way that they think they can reframe it, but they're reframing it in the way we want them to. That’s FUDDY. I guess…yeah, and then U. Use disruption wisely is U. U, not Y-O-U. Because we sometimes are the ones that are using…we're not using things softly, right? We're using things strongly and loudly. But now we're gonna change our rhythm to change the trickster’s rhythm. So, you can play the foil, but when you know you're playing the foil, you may have an opportunity. You're pausing and you're going slow. Maybe you're faking that you're gonna…if they're gonna redirect your energy, fake that you're presenting your energy and then see what they do, and then they’ll be a little bit off-balance.

 

If they dress up in a way to trick you, right, like…for Elmer Fudd’s some other female Fudd-like character…and you’d say, wow, that’s the best Fudd-like character outfit I’ve ever seen, Bugs. Where did you get that? Don’t lose control, right? Have intentiality. D…F-U…D is Double Down. We're gonna stay on mission. Double down on our goal. They are switching things around. We're staying focused. They're trying to misdirect us. We're staying focused. We're concentrating. We're planning all the way. We don’t want to get distracted by Bugs dressing up like Fadina or whatever, and we're not gonna try to catch right away. We're gonna play…we're gonna slow it down, because we're focused on our goal. We don’t need to catch the rabbit right away, the bunny, because he’s a trickster bunny. He's not to be caught, anyway. Maybe I’m not here to catch you at all. Maybe I’m just out for a stroll in the forest.

 

We don’t have to respond, either. They're trying to get a response out of us. What do you mean, you don’t love Mr. Green Jeans? I mean, most…I’d say, I don’t even know who Mr. Green Jeans is, to be honest with you. I’m Jean Mean Jeans. No, I’m not Mr. Green Jeans. Campaign against Mr. Green Jeans? No, I’m Jean Mean Jean. Mr. Green Jeans, could you tell me more about who this Mr. Green Jeans is? Does he wear green jeans? Is he a current figure or is this somebody that’s from Scooter’s time? I mean, that doesn’t make him less relevant. Tell me what your favorite characteristics about Mr. Green Jeans are. Well, I don't know why I’d be against somebody like that. It doesn’t…I’m not even not speaking the truth. You know what I’m saying? But my goal…if my goal…if Jean Mean Jeans’ goal is to…he has something against Mr…maybe he just has a thing against green jeans. I guess he’d have to decide. What is Jean Mean Jeans’ goal? The end of green jeans? Scooter once had a pair of green jeans, and I bet you he ran across somebody like Jean Mean Jeans.

 

Our second D is Dizarm. Dizarm; that’s with a Z, of course. We’re going to disarm their misdirection. They want us to overreact. They want us to react and overreact. We’ll give them no reaction at all. Huh, you just say that Mr. Green Jeans has become the most popular jeans-wearer in the world. Interesting. Okay. What is your favorite thing about Mr. Green Jeans again? Again, what’s their soft spot, and can we figure out what they're up to? Then if they're gonna try something tricky on us, we’ll plan for them…plan for the trickster tricking you, obviously. Then you'll also be ready if they say, well, I’ll just behave conventionally, then. Be like, okay. Could you tell me how they're called blue jeans? But you're saying green jeans is still a thing. I guess, yeah, blue jeans…it doesn’t say jeans. But most people, when they refer to jeans…I mean…so, I guess that wasn’t the best example, either. Here’s the thing; remember, our skills are not an improvisation. Tricksters are improvisers. We're not. So, don’t try to improvise. We're gonna stick to the plan. I mean, our plan can be adjusted.

 

We're gonna use another strategy for Y, which is Yield the Spotlight. Yield the stage. There’s nothing these tricksters love more than being right, to being better, than being like…the stealer of the show. They say, I’m not the star of the show. I’m the one that steals the show, or I’m the star or I’m both. We're not the sidekick. We're the willing foil. We're the foil who’s using our foiling for what we want. So, yeah, we're setting them up…we're the setbacks that set up for a comeback. ‘Cause people want to believe in something. You could say, well, I’m not against green jeans or Mr. Green Jeans at all. I’m just confused, right? My name is Jean Mean Jeans. In my head, when I say ‘jeans’, I picture blue jeans. That’s all I’m hearing. Just…I’m just mixed up. I don't know why you're not being nice to me. That’s another thing. You're making a lot of jokes at my expense, huh? We're not here to be the trickster. We're not here to…we're here to let them think they're win…oh, wow, yeah, that really does hurt my feelings, saying you put the mean in Jean Mean Jeans and not the jeans or the jean. I say, well, my name’s Jean Mean Jeans. Huh. Do you have a nickname for me that’s…? Oh, that’s not nice, either. We want them and everyone else to think that they're winning and we're losing, but we're working on something.

