The 8 Steps Storytelling Structure

Written by I. Rosas on October 14, 2023 in Communication Framework, Storytelling with No comments

Getting Started

Start hunting for stories.
Maintain your story wish list.
Refer to the cheat sheet.
Create your own story database.
Start telling your stories.

Storytelling Structure

1. The Hook

"I think the best example of that I’ve seen was when…"
"The best lesson I ever learned about that was when…"
"That’s a tough problem. Let me tell you what I did..."
"When I ran into the same problem last year…"

2. The Context A

Creditable - "Where and when?"

3. The Context B

Relatable - "Who’s the main character?"

A real person.

If you have a company/team, select one person with his or her role as the main character of your story.

A fictional person.

Let the audience know you are making it up.

You.

Try not to use yourself as the main character.
It might be seen as arrogant.

4. The Challenge

Worthy - "What do they want?"
The complication or catalyst in the story.
Where the hero meets the villain.

Test: If you remove this part, nothing of interest would happen in the story.

5. The Conflict or Struggle

The hero does battle with the villain.
The honest struggle – can’t be too easy.
The struggle could be internal.
50% - 60% of the story.

6. The Resolution

Did the hero win or lose?
Did the plan work?
How were things forever changed as a result of the ordeal?

Test: Does the audience know how to feel about what happened?

7. The Lessons

The risk is that the audience might not draw the right conclusion.
Pick a transition-out phrase

"I think what I learned from that was…"
"That’s when I realized…"
"So, that explains why…"
"What I think we should have done was…"
"What I’ve since come to realize is…"

Explain the lesson(s)

Your reflection on or assessment of the whole experience.
Should tie directly to your Objective in telling the story.

8. The Action

Find out what your audience plans to do now they have heard the story.

If they answer what you want to hear, you are done.

If needed, explain the recommendation.

What do you want your audience to do now?
Should tie directly to your Objective in telling the story.

If you chose the right story to tell, you should never been answering questions 7 and 8.

Techniques for Emotion

Identify the points in your story with the most potential for emotional engagement. Identify 1-3 points with the highest potential. Jot down the name of the emotion the characters are experiencing. Brainstorm ideas to add to your story using one or more of the following techniques.

Tell me (simplest) - Name the emotion the character is experiencing.

"He was scared out of the weeds", "He was so exciting"

Show me (more powerful) - Describe physical manifestations of the emotions of the character and let the audience infer the emotion.

Instead of "He was angry" say "He started yelling at...",
Instead of "He was sad" say "He was crying"

Avoid the "Stormtrooper effect" - nameless, faceless, crumps.

Let the audience get to know your characters before something happens to them.

Name and describe your character, and how the person is and relates to others.

Dialogue - Outer and inner, let the audience hear it directly from your character

Instead of "She was exhausted and sleepy for your presentation" say "She leaned into the microphone and said, 'I am really excited to be here but inside she was thinking, oh my god I am going to fall asleep in the middle of the next sentence'"

Elements of Surprise

In the beginning, gets the audience to pay attention.

Lead with the most unusual event (then flashback to the beginning).

"The first time I met the CEO of the company was the day she fired me. Here's what happened…"

Set expectations, then violate them. Explain to your audience how great things were going before they fell apart, or how lousy a day it was before you got the promotion.

Contrast creates surprise.

No natural surprise, create one.

Skip one element in context and let the audience figure it out.

Create a surprise ending - Helping your audience remember the lesson they learned.

Take one or two details that belong at the beginning of your story and don't give them to your audience until the end of the story. (

"…and I know this story so well because the guy in that story who got fired – that was me. I'll never make that mistake again."

Using Details

Only add details that explain the main character's motivations.
Replace generic words with specific words.

Instead of "he was really tall" say "he was 6'4""

Referer to characters by name not by job title.

Instead of "account payable clerk" say "July from accounting"

Use metaphors to explain complex ideas.

It uses fewer words to explain something complex.
Instead of trying to describe the complex set of thoughts and emotions that your character was having about their impending deadline, you might just describe it was like "a dark cloud following her around"

Accuracy

Telling a fictional story is okay as long the audience knows about it.

Come along with a plausible realistic story

"Let's suppose..."
"Imagine..."
"Okay, I'm totally making this up, I think it will help to understand..."

Balance too careless vs too cautious.
Litmus Test: Imagine someone who listened to your story was actually there when it originally happened.

Would they be offended?
Would you be embarrassed?

Delivery

Oral

Use the story structure template.
Outline the 7 steps stories

Written

Write the way you speak
~15 words per sentence.
<10% words greater than two syllables.
<10% passive voice - use active voice instead.

