22/01/2026
𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗢𝗻𝗲 𝗤𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗤𝘂𝗶𝗲𝘁𝗹𝘆 𝗠𝗮𝗸𝗲𝘀 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗠𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗜𝗻𝗳𝗹𝘂𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗮𝗹
𝘏𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘓𝘪𝘧𝘦 idea from 𝗠𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘄 𝗗𝗶𝗰𝗸𝘀 is so
powerful — not as a storytelling trick, but as a communication upgrade.
The question is simple:
“𝘐𝘧 𝘐 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘢 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘰𝘥𝘢𝘺, 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘪𝘵 𝘣𝘦?”
On the surface, it’s about stories.
Underneath, it’s about 𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻.
What changes when you ask this question daily
Once you know you’ll be asking that question later, your behaviour shifts during the day.
You listen differently.
You notice tone, pauses, reactions.
You pick up on moments where something 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘴 — a mood, a decision, a dynamic.
And that’s the key.
Because influence doesn’t happen when people are static.
It happens at the 𝗺𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲.
Better communication isn’t about saying more
Most communication problems aren’t caused by poor explanations.
They’re caused by missing the moment.
You say the right thing…
at the wrong time.
Homework for Life trains you to spot:
When someone softens
When resistance appears
When curiosity replaces defensiveness
When a conversation shifts direction
You stop delivering information and start responding to 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵’𝘴 𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘶𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨.
That alone makes you more persuasive.
Why stories work when advice doesn’t
Here’s the hidden influence lesson.
When you collect small, real moments, you stop talking in abstractions.
Instead of:
“People don’t like change.”
You say:
“I noticed today how quickly a conversation changed when I asked one different question.”
That lands.
Because people don’t argue with stories.
They recognise themselves in them.
And recognition is influence.
Leadership, sales, teaching — same principle
Whether you’re leading a team, working with clients, or standing in front of a room:
People trust those who 𝘴𝘦𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮.
Homework for Life sharpens that skill.
You become someone who:
Speaks to real experience, not theory
Notices what others overlook
Reflects people back to themselves without judgement
That’s why the best communicators don’t sound rehearsed.
They sound 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘵.
The unexpected result
The longer you do this practice, the less you feel the need to convince.
You stop pushing points.
You start offering perspectives.
And paradoxically, that’s when people lean in.
Because influence isn’t about force.
It’s about timing, relevance, and resonance.
All of which begin with noticing.
Try this tomorrow
Don’t change how you speak yet.
Just notice:
One moment where someone reacted unexpectedly
One moment where you almost said something different
One moment where the conversation turned
That’s your story.
And that’s where influence lives.
𝗝𝗼𝗵𝗻 “𝗡𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗕𝗲𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗦𝗽𝗲𝗮𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴” 𝗖𝗮𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗱𝘆-𝗥𝗶𝗰𝗲