 

Now let’s talk about some mistakes that maybe I even made in this presentation. What if you get too caught up in the technicalities or the rules, right? Like, you just have witnessed me over and over again stumble over the definition of jeans. One strategy would be to subvert expectations. So, in that case, I could say, I’m not wearing any…Jean Mean Jeans doesn’t wear jeans at all. Or you could say, as a matter of fact, I got myself a pair of pink jeans and a pair of cream jeans. I mean, I bleached them. They were blue jeans; now they're cream jeans. I’ve never even heard that phrase before, but it sounds nice. Jean Mean Jeans doesn’t wear jeans at all. What does Jean Mean Jeans…? I don't know. Did you just ask me if those were Bugle Boy jeans I’m wearing? No, Jean Mean Jeans doesn’t wear jeans at all. So, instead of getting caught up in the definition of jeans, even if that’s our goal, don’t get caught up in the definition of jeans.

 

Another thing is just total overreaction, going to that level where our ears are steaming and not thinking. Instead, make them think that we're reactive when we're not, and feign reactivity to see what they do, and then pause and see what happens, if they lose their balance. Third one is that our…sometimes when you say, I’m Jean Mean Jeans, it has an ego to it, right? I’m gonna be first. I got the best plan. I know what jeans are. We don’t learn from our mistakes 'cause we're not aware we make mistakes. So, here’s a thing, is to say, even if this is intentional and being fake, to say, oh, you know what? I give up on…it sounds like Mr. Green Jeans…is it Mr. Green Jeans? He’s just too popular, and I was wrong all along about my whole identity. Maybe now is when…and why I said earlier I stopped wearing jeans. You're right and I’m wrong. Then see what happens. Now, let’s do a little workshopping here.

 

Now, think of a time when you…there was someone that was clever or playful at your expense. How did you react or avoid…in an avoidant way that was…didn’t work out for you, and what was the emotion behind it? F-E-A-R, overconfidence, desire? Now, think about it, and go ahead and flush it out, and then rewrite it. What would you…feelings would you be more accepting of? Where would you pause? Now, think about this and think about if they use some other tactics, you know, someone you encounter regularly, like Elmer Fudd and Bugs. What are the things he usually uses against you, Elmer, if it is? Are you part of the Elmer Glue fortune, Elmer? Is…those two things related at all? No? Okay. ‘Cause you could prepare it ahead of time and actually reward Bugs for the things he commonly does. But in the end, the reward also comes with your victory. Another idea is creative storytelling for brainstorming.

 

So, think about the beginning, middle, and end, or follow Dan Harmon’s Story Structure, where you need…where in the first half of the circle, maybe even towards the first quarter of the circle, the trickster is the one winning. So, it’s you; you're up against the trickster, right? But how is the trickster winning, and then how can you use those wins to let you win in the other side? So, it’s almost like you're preplanning your early defeats against this trickster. Remember, here’s foils…we're here to be a part of the frame, to not react, to not avoid, to not chase, but redirect. Do not improvise but plan and pause. We don’t need the punchline. We don’t need to tell the jokes. We're the creator of the stage. Our final thoughts here is with this…this is the FUDDY system, is…the best trick is letting them think it was theirs. Let them think they're flipping the script around you, but you're really building a world that has a flip built into it.

 

Let them tell the jokes. You're writing the closing scene. Yeah, that’s…so, those are the two systems I’ve been working on here for using boredom. I think I may have even drifted off there. It was funny. But that’s a BUNNY and FUDDY, two ways you could use boredom for health, wealth, happiness, success, love…success, health, wealth, happiness, and more. The BUNNY and the FUDDY systems; now available for you to use always. Thanks, and goodnight, everybody.