Instead "the proposal was rejected by the committee" say "the committee rejected our proposal"

Flesch-Kincaid level checker

WSJ ~ 8-10
John Grisham ~7-8

Length

An average adult speaks 150 words per minute.
Average 600 words (4 minutes)
Most range from 450-750 (3-5 minutes)

How to Shorten a Story

Start with the Story Structure Template.
Delete content but leave some answers in each section.

Otherwise, the story is incomplete.

How to Find a Story

Create a wish list.
Capture stories that happen to you.
Remember stories you heard others tell.
Search your past, ask people, and interview them (use your wish list)

"Your greatest success?"
"Most miserable failure?"
"What job do you love the most?"
"Most difficult experience?"
"Best working relationship?"
"Did you feel the greatest team spirit?"
"Who do you admire most? Why?"
"What time you were most inspired?"
"Toughest problem ever solved?"
"The most creative thing you’ve done?"
"Best customer success you’ve seen?"
"Most compelling sales story you’ve heard?"
"Tough feedback that helped your performance?"

Create venues for sharing stories.

Leadership Stories

Where we came from (founding)
Why we can’t stay here (case-for-change)
Where we’re going (vision)
How we’re going to get there (strategy)
What we believe (corporate values)
Who we serve (customer)
What we do for our customers (sales)
How we differ from competitors (marketing)
Why I lead the way I do (leadership philosophy)
Why you should want to work here (recruiting)

Story Data

References

How to Use the Visual Decoder

Written by I. Rosas on October 07, 2023 in Presentation Framework with No comments

The Visual Decoder is a drawing framework to visualize the key elements of your Pop-up Pitch.

Take 2 minutes for each section.
Filling up the format takes 12 minutes.
Don't overthink, just write.

1 - Title (00:00 - 02:00)

What's your title?

In a few words, write down a title for the idea.

A brief description of your presentation.
The name of the thing you want to sell, the fact that you're asking for, etc.

There are no right or wrong titles.

Your title gives you something to aim toward

If you have time left,

Write down why you're telling this particular story and who might benefit from hearing it.

2. Who + What (02:00 - 04:00)

Sketch in three or more main characters involved in your story.

This might include you, your target audience.

The people most impacted by your idea.
Those experiencing a problem cause them grief.

Include individual characters and general groups as well.

Be specific as you can.
Try to capture a detail or shape that illustrates that particular person or group.
Place your characters anywhere in the panel you want.
Don't worry about showing relationships, influences, or mutual overlaps.

For now, just get as many circles and names as you can.

In the last 30 seconds.

Draw an icon, symbol, or shape representing one or two things all those people have in common.
All want or all might benefit from having. It could be anything. Money, love, happiness, a car, your product.
But whatever it is, it should play a role in the story you're telling. When you're done, put your pen down.

3. Where (04:00 - 06:00)

These are the spatial considerations of the visual pathways.

For this first map, start a simple sketch in a few overlapping circles with arrows connecting them, and then add your characters sitting in their appropriate zones.
Over time, as you draw more visual decoders, more map options will emerge from your own mind as you advance.
You might even draw two maps:

The first shows the disjointed connections between people and things in the present state.
The second shows them relocated into more thoughtful, efficient, or comfortable positions.

4. How Many (06:00 - 08:00)

Is there something important in your story that you could meaningfully show in a simple chart?

Could you show measurable improvement from the old way of doing things to the new way you're proposing?

More money, more time, more customers, or safety, or ease or comfort.
What about less of something?
Can you measure and show that too?
Less friction, less time, less cost, less pain, and less confusion.
Those also feel good to quantify and draw this time with the arrows going down.

Seeing one arrow go up while another goes down triggers a whole new set of intriguing storytelling options.
As you sketch your chart, think of the options available to you apart.
Start a pie chart and up and down the stock ticker line.

5. When (08:00 - 10:00)

Provide a basic step-by-step illustration of what happened and what happens next.

Sketch out a basic timeline.

The main series of key events is connected by arrows that lead from beginning to middle to end. You need to keep things high level.

As you start, consider what is the main sequence of events you'd most like to share.

What key events trigger what important outcomes, and how do things conclude.

See if you can summarize things in 5-6 or seven steps.

Usually, that's plenty to carry the story and a reasonable number for the intentionally short time you have.

6. Lessons Learned (10:00 - 12:00)

Take a quick second to scan over the sketches you just made of all that you've drawn.

The characters, Their locations, Their numbers, Their interactions, the results of those interactions.
What feels to you like the most important thing you'd like to remember?
What might be the most important thing for them to remember?

References

The Pop up Pitch Presentation

Written by I. Rosas on September 16, 2023 in Presentation Framework with 2 comments

Slide 1. Title

A single statement that evokes the secure feeling of clarity. So they know what you will be talking about and it will help you keep on target as you go through the rest of the pages.

Keep it to a single sentence.

Whom you are talking to.

