Persuasion
Problem, impact, solution, action
Take an audience from recognising a problem to doing something specific.
The shape
- Problem
- Impact
- Solution
- Action
Why that order
The solution arrives connected to an established need rather than as a proposal in search of one. Leading with the solution makes the problem sound retrofitted.
A worked example
- Problem
- Our support response time has increased.
- Impact
- It is affecting customer satisfaction.
- Solution
- Introduce automated ticket routing.
- Action
- I recommend piloting it with the enterprise queue next month.
What usually goes wrong
An action so large it is really a second decision. The last step should be the smallest thing that starts it.
Used in
Where this shape does its work in a real situation.
Mostly serves Message, and reaches into Intent and Connection.
A framework tells you what shape the answer takes. It cannot tell you whether shape is what you are short of, and for most people it is not. Which one is yours, and whether a framework is the right instrument at all, is what a Discovery Call is for.
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