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I Cannot Lie, I Hope You Like Buts
Every Tuesday, The Productive Disruptive delivers storytelling science, message makeovers, cultural commentary, and a little rebellious hope for anyone still stubborn enough to believe communication can change the world.
Dorian Johnson
June 10, 2025
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Based on the subject line…
Did you expect a Sir Mix-a-Lot meme? Maybe a lil GIF action?
Sorry to disappoint 🤷🏽♂️
But…
I also planned that.
See what I did there?
As a writer, I led you to believe something was coming. I set you up, then flipped it.
It’s a great storytelling principle.
Because but?
“But” is a plot twist in a single word.
It adds conflict, tension, and curiosity.
And in your writing or messaging, it tells the brain: “Something important is about to happen.”
If your public health messaging feels flat, stiff, or easy to scroll past… this might be the word you’re missing.
When we flat-out “reveal”(often in public health), the story ends before it starts.
Take this, for example…
“I tried to help you build your storytelling skills, and it didn’t work.”
That’s a statement. You learned the outcome, but felt nothing..
Now let’s improve this, changing just one little word…
“I tried to help you build your storytelling skills, but it didn’t work.”
Wait wuhh? Why not?
Feel that shift? Suddenly, there’s tension.
Curiosity…
Why didn’t it work? Do I suck? Do you have unmet needs I’m not addressing, so I’m missing the mark?
Anyone can tell you what happened. It’s often not that compelling.
That “but” creates a gap, and gaps are where attention grows.
What would be different if you knew you could get attention on a message?
The brain wants to close that gap, and it helps to get someone to care first, before revealing.
Storytelling lives in that friction, and but is a great way to grab(and hopefully keep) attention to share your impactful message.
🧠 Story Science Side Note: Tension keeps us tethered. Cortisol (tension) and dopamine (reward) spike at plot turns and payoffs. When you introduce conflict, the brain locks in. If you want your audience to care(like really care), you need to give them a reason to lean in. That reason is often hidden in a well-placed “but.”
Let’s apply this to a public health message:
“The vaccine is safe, and people avoided it.”
Compared with
The vaccine is safe, but people still avoid it.”
Now there's conflict. Why? Can you explore this?
You want to know why it's being avoided.
You’ve gone from receiving a report… to following a story. And that shift, from knowing to wondering, is where real engagement begins.
So when you're sharing a public health message, personal anecdote, or campaign insight, ask:
How can I get someone to care first, before revealing? (It might be well placed but.)
This issue wasn’t about hip-hop or glute workouts(and if you truly have no idea where this reference is coming from, you may be too young. Google “Baby Got Back” and it’ll make sense. The 90s truly was a time😂)
If you want to move people, don’t forget to move the sentence, too.
Create (ethical) tension. Get listeners, readers, viewers, and community members to care.
Use your but. Often. Strategically. With purpose.
📝 Message Makeover: Health Disparity as a term may be confusing for folks to grasp. Experts know its a particular type of health difference that is closely linked with social, economic, and/or environmental disadvantage.
Do they need to hear “health disparity”?
Or do they need to know some people and groups are more likely to get sick and have worse health because of where they live, what they earn, their culture, education level or how they’re treated? And that it’s no accident.
We’re not hiding truth by simplifying.
We’re clarifying it.
Share based on relevant factors, adding them all can be overwhelming, too, so pick and choose.
🛠️ The PHacilitator’s Corner: Try This Before You Hit Send
Think of a statistic, story, or report you’re about to share.
Before you reveal the outcome or main point…
Ask yourself:
Where can I add a but to create tension and build buy-in first?
For example:
“We offered healthier school lunches, and students still bought chips.”
vs.
“We offered healthier school lunches but students still bought chips.”
Open that gap.
Build the tension.
and the brain will want to close it(weave in your message)
Bye for now!