Your audience, not you.

Make sure they see themselves in the title.
What are you talking about?

Isn’t the product or feature you are trying to sell.
It’s the positive outcome your audience will receive by taking the action you suggest.

Make sure they see a benefit that matters to them.

The verb or action you want them to take.

Examples

"You can sell more cookies" – for a group of motivated girls scouts.
"Together we will transform the healthcare" – for a hospital team.
"How I can help our company grow" – for your boss giving you a promotion.

Title page trigger phrase.

"There is a way to get what you want"

Title page filling in the blanks.

Who is the target audience for this presentation? Who, role, demographics, etc.

"My target audience is ___"

What is the number one payoff the target audience wants in the topic you are presenting?

"My target audience really wants to ___" (insert the verb that describes what your audience wants to accomplish)

What do you want your audience to do once they hear your pitch?

"I want them to ___" (insert the action you want them to take)

Slide 2. Out Common Ground

Establish an authentic connection with your audience and the issues that concern them. Show them you know them for real.

Common ground. A statement expressing a shared understanding of the present situation.

Introduce yourself by showing them you have real knowledge and empathy for your audience's reality, their objectives, and their hopes.

If you are an expert in the field of your audience: Share your knowledge humbling with no more than one sentence about your own expertise.
If you are not an expert in the field of your audience: Be in front of it, and be clear you do not know everything but still have something that will be valuable to them.

Positive priming.

If your audience situation is good: "You are doing fantastically, I wish I could share your level of success"
If the present situation is awful:

Option 1. Use positive framing to introduce the difficulty in the best possible light.
Option 2. Establish you are personally familiar with the awfulness of the situation and willing to face it with your audience.

Examples

"In our world of sales things are going very well"
"As your colleague, I find the best part of our job is to... "
"I've been only here for a couple of weeks but I can see how effective the approach is"
"I know you have been suffering with the shift of our industry..."
"Recent news has been great for any of us"

Common ground trigger phrase.

"We are in this together and we know these things are true"

Common ground filling the blanks.

What is the common ground we all share right now?
What do you and your audience share in work, in your life, or in your situation?

"Our common ground is ___"

What do you know about your audience that they don't know?

"Something I know about my audience that they don't know I know is ___"

What is the goal, opportunity, or challenge they face that might not be obvious to you? or even to them?
What is an experience you had you believe your audience has also had?

"Something that I suspect we both experienced is ___"

What is a memory experience that you believe you both share?

Simple map of the situation you have in common.

Slide 3. The Common Problem

State the facts, the numbers that are so scary that one really wants to look at them.

This is where you state that whatever the common ground is today, good or bad, things are about to get a lot worse.

You can't meet a scary truth that isn't said, so say it.
Open your audience's aspiration to do the right things even if it gets hard.

Examples

"You might or not might not already know this but our market is expected to contract by half over the coming year"
"It's scary but let us just say it his turmoil isn't going away and it's going to get worse"

Common problem trigger phrase.

What wakes you up in the middle of the night?

Common problem filling in the blanks.

What is the big problem on the horizon that we simply can't deny any longer because is about to kick us in the face?

"The big problem coming up is ___" (the common problem summarized in a single thought)

Is there an emerging challenge coming right out of us that we have no clue how to solve?

"We might not want to think about it now but we have to" (single sentence of truly menacing thread that you haven't yet seriously planned for.

Show the cascading metrics charts or present a map of how the stinky stuff is about to hit the fan.

Slide 4. An Emotional Win

Paint a picture of what it will feel like when the audience solves their problem.

Guide your audience as they visualize for themselves how great it will be to get to the other side without any worries about how you got there.

What will be the sensation when you pass through the darkness and back into the light?
What will it feel like when we are on the other side of this problem?
What will the world look like when this problem is solved?

Don't worry about how it's going to happen, just focus on the feeling of when it finally is solved.

You're going for a pure emotional hook here. Reality can wait.

Examples

"Imagine a world in which our product is so popular that customers can't wait for our call" is a fantastic hope hook for sales teams.

When this is all over, picture how it will feel when you know you're finally completely safe and free.
You're reminding your audience why they're going through the pain of looking at the problem because just on the other side is the world that they've always dreamed of.

Fill in the blanks.

What does it feel like when this problem is solved once and for all?
When this is all over, summarize the feeling of living in a world without this problem.
What will it look like when you've reached the light at the end of the tunnel?

Show your tomorrow state map in which all the people and pieces connect simply and seamlessly. Or show the same measurement chart but with the numbers jumping off the chart.

Slide 5. The false hope

Admit that the hoped-for simple solution won't actually work at all.

It's told as two messages in tension with each other, the conflict between the oh-so-desirable easy path and the cold, hard reality that it won't work.

