[inanutshellus]

Oh man, that's me for sure. I always backstory my tales to death. It does successfully take a minor conversation and turn it into an elaborate and interesting discourse but yes, as you say, it's not focused on the original punch line.

[ma2rten]

I never realized it until now, but I think I might be doing that as well. I will try to be mindful of that. Thanks.

[dahart]

There's a time and place for a good long meandering and elaborate backstory! Interesting conversation and discourse is something you should cherish and continue to develop. So, don't get me wrong, punchline first is not a rule, not always the goal. Just be aware of it, and you can start to decide which one to use. For job interviews, punchline first is good advice. For talking to your friends, it depends. For giving a talk or telling a story, backstory might be critical. Start playing with it and see how people react, find out when & how starting with the punchline is better. I think the point of the article is that punchline first is a tactic to get the other person talking and asking questions, rather than you talking for 5 minutes.