355: These 2 Words Help You To Be Understood

In today's episode, Heather shares one of the 12 proven tools for increasing charisma and mastering difficult conversations and it comes down to just two words: it's like. While storytelling has dominated the communication world for years, Heather explains why metaphor can be even more powerful. Stories take time. Metaphors create instant clarity. By comparing something unfamiliar to something your audience already understands, you not only become more charismatic, you become unforgettable. Through courtroom examples, coaching breakthroughs, and practical exercises, Heather shows how metaphor builds connection, increases inspiration, and helps you avoid the number one fear in communication: being misunderstood. If you want to feel more confident, persuasive, and impactful in negotiations, feedback conversations, presentations, or high-stakes moments, this episode gives you a tool you can use immediately. In this episode, you'll learn: Why Metaphor Beats Storytelling in Many Situations How stories require time and structure, but metaphors create immediate understanding. The Two Words That Increase Charisma Why saying "it's like" instantly makes your message clearer and more compelling. How Metaphor Prevents Misunderstanding Why comparing the unknown to the known helps your audience grasp complex ideas quickly. A Courtroom Example That Changed Everything How a surgeon compared knee cartilage to tire tread and helped a jury truly understand. The Coaching Breakthrough Why cleaning cabinets instead of floors perfectly illustrated client expectations and created an aha moment. Two Simple Questions to Generate Metaphors How asking "What's it like?" or "How is it like something my audience understands?" unlocks powerful comparisons. Cultural Awareness in Communication Why metaphors only work when your audience shares the reference point. Why Metaphors Make You Memorable How concise comparisons stick longer than long stories. In this episode: [00:00] Why communication tools create real excitement [01:24] The 12 proven charisma tools and where metaphor fits [03:00] The power of "it's like" [04:00] Simple examples of everyday metaphors [06:07] The surgeon who explained knees like tire tread [08:32] The cleaning floors versus cabinets breakthrough [10:50] Two practical ways to create metaphors [12:00] Cultural awareness and testing your comparisons [13:30] Why metaphor is more memorable than story [15:17] Preview of next week's charisma tool Resources and Links: 📘 Book: I Never Metaphor I Didn't Like A playful collection of metaphors to help you see comparisons everywhere and strengthen your communication. Connect with Heather: Schedule a call with Heather Follow Heather on Instagram Follow Heather on Facebook Connect with Heather on LinkedIn Website Watch Episodes on Youtube Heather's TikTok ‍ heather@elegantwarrior.com The Elegant Warrior Podcast and content posted by Heather Hansen is presented solely for general informational, educational, and entertainment purposes. The use of information on this podcast or materials linked from this podcast or website is at the user's own risk. It is not intended as a substitute for the advice of a physician, professional coach, psychotherapist, or other qualified professional, diagnosis, or treatment. Users should not disregard or delay in obtaining medical advice for any medical or mental health condition they may have and should seek the assistance of their healthcare professionals for any such conditions.

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355: These 2 Words Help You To Be Understood is an episode from Elegant Warrior Podcast with Heather Hansen by Heather Hansen Presents.

This episode is 16:08 long.

This episode was published on Mar 2, 2026.

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