What are the things we think will solve this problem right now that really won't?
What are we doing now that we think will keep us out of trouble? But it won't.
What are we avoiding doing because we think avoidance is the safer path?
What are we doing now?

However well-intentioned, that just isn't working and might be about to blow up in our faces because it doesn't actually address the real problem.

What is the smack of the cold, wet towel of reality?

Examples

"Well, we could just do nothing and let it work itself out, right? Nope, we know that won't cut it. Let everyone know that no action is not an option"
"This time around, the safe approach isn't safe at all, because this time the problem can actually kill us"

This page exposes the misplaced trust we place in business-as-usual solutions and conventional wisdom, or flat-out denials that only make our problem worse.
Admitting to sobering reality isn't just cathartic, it's the only real way forward.
False hope, trigger phrase.

"What got us here won't get us there"

False hope filling the blanks

What are the usual solutions we're relying on that won't actually work?

The business as a usual solution won't solve this problem.

What is it about this problem that guarantees that the easy old solutions are not going to work?
What makes this problem bigger, thornier, and more complex than usual, is that summary in a single sentence of what makes this problem unique.

The usual solutions won't solve this problem, because why the salvation that people are depending on just plain won't work.

Show your today's date map in total disarray and even more complex and snarled up than ever.
Or simply show your whole characters as even less happy than they were before.

Slide 6. Fairly audacious reality, state the bold alternative.

The slightly crazy yet potentially viable solution that just might, with courage and commitment, actually work.

When faced square on, all problems are puzzles, and puzzles are fascinating.
Once your audience can see the coming problem for what it is, two things happen.

First, the fear drops away.
Second, all energy instantly transforms from no to yes.

Having established what won't work, your job now is to seize the moment and reveal what will.

Think big. Think bold. Think. Forget outside the box.
What if there is no box? This is the classic moment in which you and your audience reframe your thinking from We have a problem to you know what? This is the opportunity of a lifetime.
Now that we see how big the coming problem is, let's put our heads together and say enough is enough.
What do we really need to do to solve this once and for all?
Knowing we can't keep doing it the old way, what is the real alternative?
New, ancient, or perhaps never before tested that we're going to tackle now to get this thing done?
What is the craziest, most counterintuitive idea we can come up with that if we really think about it, might just be the real solution we need.

Examples

What if there were a way to actually increase the gas in your tank every time you drove?
What if we could replace all our paperwork with one simple online question?
What have we just stopped making shirts and shifted everything to better-selling shoes?
What have you got to lose?

Fairly audacious reality trigger phrase. Wait a second, what if we could?
Fairly audacious reality filling the blanks

What does your bold new reality look like? Instead of the old way, here's what we need to do instead.

Summarize the bold new path or solution in a single thought.

What is the name of this audacious solution? The name of this solution is.

Insert the name of your bold solution product offering concept.

What is it about this audacious solution that makes it unique compared to every other alternative?

What makes this solution unique is - to insert two or three features that make this solution unique.

Draw your today's map in the most complex way possible.

Cross out every connection in the line and replace them all with one big red arrow that skips every conventional step and connects the beginning directly to the end. Slide seven, we can do this for real.

Slide 7. Can do this for real.

Walk through your bold alternative with a grounding sense of real possibility. Get into a few key details to show there's no real reason to fear them.

Knowing you can do it comes from trusted experience combined with a solid plan.
Give them an experience-based reason to believe that your audacious solution isn't that crazy after all and that it really can work, either from your own direct experience or from recognized and trusted resources who have done something similar before.
Show your high-level plan, five steps maximum for implementing your approach.

If possible, show that a similar plan has worked before, perhaps focusing on a key modification you've made to uniquely account for this opportunity.

Examples

"If we approach this with the same rigor as last year's win, we can do it"

When we break the whole thing into three phases, it is actually surprisingly straightforward.
Invites realistic assessment of your We Can Do It plan.

Don't hedge on crafting this page with verifiable experience or inspiring planning, because it is the page in which you convert enthusiasm into reality.
It is perhaps the most important in your whole show

We can do this for a real trigger phrase.

We've done this before.

We can do this for real, filling the blanks

What reasons, rationale, and data can you give that this audacious solution will work?
Why do you know in your gut you, we, the team can do this? I know we can do this because summary of why your audience can take courage from your plan.

Your timeline showing the specific steps required to achieve this bold reality visually shifts the enthusiasm of gusto to the believability that is the foundation of real courage.

Slide 8. Our call to action

List the five things that need to get done first to make it happen. Take personal responsibility for two, and request help with the other three.

Reveal the first three to five actions that must take place to get things moving to your audience.

Take personal responsibility for owning at least two of them.
Note the small steps your audience can realistically commit to right now to get going in the right direction.

Identify those things that they can move on first that require the easiest effort or generate momentum the fastest.

