| Ah transitions, those simple little things to keep everything moving along nicely. Most guys use transitions that are far too long. Personally I’m a fan of the single word transition and I’ve covered four of them in the past. Now, I’m going to share a top secret transition that you can add to the other 4 (the slide, the dismissal, the action-reward, and the pulse to recap).
You could call it the interrupt, but I prefer to refer to it as THE COUNT as it is named for the Sesame Street character Count von Count. This transition is mainly used for when she starts taking the conversation down a path where you do not want it to go and you need to keep from drawing negative attention to the fact you have to switch the subject.
Two of the instances where the interrupt transition is the most useful are for:
1. Boring conversations
2. Upsetting conversations
Did You Know: If SHE starts talking about boring subjects YOU will be the one remembered as “that boring guy” if you are remembered at all. Likewise if she starts going on and on about how this woman at work upset her, as she is getting more and more upset, she will later avoid you for those feelings you stirred up in her. Crazy, I know.
So, how do you switch gears midstream without drawing unnecessary attention to the fact?
You listen for any example of itemization involving numbers (people love to itemize) and once you catch it you switch over to the transition.
Sounds easy enough. But what is the transition?
The Count Transition:
When you recognize the switch over point you become Count von Count by adopting his cheesy vampire voice and start counting.
“1…2…3! Ah, ah, ah.”
Note: This transition works for people who have actually watched Sesame Street so the best bet is twenty-four-years-old and up. Also, please, please, please use this transition sparingly as it is one from my personal trove. The last thing the world needs is guys misusing this and spazing out all night as the Count. This is a hundred per center that works equally well with both men and women.
If she knows what you’re going on about she’ll laugh and your transition will be successful. The ladies LOVE the Count. (They also love Scooby Doo, but I’ll save that one for another time.)
If she has no idea what the hell you are talking about it still confuses her and you’ve successfully interrupted the conversation long enough to transition into something else.
Some of you will immediately get this simple, yet complex transition. The rest of you are probably saying to yourselves, “That’s cool, but WHY does it work?”
It works because it first creates a pulse interrupting her thinking pattern with an unexpected bit of information. Second the tonal shift of your voice suggests playfulness and lightens the mood. And third it creates an inside joke that you immediately pull her into. She’s counting, you’re counting, and suddenly she gets the reference as you regress her into a nostalgic state. Not to mention the extra points you get for being witty.
1. Pulse-State Interrupt
2. Tonal Shift
3. Regress
Ah, ah, ah…ahem.
I know what you’re saying. Counting isn’t something that always comes up in a conversation. Not to worry. I’ve got you covered.
Running Wingman Gag:
You can use it to settle your nerves before approaching.
Wingman: There’s a busted ass chick over there.
You (as Count): Ah, that’s ONE! One busted ass chick!
Wingman: No, she’s not the only one.
You (as Count): That’s TWO! Two busted ass chicks! Ah, ah, ah!
As an Opener:
As you are walking up to a group of three girls:
You (as Count): One beautiful girl. Two beautiful girls. Three beautiful girls! Ah, ah, ah. Now…that was silly. (Start talking about whatever you talk about after you open)
Random Interrupt:
After ordering shots as you are passing them out at the bar.
You (as Count): One tequila shot. Two tequila shots. Three tequila shots! Ah, ah, ah.
So, as you can see there are a number of uses for the interrupt transition, but be careful. A big reason this works so incredibly is because it is unexpected. You break it out and then you drop it shortly after. However, if you overdo it the transition loses a lot of its magic and turns you into the weird guy. Don’t be the weird guy.
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Hi, I'm A. Fahren and I'm an author. I love to travel, socialize, and am hopelessly addicted to movies. That's about it.
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