#People watcher how to#
#People watcher tv#

It was addressed in thick, clunky handwriting to “The New Owner,” and the typed note inside began warmly:Īllow me to welcome you to the neighborhood.įor the Broadduses, buying 657 Boulevard had fulfilled a dream. Derek and his wife, Maria, had closed on the six-bedroom house at 657 Boulevard three days earlier and were doing some renovations before they moved in, so there wasn’t much in the mail except a few bills and a white, card-shaped envelope. They just won't ever see it.One night in June 2014, Derek Broaddus had just finished an evening of painting at his new home in Westfield, New Jersey, when he went outside to check the mail. I fight the urge to ask if they would like me to take their picture. Their faces are identical enough to imagine that I'm actually seeing one soul's journey through time. I am seeing a snapshot of four generations - baby, mother, grandmother, great grandmother - caught and suspended in a real life moment - authentically posed in a portrait that no artist will ever capture. I am not concerned with three women and a baby who are obviously in the same family. I am noticing that her hair is the color of cheap wine, and tells the story of a bad perm somewhere in its past. I am not concerned that this woman has red hair. When I take people notes, I do not write down the obvious. When you find yourself in a waiting position, it's the perfect time to just sit and stare. The point is that you become intentional in your people watching.

#People watcher tv#

Or if you're more the detective on TV type, and just want a tiny cheap little spiral notebook with a chewed off pencil to take notes and slip into your pocket - well, you do you. If you are like me and love any reason to buy a cute notebook, then you'll love this. If you just tell me what happened, like a middle school book report, you are cheating me out of the experience. When you tell a story you are inviting me into this mini movie.

If I can't see your story, I can't connect to it. And if you don't show me what you see, I can't see them. But today I'm just talking about the people - the characters in your story. There are different places where details come into play in a story, like setting, context, emotion, etc. And for you to do that, you have to stand in it yourself, and tell me what you see. Give me a few rich details that allow me to see it and stand in it. So when you tell me a story, don't just tell me the story - show me. That's why stories are the secret sauce - they show instead of tell. The key to a masterful presentation is your ability to show me instead of tell me. Sometimes I think I have too many details, but that's the creative choice I have made, and it's not about how many you choose to add, or even which ones you choose, but that you take the time to paint a few in your picture. If you are familiar with my work, you are nodding because you have probably noticed that in my stories.

#People watcher how to#

While there are many answers to how I write my stories (insert shameless plug for which teaches you how to master your moments through the art of story) one that bubbles to the top is - the DETAILS. Hopefully, they already understand that all stories are not equal, and just winging it with your story means that you are probably leaving your best pieces out. But it's my job.Īs a motivational speaker and storyteller, I have had countless people come to me asking how I write my stories. And I see you mother trying not to cry as you straighten the collar on your only son's military uniform, while he gives you the same crooked smile he had when he was three and tries to look brave - for once, not embarrassed by his mom being there. I wonder if you both realize how the years have made your features identical - and now, ah, out comes the pristinely manicured dog from the plaid bag who has your nose. I am just as fascinated by you two over there - the older couple by the window - and how it is quite apparent that you have been married for a lifetime by the angry conversation you have carried on for an hour without saying a word. I am fascinated at how you tap your foot repeatedly as I wonder whether it is a nervous habit or the beat of the music you have hidden in those headphones that cost more than your plane ticket. So if you caught me staring at you in the airport terminal, I apologize. My mother always taught me that it was rude to stare.