Within the overall road map plan, identify the handful of steps needed to reach the first major milestone or check-in point.
State them clearly one by one.

If you're approach requires a team, share the commitment as you encourage the choice to move.

Show your own commitment by taking ownership of at least two early steps and then giving a deadline by which you commit to completing them of the remaining steps.
Suggest ways to share the load of the various capabilities needed to get this started.
Suggest potential resources who might be best suited to take the lead.
Be clear that even at this early stage, this is a team effort and that everyone's reliance upon each other is a key part of what ensures early success.

Examples

"All you need to do to get started is download this app or the first steps are as easy as 123"
"We only need to do five things to make meaningful progress, and my team can take on two of them right away"

Our call to action trigger phrase.

Here's all you need to do to get started.

Our call to action fill in the blanks

What is this new path we're committing to?

If we proceed on this new path, we're committing to include insert three to five big steps ahead, stated as large but well-defined chunks.

What are the steps we need to commit to in order to begin to reach the solution?

The first 3-5 things we would need to do are, insert next step action items, perhaps with proposed owners and dates.

Zoom in on the first phase of your timeline and in simple bullet point form, show the next five steps to take. Perhaps indicate proposed ownership and suggested dates for each initial step.

Slide 9. Early benefits

State at least two near-term measurable benefits that getting started now will trigger.

Identify at least two early benefits that can be achieved from your fairly audacious reality in the near term.

They don't have to be giant, but they do have to be meaningful. And if they can ease the bigger steps that come later, even better.

Give a realistic timeline, explain why you believe these early rewards are possible, and make them as quantitative as you can.

Early benefits, even if small, make big commitments easier to make.
They help solidify early decisions, validate continued action, and justify initial expenses of time, money, and effort.

Look for typical pain points, financial, operational, and even emotional, and see if any can be relieved by taking thoughtful action soon.

On the upside, are early potential gains possible?

Does action now improve morale and positive team motivation?
Are there near-term incremental revenue or market growth opportunities presented in this new course of action?

On the bottom line, are there early savings possible by starting the journey now?

New efficiencies come into focus.
Or is there a new sense of security that emerges?

Early benefits trigger phrase.

Just by getting started, we already gained.

Early Benefits Fill in the blanks

What is an immediate reward for all of us for taking even one action now?

One early benefit we will see from taking this action now is inserting one measurable potential early win.

What are we going to see right away that will prove this is the right way to go?

A near-term payoff that might happily surprise us is - insert one unexpected benefit that will begin to accrue right away, and that might help pay for the program later on down the line.

This may include a chart moving incrementally up initial cost savings and intermediate problem being solved, or an adjacent problem coming into focus.

Slide 10. The long win.

Close with an unexpected giant wind that could truly come to pass once the new solution becomes the new normal.

What is the truly glorious aspiration that will change reality for your audience?
What might we all learn along the way that will stay with us forever?
How will our work on this project change the future?
How is life going to be amazing and different once we've solved this problem and reached the goal on the other side?
What might be gained in the long term that we can't even anticipate right now?
Examples

The most amazing result will be the parts we can't even imagine yet.
We have new markets, new audiences, and new products we discover along the way.
When we get this right, we won't just solve the problem that got us started.

We will reveal capabilities we never knew we had.
Makes the work more than worth the effort.
The long win is.

The long wind trigger phrase.

These opportunities we can't even imagine right now.

The long win. Fill in the blanks

Why do we need to do this amazing thing?

Insert a sentence describing the long-term benefit of solving this problem now and why it will help us well into the future.

What additional unexpected payoff might we one day earn?

The amazing long-term payoff we might gain when we commit and take action is.
Summary of a potentially unexpected and gloriously aspirational win.

Write in one world-changing aspiration that you'd truly love to participate in making real.
Show your characters smiling not because they've fixed your map, but because they have opened up an entirely new world of possibilities on the far side.

References

How to Frame Problem Topics in a Conversation

Written by I. Rosas on September 09, 2023 in Communication Framework, Conversations, Problem-Solving with No comments

Most work discussions are about solving problems and overcoming challenges.

Each of these problems can be complex in its own way.
Each has different implications, challenges, and timeframes.
Each needs to be explained in a way that people can quickly absorb and understand.

The simplest way to summarize a problem topic is to use the goal, problem, and solution method (GPS).

Structured Summary

Using the GPS method to structure your introduction makes it easy for your audience to understand what is happening and what you need. The three parts of the structured summary are:

Goal: The goal you are trying to achieve.
Problem: The problem that is preventing you from reaching your goal

There are three types of problem situations:

You have a problem and need to find a solution.
You have a problem and are recommending a solution.
You have a problem solved, and you are reporting the outcome.

Solution: What I/we/you are going to do to solve the problem.