 

[End of recording]

Transcription performed by LeahTranscribes

Trending Tuesday

 

History of Syllables

https://www.oxfordbibliographies.com/display/document/obo-9780199772810/obo-9780199772810-0084.xml

https://www.theguardian.com/education/2014/jun/25/english-do-syllables-exist-linguists

https://escholarship.org/uc/item/2x99m0nb

 

One Last Thing / Apple Announcements

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/science/a-timeline-of-apples-most-influential-product-announcements

https://www.theverge.com/2013/10/21/4852132/history-of-apple-event-invitations-and-hints

https://meetings.skift.com/2016/09/07/evolution-of-apple-events/

 

Comedy Double Acts

https://comedydissertation.wordpress.com/2013/05/05/an-introduction-to-double-acts-the-foundations-of-the-comedy-duo/

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3yRfqpDg03bbxNd4djw3Q5F/are-these-the-greatest-comedy-double-acts-of-all-time

https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2018/jan/27/fame-toxic-for-relationship-when-comedy-double-acts-go-sour

 

Why are jeans blue?

https://lydenim.com/beyond-blue-when-did-denim-get-colorful-plus-fading-differences-materials-explained/

https://www.rd.com/article/why-is-denim-blue/

https://www.dalstonmillfabrics.co.uk/fabric-blog/something-for-everyone-the-different-types-of-denim?srsltid=AfmBOorZb8EFeR4L4vOQRXrJWeU7SjpAoVFJjLGYlEth8k01GlLXWFaY

 

DOWN TO BUSINESS

A boring seminar about boredom

Coming at you like a lulling horsey

What’s cuter? Horsey or horse?

Remembering my childhood horsey

I loved bouncing up and down on that plastic horse with springs

That horsey was probably bought at a secondhand store

But it wasn’t a raspberry horsé

 

PLUGS

Sleep With Me Plus; SleepPhones; Story Only Feed; Rusty Biscuit Links; Emily Tat Artwork; Crisis Textline; Referral Program

 

SPONSORS

Helix Sleep; Zocdoc

 

INTRO

I’m particularly having trouble waking up early right now

Troubles with anticipating sleeplessness

I think we have some sort of connection

A shared sensibility

I’m hoping to make things a little bit more pleasant

Listeners around the world are rooting for you right now

At least this podcast guy isn’t too bad

I double back and I have trouble putting words together

What’s a syllable anyway?

How many syllables does syllable have?

I can’t help but do this to myself

sleepwithmepodcast.com/nothankyou

You can give this a few tries, if you feel like it

Just barely listen to me

Like an out of focus picture or sand passing through your hands

A friend in the deep dark night

I’m just here to be your best bore friend 4 eva

Explaining the show structure

A long, meandering intro

A lot of people just need the show for a little while

Every intro is familiar but has variety

And there’s consistency

Indirect Community, what could be better?

Tonight will be a Bore To Win seminar

 

STORY

Turning things over to Brad Braderson

Somewhere at a Western Best 6 Motel

Brad is working Brad’s craft

Who made up Brad Braderson?

Maybe Tina Fey, Maya Rudolph, or Amy Poehler

So here’s Brad

Welcome everyone

There’s no pamphlets or outlines this year

Another Bore to Win Seminar

Success through Boredom-Related Techniques

Using it softly and less softly

The Bore Bunny Method

Valuable Important Bunny package (VIB)

We’re gonna talk about why boredom is the ultimate strategy

Strategic Uses of Boredom

The Bore Bunny System

B.U.N.N.Y.

B for Boredom

Use boredom to lead them to you

Let them be interesting

Let’s imagine you were a boring person named…Bryan Bryanson

Learn to ask questions

Fein ignorance. Or is it knowledge?

Soften your eyes and stare unknowingly

Become like a sponge with your whole face

Your curiosity makes them curious

You can’t lead a sponge to water

Or I guess you can, but you’ve got to bring water to it

Embody the Sponge

B – it’s already been broughten

How can you be spongelike in your next unpleasant situation?

Remember, the sponge only seems passive

Next up: U

U is for Under…

A playful attitude, like toys from under the bed

Using humor or lightheartedness to diffuse tension

As your esteem grows, your smile may still have a sourness occasionally, but that’s okay

What would Bryan Bryanson do…

Remember “One last thing” from those iPhone launches?

What’s the most surprising thing about “One last thing”

Using humor instead of aggression

Does the Guinness book keep track of 2nd places?

The Most Rockingest Seminar Ever To Rock The World

Humorous Redirection for Common Challenges You Face

An honest to goodness example from Scooter’s real life

A series of middleweight decisions

Give me the grind

What’s driving their behavior? Let them go after that

We’re here to redirect energy, not resist it

N – Navigation

Send N – Neutralize

Pivot instead of push

Bryan and Larry were in conflict

Neutralize and redirect

Step aside emotionally or physically

Let their energy bounce off of you

What phrases can change the direction of a conversation that’s not going well?

Imagine you’re talking to a younger sibling

Y – Yield the moment

We’re here for the lasting narrative

Creating a sponge-like mystique

How could you use BUNNY when you feel lost?

