3 Frameworks To Sound Credible And Clear
Read Time: 3 Minutes
"The problem isn't that my ideas are bad. The problem is that nobody understands them well enough to fully buy in."
Over the past year of coaching senior ICs, managers, and C-Suite leaders, this sentiment comes up a lot. They have the technical expertise. They understand their domain well. But they get lost presenting information in a way that sticks.
The common mistake? Jumping straight into the "how" without framing the "why." Getting mired in the tactics without establishing the strategic importance.
Today, I'll share three frameworks that will help you package your ideas in a way that resonates with any audience. I've used these exact frameworks in high-stakes situations like presenting to Fortune 500 executives at the NBA and pitching partnerships at Lucid Software.
Let's dive in.
The Data/Insight/Strategy Framework
This framework is perfect for when you need to drive action from data and analysis. Instead of drowning your audience in metrics, it helps you tell a compelling story.
Here's how it works:
Data: Present 2-3 key metrics or findings that paint a clear picture
Insight: Explain what these numbers mean for the business
Strategy: Outline specific actions based on these insights
Example: A product manager presenting adoption metrics:
Data: "Only 900 users have installed the integration over the past year. However, return usage is 50% higher than the average product feature."Insight: "The data suggests our go-to-market strategy, not the feature itself, is the bottleneck. Users who understand the feature love it, but we're failing to communicate its value effectively."Strategy: "We need to simplify our messaging and create targeted educational content. I propose a three-month campaign focused on use cases that have shown the highest engagement."
The Impact/Risk/Action Framework
When you need to drive urgency around a critical issue, this framework helps you balance the gravity of the situation with a clear path forward.
Impact: What's happening right now that matters?
Risk: What could get worse if we don't act?
Action: What specific steps will address both the current impact and future risks?
Example: An engineering manager discussing technical debt:
Impact: "Our deployment times have increased from 20 minutes to 2 hours, directly affecting our ability to ship features and fix bugs quickly."Risk: "If left unaddressed, we estimate a 40% decrease in team velocity by Q4, putting our major product launch at risk."Action: "We need a dedicated technical debt sprint, focusing on our deployment pipeline and test automation. Here are the processes that I would implement to resolve this issue."
The Problem/Context/Solution Framework
This framework excels at helping audiences understand complex challenges and building buy-in for your proposed solutions.
Problem: What specific challenge needs addressing?
Context: What key factors or history shaped this situation?
Solution: What comprehensive approach will resolve it?
Example: A sales director discussing territory changes:
Problem: "Our enterprise sales team is hitting only 60% of quota despite strong market demand."Context: "Our territories were designed three years ago when we were primarily mid-market focused. We now have 3x more enterprise prospects but the same territory structure, creating coverage gaps and internal conflicts."Solution: "We need to redesign territories based on account potential rather than geography. This will reduce internal friction and allow us to properly serve our largest opportunities. Here's how we'll do it..."
Key Takeaway
Frameworks are guides. If you feel compelled to speak in a more free-form manner, do that. However, make sure that your points aren't merely statements of fact. They're tied to the "why."
These are just three of the fourteen presentation frameworks I teach in ā€‹The Impromptu Speakers Academyā€‹, along with my complete playbook that helps you speak credibly at work to leadership, your team, and customers. If you're interested, sign up while spots are still available. The 3-week cohort starts on Monday, January 6th and includes six live sessions with me, group coaching, and more than 13 hours of in-depth video lessons that I haven't shared anywhere else. If you're interested, sign up while spots are still available.
Hope this helps.
Best,
Preston