Problem Topics

Although a structured summary can be used by itself to provide a summary, it is always more valuable to combine it with framing.

Example 1

Context: I’ve just spoken to the Davison Group.
Intent: Can you help me with a problem?
Key Message: They didn’t get the last shipment and want a refund.
Goal: The Davison Group prepaid for a shipment last month that didn’t arrive; we need to fix this.
Problem: I can’t find the shipment, and the refund is above the limit I can approve.
Solution: Can you authorize the refund and help me find the missing shipment?

Example 2

Context: I reviewed the new information security policy.
Intent: We need to take action.
Key Message: Our firewall is not compliant anymore.
Goal: The new industry regulations require us to have a level-five firewall for all e-commerce transactions to keep payment data secure.
Problem: Our current software will only allow us to support up to level four.
Solution: We need to come up with a plan for upgrading the software and present it to the leadership team for approval.

How to structure a conversation with multiple problem topics

Conclusion

You can use the GPS method to create a summary introduction to any work conversation and avoid the most common communication issues: diving into the details too quickly, going off on tangents, and dwelling on the past instead of focusing on solutions.

Any work topic, no matter how complex, can be summarized using the goal, problem, and solution method.

References

How to Frame Multiple Topics in a Conversation

Written by I. Rosas on August 12, 2023 in Communication Framework with No comments

How to Frame the Conversation with Multiple Topics?

Conversations with multiple topics can be framed with a Summary Framing.

Preparation. Create your Summary Framing:

Create the Basic Framing for each topic you want to talk about.

Separate topics require separate framings.

Create a single Summary Framing for the entire conversation.

Summary Context: "I'd like to talk to you about X things"
Multiple Intents: "Intent A, ..., and Intent Z"
Multiple Key Messages: "Key Message A, ..., and Key Message Z"

Step by Step. The overall conversation then moves on to the framing for a second topic and so forth until all the topics have been discussed.

Summary Framing Example

Suppose you have three topics to talk to your team leader about.

Advice about how to handle a problem with a recent delivery
A decision about nominating a colleague for an award
A decision about taking time off work

Here's how you could combine them into a Summary Framing:

Summary Context: "I'd like to talk to you about three things"
Multiple Intents: "I need some advice, and I have a couple of decisions"
Multiple Key Messages: "We have an issue with the office supplies delivery. I’d like to nominate Dave for an award, and I have a request for some time off".

Framing Multiple Topics with One Context

Preparation:

First, create a Basic Framing for each topic:

Topic #1

Context: "New region roll-out."
Intent: "Heads-up/FYI."
Key Message: "The full-time team is exceeding all their key performance indicators (KPIs)."

Topic #2

Context: "New region roll-out."
Intent: "Need a decision."
Key Message: "Should we cancel the contract for additional."

Second, create a Summary Framing for the Conversation:

Context: "I have an update about the regional roll-out with two topics."
Intent and Key Message 1: "One is an FYI about the team’s performance."
Intent and Key Message 2: "The other needs a decision about the extra staffing."

Step by Step:

Start the Conversation with the Summary Framing
Deliver Framing 1 or Framing 2

In either order depending on the topic you or your audience would like to discuss first.

If you want to be certain your audience knows about the switch between the two topics:

Refer back to the Summary Framing where you said you had two (or more) topics to discuss.

References

How to Frame a Single Topic in a Conversation

Written by I. Rosas on August 05, 2023 in Communication Framework, Conversations with No comments

What is Framing?

Framing is the way to prepare an audience to receive your message before you go into detail. The framing should be no more than 3 sentences and delivered in less than 15 seconds.

Context. Orientate your audience with a simple statement.

Without context, the audience is not on the same page as you.

Never assume the other person knows what you are talking about.

Give context quickly, so your audience knows the topic you are going to talk about.

Name of the customer, project, issues, process, system, tool, task, or objective.

Examples:

"I'm working on the project ABC..."
"I was reviewing the new Information Security Policy..."
"We are closing the sale on the Jefferson account..."
"I want to reward m team..."

Intent. Let them know what you need them to do with the information you are about to share.

The longer it takes for your audience to understand the purpose of your message, the more likely they are to guess.
The audience is not processing the information in the way you want or need to.
The Six Work-related Intentions:

Needing Help/Advice/Input.

"Can you help me?"
"We need your input"
"Can you explain something?"

Requesting Action.

"Can you provide an update on...?"
"Can you send the contract to..."

Wanting a Decision.

"We need a decision on..."

Letting to Know Something is About to Happen.

"Heads up, something is about to happen on ..."
"You need to know this before you..."

Provide Information/Input.

"Here is the report you asked for"
"Here is the information you requested"

Just to Talk.

"I have a funny story to share..." or "Do you have time for a funny story?"
"You might find this interesting..." or "Would you like to know...."
"Can I vent for a minute?"

