Working on my last post on Wu-Tang prompted me to open all 36 chambers. 11 tracks in, on Tearz, everything came into focus - specificity makes stories shine.

Four on the floor beats will make you move. Beauty and authenticity will create a mood. But details, those descriptive facts, features and attributes make the difference between a sad song and a song you cry over.

Notorious B.I.G’s “Warning” is a lesson in specificity and storytelling.

Who the fuck is this? Paging me at 5:46
In the morning, crack of dawn and
Now I'm yawning, wipe the cold out my eye
See who's this paging me and why?
It's my n^##@, Pop, from the barbershop
Told me he was in the gambling spot and heard the intricate plot

Biggie outlines characters, the setting, the plot, the conflict, and the resolution in detail so the listener is transported and sees with Big’s eyes. It takes hold of me because it is specific.

Listening holds a mirror up to what’s wrong with the way many tell brand, product and project stories. Many stories found in powerpoint decks and brand guidelines lack any animating details and are full of careless and ambiguous words like male millennial, authentic, premium, strategy and agile that have been used so much they are worn thin, holding no value or meaning.

Here’s the Warning - Your stories need to tap into specificity if you want them to stick.

1. Anchor the situation, conflict and resolution in tangible truths -

   • Use people’s names - Pop from the barbershop

   • Speak to unique provenance - Brownsville

   • Use palpable and evocative human emotion - I bring pain, bloodstains

2. Make the language relatable -

   • Everyone knows what wiping cold out the eye is. They’ve done it and can imagine it. It is conversational language, making it easier to absorb.

   • Conversely - “elevating authenticity” means nothing. It lacks soul and meaning.

3. Clearly defined endings are memorable -

   • Ambiguity is unkind and ineffective. Don’t fade to black and leave your listener wondering what happened.

   • A good story has a specific ending you can easily recall. Close with the red dot.