# Communication Storytelling Template ## Workflow Copy this checklist and track your progress: ``` Communication Template Progress: - [ ] Step 1: Gather audience intelligence - [ ] Step 2: Choose story structure - [ ] Step 3: Draft narrative elements - [ ] Step 4: Refine and polish - [ ] Step 5: Self-assess quality ``` **Step 1:** Ask input questions below. Deep understanding of audience is critical. See [Input Questions](#input-questions). **Step 2:** Match structure to situation. See [Story Structures](#story-structures). **Step 3:** Fill quick template. Write headline first. See [Quick Template](#quick-template) and [Field Guidance](#field-guidance). **Step 4:** Apply storytelling techniques. See [Storytelling Techniques](#storytelling-techniques). **Step 5:** Check against quality criteria. See [Quality Checklist](#quality-checklist). --- ## Input Questions **Required inputs:** 1. **Message** - What information/analysis/data needs to be communicated? What's the core insight, supporting evidence, backstory? 2. **Audience** - Who specifically (name/role)? Expertise level? What do they care about? Decision authority? Time available? 3. **Purpose** - What should audience do: inform, persuade, inspire, build trust? 4. **Context** - Stakes (low/medium/high)? Urgency? Sentiment (good/bad/neutral)? What do they already know? 5. **Tone** - Formal vs casual? Optimistic vs realistic? Urgent vs measured? Celebratory vs sobering? **Audience intelligence:** - What keeps them up at night? - What jargon do they use vs not understand? - What data/stories resonate with them? - What's their default response (skeptical, supportive, risk-averse)? --- ## Quick Template ```markdown # [Headline: One-sentence essence of your message] ## Key Points ### 1. [First key point - most important or foundational] **Proof:** [Concrete evidence: data, example, quote, story] ### 2. [Second key point - builds on first] **Proof:** [Concrete evidence with comparison or context] ### 3. [Third key point - completes the arc] **Proof:** [Concrete evidence tied to audience's priorities] ## Call to Action [One clear statement of what audience should do next] --- ## Context (optional) - **Audience:** [Who this is for] - **Background:** [What they need to know] - **Stakes:** [Why this matters] ``` --- ## Story Structures ### 1. Problem-Solution-Benefit (PSB) **Best for:** Recommendations, proposals, project updates **Structure:** (1) Problem - clearly defined issue with quantified stakes, (2) Solution - your recommendation with rationale, (3) Benefit - tangible outcomes with numbers, (4) Next Steps - concrete ask with timeline **Example:** "We should switch to monthly subscription pricing because it solves our unpredictable revenue problem. Current annual contracts create feast-or-famine cashflow (Q1 $800K, Q2 $200K). Monthly subscriptions smooth revenue, reduce sales cycle from 6 weeks to 1 week, and give us faster product feedback. Expected impact: +40% revenue predictability, -50% sales cycle time. Next step: 90-day pilot with new customers." ### 2. Hero's Journey (Transformation) **Best for:** Major changes, pivots, overcoming challenges **Structure:** (1) Where We Were - comfortable but problem lurking, (2) Why We Had to Change - problem emerges, (3) What We Tried - struggles that build credibility, (4) What Worked - the breakthrough with evidence, (5) What We Do Now - new normal with lessons, (6) Call to Action **Example:** "We've transformed from product-first to customer-first. For 3 years, we built features our engineers loved but churned 15% monthly. Data showed customers didn't understand our value. We tested: (1) Better onboarding—5% improvement, (2) Simpler pricing—no change, (3) Talking to 100 churned customers—breakthrough. They needed workflow automation, not platform flexibility. We rebuilt around workflows, churn dropped to 3%, NPS jumped from 32 to 61. Now every feature starts with customer interviews. Recommendation: Every team should talk to 5 customers this quarter." ### 3. Before-After-Bridge (BAB) **Best for:** Product launches, feature announcements, process improvements **Structure:** (1) Before - painful current state (audience's lived experience), (2) After - improved future state (what becomes possible), (3) Bridge - your