If you are the listener and you do not know the intent then ask.

"Is there something specific I can help with?"

Key Message. The line contains the most important piece of information your audience needs to know.

The Key Message doesn't have to summarize every detail but has the most important message you must communicate.

When you explain the lows and highs we lead the audience through them with us.
When the audience doesn't know how the story ends, they feel every high and low as if it was the potential outcome.
When you start with the Key Message you are telling them how the story ends.

You can use the following questions to find out your key message:

"Why am I telling this?"
"Is there something I need them to do?"

Answer the "So what?" question.
Here are some examples of concise key messages common in workplace situations:

"We just closed a new client"
"The team beat the service level target"
"The system is down and will take a week to fix it."
"I missed a deadline, and the customer is upset."

Not only the message delivered is faster, but the important information is clearer.
Find the most important sentence in your message and deliver it first.

After that, you can go with more details as you want.

Framing Examples

Example 1.

Context: "I am working on the ABC account."
Intent (only 1 of the 6): "I have good news."
Key message: "We just got them as a new client."

Example 2.

Context: "I read the report you sent me."
Intent (only 1 of the 6): "Can you explain something?"
Key message: "I want to understand the change in timeline."

Example 3.

Context: "I review the new IT policy."
Intent (only 1 of the 6): "You should know..."
Key message: "We just got them as a new client."

How to Know If You Need More than One Frame?

More than one Context.

If you want to talk about two different projects, clients, or situations, then you have two topics or frames.

More than one Intent.

If you need two different actions from your audience, you have two topics or frames.

With more than one Key Message.

You have more than one topic or frame.

If you fail to separate topics in your conversation, it can lead to an "ambush."

References

How to Pitch the Big Idea (part 1)

Written by I. Rosas on July 22, 2023 in Presentation Framework with No comments

Phase 0. Initial Contact

Introductory chitchat - Establish Status and use Frame Control.

Phase 1. Introduce Yourself and the Big Idea

Ease the audience.

"This pitch is going to be short, just about 20 minutes, and you won't be hanging around too long afterward"

Pass some material:

Marketing, visuals, samples.

Start with your track record of success.

Not all your projects, life history, or places where you worked for.
Things you built, and projects actually worked out.
Example:

"My degree is from..."
"After I was at... for X years, my home run(s) were: a)..."
"I left Y to work in the Big Idea"

Tell people one great thing about yourself and stop.

Set up the Why Now Frame.

Start by thinking in the broadest terms possible, going back as far as you need to go, to understand and explain how it comes from the past into the present and why it is important.

"In recent years, there hasn't been much going on in the business of... In fact, it would be fair to say that the market has been dead."

Explain your idea in terms of an emerging market opportunity (use the Three Market Forces Pattern).

"But now things are heating up, first Financial..., second the Social/Institution(s)..., third Technology/Competitor...."

Picture the idea of moving out of the old market into a new one.

Introducing the Big Idea:

Use the Big Introduction Pattern.

"For companies with large buildings in California and Arizona"
"Who is dissatisfied with their aging solar panels."
"My product is a plug-and-play solar accelerator"
"That provides 35 percent more energy from old panels."
"And unlike the cost of replacing panels, My product is inexpensive and has no moving parts."

Phase 2. Explain the Budget and Secret Sauce

Explain what Problems the Big Idea really solves and How it actually works.
Pitching numbers and projections.

Unrealistic budgets and miscalculating costs are the greatest risks to a growing company, especially a startup.
Focus on demonstrating your skill at budgeting, which is a complex and highly regarded executive talent.
Spend almost no time on your skills at projecting revenue, a task any simpleton can perform.

Explain the Competition

How easy it is for new competitors to jump into the game?
How easy it is for customers to switch out your product with another?

Explain the Secret Sauce.

Show what your competitive advantage is based on.

This one thing will give you staying power against the competition.
Briefly describe it as your "secret sauce", the unfair advantage you have over others.

Ideally 3 minutes and no more than 10 minutes.

Hold the audience's attention.

Use any of the Three Tension Patterns.

YOU: "Look there isn't too much else to do here. Let's call it the day, gentlemen thank you for your time.", pause, Person: "Is that all?".
YOU: "You are a nonbeliever, why should we waste time in Kabuki [theater]"
YOU: "Guys, since you can't think of any questions to throw at me, let me get those materials (those which you gave at the beginning of the presentation) back from you." Start walking around taking them gently out of their hands. In some cases pull more aggressively. Now they had something to lose and questions should start flowing.

Withdraw any material if you are not stopped when leaving.

Phase 3. Offer the Deal

Describe to your audience what they are going to receive when they decide to do business with you.

