2622 - How to Save a Spot in Someone's Mind for Your Story

Added: 2026-05-25

[00:00:00]Hi, Michelle. How are you today?  I'm good. Lindsay. Lindsay, I have something to tell you, but I'll tell  you later. Oh gosh, Michelle, I can't wait.

[00:00:12][laughter] [gasps] Michelle, what are we getting  into on the show today? So, today we are going to share how to tell someone you have to  tell them something, but later, right? So, sometimes it's just not the right time to actually  go into a story. you see them um you know in a busier location. Maybe you're at a show, the  show is starting and you can't quite go into it, right? Yeah, for sure. Um yeah, so this is a huge  skill and it's able like it allows you to save a spot in someone's mind for later. What do you  think of this, Lindsay? Yeah, I like the idea of saving a spot in someone's mind. you put a bit  a bit of a bookmark there for them and you know they know that there's something important you  have to talk about. Is this for lighter things or for heavier things or both? I think it could be  for both. However, if it's something like a cruel thing to do is if you have something really heavy  to like if you have bad news for someone and then and then you tell them Friday, oh, I'll  tell you Monday, right? That's horrible.

[00:01:17]Oh god. you you know that's that's the only  thing this is um so it could be for either but I wouldn't use it for something where it's  like oh you can't tell them for a few days. Yes.

[00:01:28]Yes. Okay. Perfect. So a little lighter but  so not not hugely bad news. Um being kind and gracious with people obviously uh when you have  something to tell them. And so timing is a big thing. Often we are in a situation where we don't  have like we can't just be talking to someone all the time. Maybe we're in the middle of a meeting,  right? Right. With our coworker and then there's other people at the table. We can't talk to them  necessarily. Right. Right. Or maybe you're still waiting on some of the information yourself.  So you you're just waiting on something and once you get all the information, you're going  to tell that person. Or again, it's a bit of a surprise or a secret and you want the right moment  to share it. Right. Exactly. Yes. So yeah, uh let's talk about how how we can do this. Uh we  want to remind you guys to hit the follow button wherever you're listening to the All Ears  English podcast so you never miss anything.

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[00:02:29]So let's share the expressions what exactly  we would say. Michelle, um the first one is I'll tell you the details later or I'll fill  you in later. This might be an interesting one for our listeners. It may be a first time for  for this one. Fill you in. Right. Right. Or or I'll explain later. So, let's see how this would  sound. I have some updates on Charlie and Rita, but I'll tell you the details later. Okay.  It sounds a little gossipy, right? Yes.

[00:03:00][laughter] Or I have news. It has to do  with the school tuition. I'll explain later.

[00:03:05]Okay. or wait for me after class and I'll fill  you in about the graduation plans. Yes. This kind of makes life interesting and a little bit  exciting when someone knows they have something um exciting that that's coming to them,  right? Yes. And if it is every once in a while if I think someone might think something  is bad news or something, I might actually say, "Oh, it's nothing bad. Don't worry." Right? Do  you ever do that? If you're worried they'll think mistakenly think it's bad news. Yeah. You  don't want them to Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yes.

[00:03:39]For sure. Like like let's say let's say I did  know that it was going to take a day or two to find out more information. It's nice to just  kind of let that person know, okay, we're not, you know, nothing nothing terrible is happening.  The world isn't coming crashing down. So that's kind of a nice courtesy. Totally. Totally.  Um, another one we could say is stay tuned, right? Stay tuned. I remember you know the I  feel like uh kids cartoons always said stay tuned stay tuned after these messages u before the cut  to commercial break right [laughter] right exactly so stay tuned it's like stay tuned in so um it's  it's you know it's basically using that from think right exactly so you're you're kind of  letting them know that something's coming so I can't talk right now but I have a huge story  for you. So stay tuned. It's also kind of fun being the person that's kind of with you're not  withholding the information, but you're delaying it. It's kind of fun to be that person because  [laughter] you're in a bit of a position of like, oo, I have a secret. This is fun. Yeah. Yeah.  Yeah. [laughter] Um on both sides, it's kind of fun, I think. Right. Yeah. Yeah. Exactly. And  then we have a little bit more of a professional sounding one. A little more elevated one. What  is it, Lindsay? I'll tell you more shortly.

[00:04:58]We haven't talked about shortly very much, but it  is a professional um more formal way of speaking.

[00:05:04]Yeah. Right. Yeah, definitely. So, we received  some updates from our clients. I'm still waiting on more information, but I'll tell you more  shortly. So, yeah, you're waiting on something.

[00:05:14]They know generally what it's about. Um it's  not like, oh, on Friday I say to you, Lindsay, I need to tell you something on Monday. Exactly.  Yeah. Yeah. For sure. [laughter and gasps] When I was growing up, my best friend was British.  Like, she was born in England. Her parents still spoke with British accents because they, you know,  they came to the US when they were adults. And she didn't, she had an American accent, but she always  spoke with like slightly more formal vocabulary, or at least that was the way I saw it. May not  be the way it would have been seen in England, but it was the way I saw it. And she would often  say this shortly, and I always thought it was interesting because, you know, we were teenagers  and she just spoke a little bit more formal in a bit of a more formal way. It's kind of  interesting. kind of fun. Yeah. Yeah, it's kind of fun. [laughter] Hey, quick question. Do you want  to feel more confident when you speak English?

[00:06:03]If so, we made a free guide for you. It'll help  you avoid those common mistakes and start speaking more naturally in real conversations.  Go grab it in the description below.