solution (the path forward), (4) Call to Action **Example:** "Before: Customer success team spends 15 hours/week manually pulling data, creating charts, personalizing emails—error-prone and soul-crushing. After: One-click automated reports with live data, personalized insights, beautiful visuals—freeing 15 hours for high-value retention work. Bridge: We built CS Analytics Suite, launching March 1st with training and support. Sign up by Feb 15 for early access." ### 4. Situation-Complication-Resolution (SCR) **Best for:** Executive communications, board updates, investor relations **Structure:** (1) Situation - neutral baseline with context, (2) Complication - what changed or what's at stake, (3) Resolution - your strategy to address it, (4) Implications - impact on goals/priorities, (5) Call to Action **Example:** "Situation: We planned $10M ARR by Q4 with 70% from enterprise. Complication: Top 3 enterprise deals ($2M ARR) pushed to 2025 due to budget freezes—we'll miss target by 20%. Resolution: Pivoting resources to mid-market (faster sales cycles). Reallocating 2 AEs from enterprise to mid-market, launching self-serve tier for sub-$50K deals, extending runway by cutting non-essential hiring. Revised target: $8.5M ARR, 50% enterprise/50% mid-market. Risk: mid-market has higher churn, but faster iteration. Ask: Approve budget reallocation and delay 3 engineering hires to Q1 2025." --- ## Field Guidance ### Crafting Headlines **Purpose:** Capture essence in one sentence. Reader understands your core message in 10 seconds. **Formula options:** - Recommendation: "We should [do X] because [key reason]" - Insight: "[Counter-intuitive finding] means [implication]" - Achievement: "We've [accomplished X], proven by [key metric]" - Problem: "[Problem] is costing us [quantified impact]" **Good:** ✅ "We've reached product-market fit (proven by 28% growth with flat sales capacity)" **Bad:** ❌ "Q3 Business Review" (too vague, no insight) ### Structuring Key Points **Purpose:** 3-5 supporting ideas with logical flow. Each point must be distinct, well-supported, and advance the narrative. **Flow options:** Chronological (past→present→future) | Problem→Solution (pain→fix→benefit) | Importance-ranked (critical→supporting→implications) **Each key point needs:** - Clear claim (one sentence) - Concrete proof (data, examples, quotes) - Connection to headline **Testing:** Can you defend this with evidence? Is it distinct from other points? Does it pass "so what?" test? Would removing it weaken your case? ### Adding Proof **Purpose:** Evidence that substantiates claims. Without proof, you're asking blind trust. **Types:** 1. **Quantitative:** "Churn dropped from 8% to 3% monthly" | "2x faster than industry benchmark" 2. **Qualitative:** Customer quotes | User stories | Expert opinions 3. **Examples:** Case studies | Analogies | Scenarios 4. **Logic:** First principles | Causal chains | Elimination ("tested 5, 4 failed") **Best practices:** One key piece per point | Cite sources | Use comparisons for context | Humanize data with stories ### Writing Call-to-Action **Purpose:** Clear statement of what audience should do next. **Strong CTAs:** ✅ Specific ("Approve $500K budget"), Achievable ("Attend 30-min demo"), Time-bound ("Respond by Friday"), Clear owner **Weak CTAs:** ❌ Vague ("Think about this"), Passive ("It would be great if..."), No timeline, Too many asks **By purpose:** - Inform: "No action needed, will update next week" - Persuade: "Approve [decision] by [date]" - Inspire: "Each team should [action] this quarter" - Build trust: "Here's our plan, open to feedback by [date]" --- ## Storytelling Techniques ### Specificity Over Generality ❌ Vague: "We have many happy customers" ✅ Specific: "47 customers gave 5-star reviews in past month, 32 mentioning faster load times" ❌ Vague: "This will improve efficiency" ✅ Specific: "This reduces manual work from 15 hours/week to 2 hours, freeing 520 hours annually per team member" ### Show, Don't Tell ❌ Tell: "Our customers love the new feature" ✅ Show: "Within 2 weeks, 83% of active users tried the new feature, 67% use it daily. Acme Corp said it 'eliminated 3 hours of manual work each day.'" ❌ Tell: "The problem is urgent" ✅ Show: "We lose $50K in potential revenue every week this persists. Three