You'll want to push through this quickly for the sake of time
In clear and concise terms

Tell the audience exactly what you will be delivering to them.
When it will be delivered, and how.
If they play a part in this process, explain what their roles and responsibilities will be.
Don’t drill down into a lot of detail
Just provide summarized facts that they need to know so that their mental picture of your offering is complete.

It does not matter if you are offering a product, a service, an investment, or an intangible—there will be a fulfillment process involved, and that is what you must explain.

Keep it brief but rich in high-level details so there is no question as to what the audience is going to get. And remember, the most important deliverable in your deal is you.

The Three Market Forces Pattern: Trendcasting

Economic Forces.

Explain what has changed financially in the market for your Big Idea.
Forces that have a significant impact on business opportunities.
Forecast trends, an important development in your market and beyond.

Social Forces.

Emerging changes in people's behavior patterns exist for your big idea.

Technology Forces.

Technological change that favors the Business Model or Industry of your Big Idea.

The Big Introduction Pattern

"For [target customers]"
"Who are dissatisfied with [the current offerings in the market]"
"My idea/product is a [new idea or product category]"
"That provides [key problem/solution features]"
"Unlike [the competing product]. My idea/product is [describe key features]"

The Three Tension Patterns

Low-Key, Low-Intensity Push/Pull Pattern.

PUSH: "There's a real possibility that we might not be right for each other."
Pause. Allow the push to sink in. It must be authentic.
PULL: "But then again, if this did work out, our forces could combine to become something great."

Medium-Intensity Push/Pull Pattern.

PUSH: "There's so much more to a deal than just the idea. I mean, there's a venture-capital group in San Francisco that doesn’t even care what the idea is—they don’t even look at it when a deal comes in. The only thing they care about is who the people are behind the deal. That makes sense. I’ve learned that ideas are common, a dime a dozen. What really counts is having someone in charge who has passion and experience and integrity. So if you and I don’t have that view in common, it would never work between us."
Pause.
PULL: "But that's crazy to think. Obviously, you value people over smart ideas. I've met corporate robots before that only care about numbers—and you are definitely not a robot."

High-Intensity Push/Pull Pattern.

PUSH: "Based on the couple of reactions I’m getting from you—it seems like this isn’t a good fit. I think that you should only do deals where there is trust and deals you strongly
believe in. So let's just wrap this up for now and agree to get together on the next one."
Pause.

Wait for a response.
Start packing up your stuff.
Be willing to leave if the target doesn’t stop you.

References

How to Elevate your Social Status

Written by I. Rosas on July 15, 2023 in Presentation Framework, Social Interactions with No comments

Beta Traps

A beta trap is a subtle but effective social ritual that puts you in a low-status position and works to keep you there.

The lobby - tells you to be a well-behaved person.
The conference room - tells you you're a jester and you'll be valued based on the quality of your entertainment.
The public spaces - these are the most deadly beta traps and should be avoided.

These places tell the others "I'm needy", like a puppy in a cage.

Your social value is fluid and changes with the environment you are in or the environment you create.

While the global status of our social standing may remain whatever it is, our situation status can be mobilized in order to temporarily create a high-status position whenever that is needed.

The person is going to assign you an automatic calculation of the social value based on:

Your wealth.
Your power.
Your popularity.

From the calculation, a frame will be fixed.
The calculation is often unconscious.

If you wish to elevate your social value in any given situation you can do it by redirecting people into a domain where you are in charge - it's called local star power.

Elevating Social Status

The first thing to do when you meet a person is to establish local star power.

If the meeting happens on your turf:

Use your domain expertise and locational knowledge to take a high-status position.

If the meeting happens in the other person's domain (office or off-site location)

Arrive on time.
Choose a frame and force a collision at the most opportune moment.
Politely avoid social rituals that reinforce the status of others.

Look for opportunities to perpetrate small acts of denial

Use your local star power and redistribute some of this status to others in the room who will support your frame.
Don't force an error, wait for it.

Once the opportunity appears to say, "I need a glass of water" then disrupt the other person's frame.

Quickly move the discussion where you are the expert.

Ignore parts of the conversation that do not support your pitch.

Magnify the ones that do.

Use Information dominance to quickly shrinks the frame around your area of specialization, making you unassailable.

You are the expert.

Move the discussion to a level where you can't be challenged by using the primary core values.

Hard work, dominance expertise, and moral authority.

Apply Prize Frame

Positioning yourself as the reward by making the decision to do business with you.

"Remind me again why in the world I want to do business with you?, (let the person responds), Yeah, that's good. I'll keep it in mind"

Keep the person qualifying back to you as often as needed.

e.g.: "Have you ever done a deal this large?"

Before the other person reacts, quickly begin to pull away:

"Whoa, look at the time, I've got to run. Listen, guys, thanks for your attention today. If this works for you let me know it."