The Yoda Lesson For Copywriters

A BETTER COPYWRITER, YOU CAN BECOME; TEACH YOU HOW, YODA CAN

What sorta nerd copywriting lessons can you glean from Yoda?

Now, I’m not a Star Wars hoe frat fan, but I am a complete movie junkie and my brain seems to recognize, connects patterns and life lessons to what I’ve seen in movies and read in books.

It’s sorta works like that old HBO series “Dream On” where the dude keeps cross referencing stuff that’s happening with him with old black and white tv clips.

Anyway, Yoda does shit that I notice a lot of GOOD “gurus” do as well and I’m not sure if anyone else has put this together, but it’s an extremely important lesson.

Pay attention.

Yoda speaks in soft lessons, but you can only learn the hard lessons through experiential failure.

He’s sorta like my college accounting professor.

That guy clearly knew whatever the hell he was talking about in his own head, but was terrible at teaching that shit.

Or maybe he only wanted to cater to the students that wanted to work at it...that'd be ninja.

I think more than half the class had to take it over (me included).

So, what’s a soft lesson?

They are usually abstract concepts that require user interpretation.

Usually high level.

Sometimes specific.

But never ever clear.

Usually demonstration only makes it kinda clear but only in that specific context.

The abstract lesson is useful because it makes it versatile.

The lesson can be applied to specific instances once you understand it, as you understand it.

The type of shit I’m talking about are quotes like:

[Luke]: I can’t believe it
[Yoda]: That is why you fail

“If you end your training now — if you choose the quick and easy path as Vader did — you will become an agent of evil.”

“Do or do not. There is no try”

“You must unlearn what you have learned”

“Many of the truths that we cling to depend on our point of view.”

All of those quotes are like Yoda gold nuggets that Luke must not only try and figure out but so do we the viewers watching this shit.

On a side note, I’ve heard that the fact he’s a muppet allows the viewers to engage further with the story because they lend more of their imagination and contextual referencing to what’s taking place.

It’s actually an additional trojan strategy to get past the viewers skepticism of the entire scenario and make everything more enjoyable and believable (somehow).

I dunno, but that’s it for that detour.

So, all of those quotes are fuzzy concepts that can be applied to like anything.

Now, when it’s time to actually do the damn thing and become the badass Jedi that Luke wants to become he has to apply these concepts, somehow, to his training.

And while he's doing it, it's quite clear that he's confused as ****.

That’s the beauty of it.

Life works just like that.

You’ve got to take concepts, test, evaluate, tweak, test again.

Like any good coach or mentor, in order for his shit to be useful, he requires the mentee’s involvement.

They have to try shit.

They have to do stuff.

Get feedback.

Work in the lesson...somehow.

Do what's right...for them.

That’s the secret.

Hard lessons are best learned through experience and because each experience is unique, you get the best mentor and trainee experience when each sort of meets each other at the half way mark.

You don’t learn shit when the teacher gives you THE answer.

You don’t develop into your own optimal self if you don’t apply your own effort.

Hard lessons show you A WAY to do things, but they don’t teach you how to best develop yourself sufficiency.

I suppose that’s ok.

Self sufficiency isn’t for everyone.

What’s the bottom line lesson here?

The best legend status copywriting gurus do more soft teaching than hard, but they clearly know their stuff because they can demonstrate it.

The best teacher student relationship requires both to be good and both to be committed to their role.

Learn from those in the know.

Then to become you must do

Useful was this or **** myself I should go?



Regards,

Los