A graceful, humorous pivot

Here’s some more examples for everyone

Oh wait, nevermind, this is the 2nd part

Now, I’m flipping the script

Now let’s look at a new method

Now we’ll become the Tester of Patience

Everyone is the hero of their own story

Sorry, I just got distracted

Looking at the POV of Mr. Mean Jeans

Gene Mean Jeans is the name

Strategies for outsmarting tricksters

Control the stage before the trickster rewrites the play

This one is called FUDDY

In honor of Elmer Fudd

F – Frame it first

Be there first so they can’t take over the story

Set the tone

Prepare for the coming chaos

Lay out your plan and be a confident foil

Lay out a fake important detail for the trickster to focus on

Mentioning a fake secret plan in your pocket

U – Use disruption wisely

Fake present your energy so they can’t actually redirect it

Female Fudd Like Character

D – Double down and stay on mission

Don’t worry about catching the bunny

Wait a second, who’s Mr. Green Jeans? Is he Mr. Mean Jeans in disguise?

What is Gean Mean Jeans goal?

D – Dizarm 

Disarm their misdirection

Plan for the trickster tricking you, of course

Remember, we’re not improvisers like tricksters

We have to develop a plan

Y – yield the spotlight and stage

Tricksters love to be the stealer of the show

We’re the willing foil

I’m not really against green jeans

You put the mean in Gene Mean Jeans

We want them all to think they’re winning

One strategy – subvert expectations

Don’t get caught up in the definition of jeans

Don’t get to the ear-steaming level

Feign reactivity to see what they do

Gene Mean Jeans doesn’t wear jeans

How did you react or avoid someone who was clever at your expense?

How did you react?

Think about it and rewrite it

Elmer Fudd, are you the heir of the Elmer Glue fortune?

Creative storytelling for brainstorming

Or follow Dan Harmon’s story circle

Preplan your early defeats

Redirect, plan, and pause

We don’t need to say the punchline

The best trick is letting them think it was theirs

They tell the jokes, you write the closing scene

I think I even went off during that

The Bunny and Fuddy systems are now available

Thanks and goodnight

 

SUMMARY:

Episode: 1414

Title: Bore Bunny Method | Bore To Win

Plugs: Sleep With Me Plus; SleepPhones; Story Only Feed; Rusty Biscuit Links; Emily Tat Artwork; Crisis Textline; Referral Program

Sponsors: Helix Sleep; Zocdoc

Notable Language:

• Raspberry Horsé
• Shared Sensibility
• Syllable
• Best Bore Friend 4 Eva
• Indirect Community
• Valuable Important Bunny (VIB)
• Strategic Uses of Boredom
• The Bore Bunny System
• Sponge
• Embody the Sponge
• The Most Rockingest Seminar Ever To Rock The World
• Not Nicer Nicerson
• Gene Mean Jeans
• Fuddy
• Female Fudd Like Character
• Mr. Green Jeans
• Gene Mean Jeans
• F-E-A-R

 

Notable Culture:

• “Raspberry Beret” – Prince
• Cybil Shepard
• sleepwithmepodcast.com/nothankyou
• Tina Fey
• Maya Rudolph
• Amy Poehler
• Best Western
• Motel 6
• iPhone
• Apple
• Steve Jobs
• The Most Rockingest Seminar Ever To Rock The World
• A not nicer nicerson
• Bugs Bunny
• Elmer Fudd
• Elmer Glue
• Dan Harmon

 

Notable Talking Points:

• I’m particularly having trouble waking up early right now
• Troubles with anticipating sleeplessness
• I think we have some sort of connection
• A shared sensibility
• I’m hoping to make things a little bit more pleasant
• Listeners around the world are rooting for you right now
• At least this podcast guy isn’t too bad
• I double back and I have trouble putting words together
• What’s a syllable anyway?
• How many syllables does syllable have?
• I can’t help but do this to myself
• sleepwithmepodcast.com/nothankyou
• You can give this a few tries, if you feel like it
• Just barely listen to me
• Like an out of focus picture or sand passing through your hands
• A friend in the deep dark night
• I’m just here to be your best bore friend 4 eva
• Explaining the show structure
• A long, meandering intro
• A lot of people just need the show for a little while
• Every intro is familiar but has variety
• And there’s consistency
• Indirect Community, what could be better?
• Tonight will be a Bore To Win seminar
• Turning things over to Brad Braderson
• Somewhere at a Western Best 6 Motel
• Brad is working Brad’s craft
• Who made up Brad Braderson?
• Maybe Tina Fey, Maya Rudolph, or Amy Poehler
• So here’s Brad
• Welcome everyone
• There’s no pamphlets or outlines this year
• Another Bore to Win Seminar
• Success through Boredom-Related Techniques
• Using it softly and less softly
• The Bore Bunny Method
• Valuable Important Bunny package (VIB)
• We’re gonna talk about why boredom is the ultimate strategy
• Strategic Uses of Boredom
• The Bore Bunny System
• B.U.N.N.Y.
• B for Boredom
• Use boredom to lead them to you
• Let them be interesting
• Let’s imagine you were a boring person named…Bryan Bryanson
• Learn to ask questions
• Fein ignorance. Or is it knowledge?
• Soften your eyes and stare unknowingly
• Become like a sponge with your whole face
• Your curiosity makes them curious
• You can’t lead a sponge to water
• Or I guess you can, but you’ve got to bring water to it
• Embody the Sponge
• B – it’s already been broughten
• How can you be spongelike in your next unpleasant situation?
• Remember, the sponge only seems passive
• Next up: U
• U is for Under…
• A playful attitude, like toys from under the bed
• Using humor or lightheartedness to diffuse tension
• As your esteem grows, your smile may still have a sourness occasionally, but that’s okay
• What would Bryan Bryanson do…
• Remember “One last thing” from those iPhone launches?
• What’s the most surprising thing about “One last thing”
• Using humor instead of aggression
• Does the Guinness book keep track of 2nd places?
• The Most Rockingest Seminar Ever To Rock The World
• Humorous Redirection for Common Challenges You Face
• An honest to goodness example from Scooter’s real life
• A series of middleweight decisions
• Give me the grind
• What’s driving their behavior? Let them go after that
• We’re here to redirect energy, not resist it
• N – Navigation
• Send N – Neutralize
• Pivot instead of push
• Bryan and Larry were in conflict
• Neutralize and redirect
• Step aside emotionally or physically
• Let their energy bounce off of you
• What phrases can change the direction of a conversation that’s not going well?
• Imagine you’re talking to a younger sibling
• Y – Yield the moment
• We’re here for the lasting narrative
• Creating a sponge-like mystique
• How could you use BUNNY when you feel lost?
• A graceful, humorous pivot
• Here’s some more examples for everyone
• Oh wait, nevermind, this is the 2nd part
• Now, I’m flipping the script
• Now let’s look at a new method
• Now we’ll become the Tester of Patience
• Everyone is the hero of their own story
• Sorry, I just got distracted
• Looking at the POV of Mr. Mean Jeans
• Gene Mean Jeans is the name
• Strategies for outsmarting tricksters
• Control the stage before the trickster rewrites the play
• This one is called FUDDY
• In honor of Elmer Fudd
• F – Frame it first
• Be there first so they can’t take over the story
• Set the tone
• Prepare for the coming chaos
• Lay out your plan and be a confident foil
• Lay out a fake important detail for the trickster to focus on
• Mentioning a fake secret plan in your pocket
• U – Use disruption wisely
• Fake present your energy so they can’t actually redirect it
• Female Fudd Like Character
• D – Double down and stay on mission
• Don’t worry about catching the bunny
• Wait a second, who’s Mr. Green Jeans? Is he Mr. Mean Jeans in disguise?
• What is Gean Mean Jeans goal?
• D – Dizarm 
• Disarm their misdirection
• Plan for the trickster tricking you, of course
• Remember, we’re not improvisers like tricksters
• We have to develop a plan
• Y – yield the spotlight and stage
• Tricksters love to be the stealer of the show
• We’re the willing foil
• I’m not really against green jeans
• You put the mean in Gene Mean Jeans
• We want them all to think they’re winning
• One strategy – subvert expectations
• Don’t get caught up in the definition of jeans
• Don’t get to the ear-steaming level
• Feign reactivity to see what they do
• Gene Mean Jeans doesn’t wear jeans
• How did you react or avoid someone who was clever at your expense?
• How did you react?
• Think about it and rewrite it
• Elmer Fudd, are you the heir of the Elmer Glue fortune?
• Creative storytelling for brainstorming
• Or follow Dan Harmon’s story circle
• Preplan your early defeats
• Redirect, plan, and pause
• We don’t need to say the punchline
• The best trick is letting them think it was theirs
• They tell the jokes, you write the closing scene
• I think I even went off during that
• The Bunny and Fuddy systems are now available
• Thanks and goodnight