Welcome to the Pudding Club

"It is over dessert that the best stories are often told, in the literal and metaphorical sense. Be it the last seconds of a long phone call that produces the headline statement or, and this is more enjoyable, the killer anecdote or opinion shared over an even longer lunch."

Words I read this week of sport journalist and ex-pro columnist liaison (aka ghost) at the The Daily Mail, Craig Hope.

He was in the main referring to when sportstars, managers and officials spill the spiciest beans. Yet alludes to the broader field.

Perhaps this is a natural tendency. 'Good things come to those who wait'? 'Fools rush in...', and the like? After all, abruptly beginning 'meal time' with business demands can be, well, just a little 'off', no?

Perhaps not. Yet dessert is a natural 'finishing' point. So why spoil it, and the pleasant journey towards it?

I'm reminded of the doctor's surgery perennial of the doorknob phenomenon. Where seasoned practitioners know the very last knockings of the consultation, with realisation upon the patient it is about to end, produce the impetus for what the session was really about. "Actually, Doc..."

In similar vein, there's the sales equivalent; the hat-stand close.

Beloved of mould-breaking TV detectives down the years. Think Columbo to Morse and beyond. As they motion to leave an 'interview', they turn; "oh, just one more thing..."

The witness/suspect, initially relieved their interrogation is over, let's their guard down. They let slip an important answer. Unaware too, of the importance of the supposedly small, throwaway, query. The cunning wizened investigator leaving the best 'til last.

Think of recent long phone calls. What headline statement did the sign-off produce? And how can you make them flower in future?

Interestingly, I dug out this example from the real world with relevance. (Although noting I must update my Stall Objection rubric now too.)

I'm also conscious of the link to Mukbang. And its variants. As this can definitely happen and shaped in our video meetings. Around food or otherwise.

In either case, plan for the denouement when magic can spring, and for the years ahead it'll pay you back sweetly.