[00:06:17]And if this is helpful for you, make sure that you  like and subscribe. We're here five times a week to help you connect [music] in English. Okay. Um,  there's another thing we could say, one last one.

[00:06:30]Um, what is it, Michelle? I like this one. It also  makes me think of TV, right? But on the on the other end, kind of like that towards the end of an  episode is to be continued. [laughter] So, yeah, this one and stay tuned sound like TV shows, but  to be continued. Lindsay, when would you see to be continued with a TV show? Oh, man. Back in the  day with the sitcoms, right, that would come out, especially, you know, maybe towards the end of  a season, there was a very dramatic uh episode and it clearly wasn't wrapped up. The drama wasn't  wrapped up yet. And it would they would just put this little note on the on the screen and say,  "To be continued." Dot dot dot and you'd be like, "Yes." So, you're in suspense. Yeah. So, it's it's  at the end of the episode. So, this is actually almost like you're starting to tell someone and  you get you get a little interrupted, right? Or you just can't continue. So, for example, so  anyway, that's why I was acting so odd yesterday, but Oh, look. Look at the time. Okay. To be  continued. Yeah. And this one's a little more theatrical, a little more dramatic. If it fits  your personality, go for it. Right. Yeah. Which one would you say you're most likely to use? Which  one I'm most likely to use? Let me see. Let me look at them again. Um, I'll fill you in later,  right? I like I like that. I'll fill you in later.

[00:07:53]I'll I'll fill you in on the details later. Um,  yeah, that one feels natural to me. So, what about you? Um, I actually like to be continued. I I  like uh I'll let you know the details later. Yeah, all of the all of these. But I I don't know. to  be continued to me is really fun and it holds like I said you know in terms of connection we said  this kind of reserves a spot in this person's mind. Yes. Um so it's that bookmark like you said  which I really like that idea. Um because it is I mean even even in books you could have to be  continued. Um yeah I think the human the human mind likes cliffhers. We even though we don't  like we didn't like it when those TV shows said to be continued. We kind of did. Right. Right.  Right. Well, I think Friends always had a really great cliffhanger at the end of seasons. Uhhuh.  Dramatic, right? Oh, they were so good. Yeah. Um, so th those are really fun. Um, so yeah. Um, but  these are just really great ways to connect with people. Keep keep them keep them thinking about  whatever you need to tell them or what you were talking about. But again, you do need to do it  strategically and think about being kind to that person and not telling them something in a way  that might wake might make them worry. Of course, you don't want to have someone going through a  day or a weekend worrying. Absolutely not. Oh, no.

[00:09:16]That's the worst. Let's show our listeners how  it's done. Michelle, so we are friends and you are telling me a story about my day. About  your day. Okay. Yes. All right. Here we go.

[00:09:26]So, I know we have to go soon, but yeah, I walked  into the grocery store and I saw my ex from high school. Really? Yes. And it was a messy breakup.  I'll tell you the details later. Oh, wow. Yeah.

[00:09:39]But anyway, he walks up to me and says I broke his  heart. Whoa. Yeah. I got to tell I got to go soon, but I'll tell you more shortly. Stay tuned. This  is a wild story. Okay. To be continued. So here I'm saying to be continued even though I'm going  to be the one waiting on the information later.

[00:09:57]Yes. Yes. And that works, right? Because you're  echoing. I mean I said something about I said one of those TV sounding ones say stay tuned and then  you said okay to be continued. Right. Okay. So sticking with that theme, right? Sometimes we do  this and and we should do more episodes on the art of mirroring in this way. I've seen you come  into the TV analogy theme and so I come up with another TV analogy, right? Yeah. Very cool. Huge  connection skill. So, um I said it was a messy breakup. I'll tell you the details later. So, and  you can tell from the beginning of the roleplay I said, "So, I know we have to go soon, so I I but  I'm just priming you. I'm telling you a little bit. I'm giving you a taste of what happened. A  little taster. A little appetizer, right?" Yes.

[00:10:44]Yes. [laughter] Yes. And then you said, you give  me a little bit of information. And then you said, I got to go soon, but I'll tell you more shortly.  That's the one that's a little bit more formal.

[00:10:54]A little bit more formal. And now we go into  the TV analogies. Stay [snorts] tuned. Right.

[00:10:58]Stay tuned. Yep. And then you said, okay, to be  continued. So very good there. Okay. Interesting.

[00:11:05]So this is kind of today's episode is kind of  all about leaving someone in a bit of suspense because it's necessary due to the circumstances,  right? you just can't go into the full story.

[00:11:15]You also want to make sure you have the time and  space if you truly have a good story to tell.

[00:11:20]You don't want to try to sneak that in in  between other things. Right. Right. Right. Right.

[00:11:25]Exactly. Exactly. So, um very very good useful  connection topic and this is just part of you know everyday life right? you get interrupted, you  know, you don't have time to share something or you just want someone to know that  something some something is coming to them.

[00:11:43]They have something to look forward to, a  little gift to unwrap later. [laughter] Yes, exactly. Guys, go check out 25.99 of Allers  English. That is build someone's confidence by fighting this battle. Go check out that  episode. Uh if you love our style of connection, not perfection, keep listening. Hit follow. Become  a part of our community of listeners. All right.

[00:12:03]Yeah. Anything else Michelle? I mean that  is we've done the takeaway. I mean that's really the point. It's mystery makes life  interesting and you and now our listeners have the skills to tap into this in English.  Right. Love it. Yep. All right. Well guys, give it a try and stay tuned for the next episode.  All right. Take care. Bye. All right. Bye.