🕰️ That reference might be older than your audience.

Published 23 days ago • 1 min read

You make a Star Trek reference.
“Dammit Jim, I’m a doctor, not a…”
Nothing. Blank faces.

Then it hits you - they weren’t born when The Next Generation ended, let alone the original series.

The cultural shorthand you’ve used for years? It’s become static.

"The audience do not know who Dr McCoy is. I find that… troubling."

💡 ONE IDEA WELL

Know your references. Know your audience.

Every speaker carries assumptions.
But the most dangerous?
That your cultural references are shared.

That Matrix slide? The ER quote? The joke about dial-up internet?
If your audience was born around the year 2000, they might not even have heard of them - let alone find them funny.

Cultural shorthand only works when the culture is shared.
What’s nostalgic for you might be noise for them.

That doesn’t mean you need to erase your personality.
But it does mean checking your frame of reference. If you're trying to connect, clarity beats clever every time.

Humour, metaphors, case studies — they all land better when they’re grounded in a shared world.

So go ahead and tell your story. Just make sure they’re on the same starship.

If your audience was born in 2000… none of this is their nostalgia.

🧰 LESS MESS, MORE MESSAGE

Do a reference check.

Not sure if your pop culture example will land?
Test it on someone ten years younger than you. Better yet, someone ten years older, too.

If neither gets it, it’s probably too niche.

Or try this instead:

🧪 Swap nostalgia for universals - emotions, experiences, struggles.
These travel across generations far better than catchphrases and callbacks.

Slide tip?
🪐 If your deck features Spock, Neo, or the cast of Friends, ask yourself:

Will this land in 2025 - or just remind me how old I am?

🧭 ASK YOURSELF THIS

Have I chosen this example for them… or for me?

Because if you have to explain the reference, you’ve already lost them.

Speak soon,

Andy

P.S.

The original Star Trek aired from 1966 to 1969.
The Next Generation ran from 1987 to 1994.

If you watched Captain Kirk first-run, you’re pushing 60. If it was Picard, you’re likely in your 40s.

Just something to logically consider when quoting the Prime Directive.

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