[yefragetuwrabrumuy]

Years ago, I figured out Rush Limbaugh’s big secret, why he is so popular and other people listen to him. And it’s very hard to duplicate—try it sometime and it will leave you squirming in your seat.

Rush Limbaugh always used the second or third-best “punchline” in what he says. Not just humor, but in making a point. It leaves his audience at the edge of their seat, because they personally can think of the *better* “punchline”, and that makes them feel good and part of the “conversation”.

“Why does the chicken cross the road? To get across the street!”, says Limbaugh.

And everybody in the audience thinks, “No! To get to the other side! Hee hee, ha ha!” They get the “*honors* to finish the thought”.

Importantly, critically, this is *not* talking down to an audience. They have to *get* the idea to finish the idea. So Limbaugh can use great complexity in the build-up, because his audience is far more attentive than for a typical radio show.

But let me tell you, this technique is not easy. It is very, very hard to use. And the rewards are high as well—you would become the “life of the party” if you could do it consistently. But for almost everybody, their ego would be screaming at them to give the *best* punchline.

“You did the work, so you should get the reward!”, of giving the punchline.

[aruanan]

But let me tell you, this technique is not easy. It is very, very hard to use. And the rewards are high as well—you would become the “life of the party” if you could do it consistently. But for almost everybody, their ego would be screaming at them to give the *best* punchline.

I remember back in the days of my college speech class listening to some student speak in chapel and referring to the Wilbur Mills reflecting pool incident. I told my speech teacher that if he had just left it as an allusion, his point would have had more impact because everyone else would have filled in all the details on their own. Instead, he went into unnecessary detail and detracted from his main point. The speech teacher said that a good speaker will lead his listeners to a place where they will make the intended connection. This keeps their interest and makes what he's saying a lot more meaningful because he's drawing something out of them.

[samtheman]

Excellent analysis of one of Limbaugh’s teaching techniques. And that’s what it is, a form of teaching at the highest level. The brain-disablers in the NEA are so far beneath this level of teaching they wouldn’t be able to even understand your description of the technique, let alone the technique itself. (They spend their career s putting young-people’s heads in a series of iron-vices; but they too are cramped and disabled in thought as well.)

But Rush does more than just teach. He also thinks cold hard political thought. The technique you refer to is a teaching technique that he uses to great effectiveness. But Rush is not just a teacher. Not just (even) a great teacher.

He is a true political thinker. Right up there with Mark Levin.

[rodguy911]

Actually Rush's secret is that he is "the" premier broadcaster on the air today.

No one knows how to use the medium as well as Rush does. Many of us try but no one gets even close to how good he is.

[tell me]

You’re absolutely right. I think this is why casual listeners don’t get him. They haven’t paid well enough attention to actually figure out the answers when Rush poses a question or laugh when Rush makes a joke.

[stayathomemom]

Very interesting theory.

[Yaelle]

Verrrry interesting. Never thought about that before. In other words, he is smart enough to keep his audience feeling slightly MORE intelligent?

Another thing he does which I think is wickedly funny is his double entendres. He knows that 80-somethings who would find anything risque upsetting are tuning in, so he gets some things in without saying them. It’s so much more funny than just SAYING the broad reference. It’s the old fashioned twinkle in the eye dirty joke. It’s bleeping funny.