Basic Trope: Someone is supposed to be speaking, while someone else tells them what to say through some sort of earpiece. Usually goes wrong.
- Straight: Bob is supposed to talk to Alice, but doesn't know what to say, so his friend Charlie gives him an earpiece and gives him lines to repeat. Bob ends up repeating the lines in a stilted fashion and Reading Stage Directions Out Loud.
- Exaggerated: Bob has no idea of what to say to Alice whatsoever, so Charlie walks him through an entire monologue with the earpiece. He ends up aimlessly shouting all of the lines, Reading Stage Directions Out Loud on multiple occasions, and faithfully repeating everything Charlie says (including Charlie telling him "No, no, don't repeat that!"). Not only that, but his earpiece malfunctions and starts picking up various other signals, such as those from the radio and TV, causing him to say multiple Non Sequitur lines. Alice ends up thoroughly confused.
- Downplayed: Charlie mostly gives Bob some suggestions as to what to say through the earpiece, which Bob uses as a guide.
- Justified: Bob has no idea what to say, and is unfortunately Literal-Minded (or The Ditz).
- Inverted: Charlie gives Bob things to say through an earpiece, which Bob completely ignores.
- Subverted: Alice is meeting Dennis, who's played by Bob, but looped by Charlie.
- Double Subverted: ???
- Parodied: ???
- Zig-Zagged: ???
- Averted: Nobody gives speaking instructions through an earpiece.
- Enforced: "Classic comedy is someone being given instructions on what to say and either getting them wrong or taking them too literally, let's have that happen!"
- Lampshaded: ???
- Invoked: ???
- Exploited: ???
- Defied: Charlie gives Bob ideas of what to say to Alice ahead of time so he doesn't have to use the earpiece.
- Discussed: ???
- Conversed: ???
Back to Earpiece Conversation. Clicks on the main page link. No, don't repeat that line!