major prospects ($1.5M ARR combined) cited this as their reason for choosing competitors." ### Humanize Data ❌ Raw: "Customer acquisition cost increased 23% in Q3" ✅ Humanized: "We're now spending $1,150 to acquire each customer, up from $935—that's the cost of hiring an intern for a month, per customer" ❌ Raw: "System latency is 450ms at p95" ✅ Humanized: "When customers click 'Submit Order,' they wait almost half a second—long enough to wonder if it worked and click again, creating duplicate orders" ### Build Tension and Resolution ❌ No tension: "We launched a new feature and it's doing well. Adoption is 75%." ✅ With tension: "After 6 months building feature X, we launched to crickets—only 12% adoption in week 1. We interviewed non-adopters and discovered they didn't understand it solved their problem. We rewrote in-app messaging to show use cases, and adoption jumped to 75% in 2 weeks." **Pattern:** Set up expectation → Introduce complication → Show struggle → Reveal resolution → Extract lesson ### Use Analogies from Audience's Domain - Technical→Executive: "Microservices are like specialized teams instead of generalists—faster iteration, but requires coordination overhead" - Data→Business: "This metric is a leading indicator, like smoke before fire—by the time revenue drops, we've already lost the battle" ### Lead with Insight, Not Data ❌ Data-first: "Here are our Q3 numbers: $2.3M revenue, 520 customers, 3.2% churn, 58 NPS, 28% QoQ growth." ✅ Insight-first: "We've hit product-market fit. The proof: Revenue grew 28% while sales capacity stayed flat—customers are pulling product from us. Churn dropped 36% as we focused on power users. NPS jumped 16 points to 58, driven by the exact 3 features we bet on." **Pattern:** Lead with conclusion → Support with 2-3 key data points → Explain what data means → State implications --- ## Quality Checklist Before delivering, verify: **Structure:** - [ ] Headline captures essence in one sentence - [ ] 3-5 key points (distinct, not overlapping) - [ ] Logical flow (points build on each other) - [ ] Clear call-to-action **Proof:** - [ ] Every claim has concrete evidence - [ ] Data is specific (numbers, names, dates) - [ ] Sources cited for major claims - [ ] Comparisons provide context **Audience Fit:** - [ ] Jargon appropriate for expertise level - [ ] Tone matches situation - [ ] Length matches time constraints - [ ] Addresses audience's key concerns - [ ] Front-loads conclusions **Storytelling:** - [ ] Uses specifics over generalities - [ ] Shows rather than tells - [ ] Humanizes data with context/stories - [ ] Builds tension and resolution where appropriate - [ ] Uses analogies from audience's domain **Clarity:** - [ ] Can summarize in one sentence - [ ] Each point passes "so what?" test - [ ] No passive voice hiding accountability - [ ] No walls of text (uses white space, bullets, headers) - [ ] Reads aloud smoothly **Integrity:** - [ ] Acknowledges limitations and risks - [ ] No misleading by omission - [ ] States assumptions explicitly - [ ] Distinguishes facts from speculation - [ ] Takes accountability **Impact:** - [ ] Creates urgency if action needed - [ ] Builds confidence if trust needed - [ ] Provides clear next steps - [ ] Memorable (one key takeaway sticks) --- ## Common Pitfalls **Burying the lede:** ❌ "Let me give background... [500 words later] ...so here's what we should do" | ✅ "We should do X. Here's why: [background as support]" **Death by bullets:** ❌ Slide deck with 50 bullets, no narrative thread | ✅ Narrative with bullets supporting each point **Jargon mismatch:** ❌ Using terms executives don't know (or dumbing down for experts) | ✅ Matching sophistication to audience, defining terms when needed **Data without interpretation:** ❌ "Churn is 3.2%, NPS is 58, CAC is $1,150" | ✅ "We're retaining customers well (3.2% churn is top quartile), but they're expensive to acquire ($1,150 CAC means 18-month payback)" **Vague CTA:** ❌ "Let's be more customer-focused" | ✅ "Each team should interview 5 customers this quarter using the research guide [link]" **No stakes:** ❌ "We should consider improving page load time" | ✅ "Page load time is 2.5 seconds, costing us 30% of potential conversions ($800K annually). Optimizing to 1 second recovers $240K in year 1."