Show, Don’t Tell: Make People Care

Name: Show, Don’t Tell: Make People Care
Uploaded: 2026-10-06T00:26:25.155Z
Duration: 132 s
Channel: Austin Starks
Description: Austin Starks demonstrates “show, don’t tell” with concrete scenes for presentations, writing, product explanations, and social media.

Austin explains how to turn abstract claims into scenes an audience can picture. Examples include a lecture, a struggling student, a product obstacle, and a call from the bank, alongside his actual presentation and publishing receipts.

Austin Starks

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Transcript

0:00So I've got millions of views across TikTok Instagram and YouTube I've got millions of views across written platforms

0:05like my blog on Medium I've had guest lectures at Harvard University I've done

0:11presentations at Princeton University And this one trick will help you stand out when you're giving

0:17your presentations and either trying to grow on social media or grow in your career So if you're a

0:23young professional and you're thinking to yourself how do I give presentations that people give a damn about How do I

0:29present information in such a way that people care Stop and watch this video

0:34because the trick is really easy It's literally just three words The three words

0:40are show don't tell Let me explain Which sentence elicits a better

0:46emotional response Cindy cried all day long

0:52Or the tears streamed down Cindy's face and soaked her notebook

0:58as she couldn't stop crying for the sixth consecutive hour

1:03Now I am not a writing or English expert so I'm sure I can workshop that a little bit but you

1:09get the point The second sentence elicits imagery It shows you

1:15what's going on rather than just boringly tells you Good narratives and good presentations

1:21do the same thing You don't want to say my product is the best thing since sliced bread

1:27You want to say look at the problem my product is solving to fix the needs that

1:33you knew you've had for years If you're an entrepreneur you don't want to say I spent 5

1:39000 this month on this that and the third You want to say I woke up in a frantic at 5 a m My bank was calling

1:44me in a different time zone They were concerned that my account was about to be overdrafted

1:515 000 was what the lady on the phone kept saying to me Show don't tell

1:57Elicit imagery Paint a picture in their head that makes the person listening feel some sort of emotion

2:03And I promise you all your presentations all your social media posts everything will be just so much

2:09better and more interesting

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