So how do we develop tension? It's important to understand the different types of tension there are, there are four main types of tension. The first one I just did, and it's called anticipation. And I actually just lied for this example. There's actually way more than four types of tension. But just for the sake of this argument, I just wanted to do that for the sake of the discussion.

Now, what did I do? I said, there's four main types of tension. The first one is anticipation. I didn't just immediately tell you, it's anticipation. I waited, I waited, I let a pause happen after my question, or my promise that there are four main types of tension. And what did that do?

It gave you space to become engaged, it gave you space to form a question in your mind. What are the four main types of tension? Can I think of what they are? What's he going to say? Oh, god, he's actually going on a long time. He's been silent for more than I've ever seen him.

Has he forgotten it? Has he gone crazy? Is it is he losing it? That's all designed in the tension. Tension exists in that space where you allow time and space. For your audience to become engaged when you allow time for that question, hope or expectation or doubt, to form in their head.

Now, if I just said, there's four main types of tension and the first one's anticipation, I've just ruined an opportunity for tension and just inserting the briefest of pauses, and it can be much shorter than the exaggerated one I was doing for the sake of this argument. If you leave just a brief pause, where your audience can say, oh, what what is the types of tension? What are these going to be? What's it going to say? You naturally create engagement and whether or not you want to pay attention, you've now just become part of my presentation, because now your head is spinning with what the possibilities might be. Again, Knock knock.

There's a lot of different ways you can create tension. A plan or a promise is a type of tension. Remember, at the top of this entire thing I promised you you'd be a better storyteller by the end of it. That is tension. Anytime you can create that promise in your audience that gives them something to look forward to. Also hope and anticipation.

I hope the Rams win. The Super Bowl this year, there's a lot of open ended questions. That's not even the best example. But again, when you can create a hope or an expectation in your audience, you've just formed tension. Now again, don't pay it off right away, try to withhold it as much as you can. struggle and obstacles.

If I'm going to run the marathon tomorrow, and I break my leg tonight, and I decided I'm still going to run it. That's tension. That's an obstacle. I'm going to have to work through what will happen anytime you can create a question or a doubt in your audience. ticking clock, classic form attention. Look at this ticking clock right here.

How much time do I have? Dear God, I need to keep going. If football didn't have four quarters, will you ever watch it? God God, the Superbowl would be so boring if it was unending if it was just unlimited quarters, time creates stakes, it's running against the clock. If I only have four quarters to score more points than you that's tension. If I have the rest of my life to do it, then I guess there's tension in like when I'm gonna die and when it's gonna be time for me to retire from football, but there's really no tension Like there is in for limited quarters.

And also think about a four quarters was actually four weeks, it would be way less exciting surprises and redirects. So I'm trying to get to the airport, I've only got 20 minutes to do it, it's LX on a Friday afternoon. First of all, that'll never happen. You can't get to lax if you're standing at Le x in 20 minutes. But just for the sake of this argument, it's 20 minutes, I got to run to the car and all of a sudden I open the door and suddenly my ex girlfriend's there and she wants to talk surprise, she's suddenly there. Now surprises and redirects can be so fun, especially when you know your character is on a mission, and suddenly they get pulled in another direction.

Again, that Goodfellas example is really worth checking out. I'll leave a link for it. Pacing pacing is a huge and important part of tension, how fast I'm going in this presentation. I've taken a consideration who my audience might be. People who are probably used to digital consumption rates probably have watched video online may have taken other courses in the past. I'm speaking at a rate at which I think you're going to consume and understand what I'm saying.

I'm also trying to live up to my promise of value. Your time by doing this whole thing in under an hour. Now, if you were a convalescent home and I was trying to teach you better soaring there, I'd probably speak way slower, I probably make the text way bigger. And I would probably take a lot more pauses and speak a little louder. You have to know your audience to understand your pacing. But really your pacing can suddenly literally affect your heart rate.

If I'm going to talk faster I can physiologically affect and communicate a different heart rate into your body. Because of the energy I'm using, how fast I'm going, how fast I want to take this, you can decide how you want to pace your stories by when you want to wake the audience up with a jolt, or when you want to really let things rest and give them a chance to breathe and really soak it all in. pacing is critical. Another form of tension music, when you decide to use music is really important. It can create an entire atmosphere of really contemplating what was just said. Now again, in the Billy Mitchell example, it's this poor bastard there must be poor bastard out there who's really had the screws pulled loose to him.

They Then play music and it gives your brain a chance to really understand the ramifications of what he just said. It helps you think about it, it puts an accent on what was just pointed out, makes you think about it more. music can be really expertly used. And again, check out that really OTA clip from Goodfellas. It's awesome music is used so well in that. And just as important as music is silence, the times in which I decide to stop talking the times in which I decide to ask you a question and then leave it there.

That is where tension exists. Silence is really critical to tension. And it's really important when you decide to use it. So use it powerfully. It can be really meaningful when someone decides not to say something. You can also leave things unanswered.

If a character asks another character a question, it doesn't have to be answered. In fact, it might be more interesting if it's not and it might be more telling about who they are as a person. If they pivot to something else. Think about that.