Communication Framework
How to articulate yourself intelligently
Build your inner album of greatest hits and master 3 frameworks for writing and speaking with clarity, from beginner to advanced.
Select any text and right-click to add a sticky note.
The Inner Album of Greatest Hits
8-10 big ideas you can connect to almost any topic
"I've been getting invited onto more big podcasts. There is a lot on the line. These big podcasters pour tens of thousands of dollars into production quality. It's nerve-racking."
– Dan Koe
If you want to articulate yourself intelligently, you need a pool of 8-10 of your biggest ideas that can be connected to almost any topic. Then, when it's time to write or speak in any situation, you have a starting point that you've already thought through hundreds of times before.
Jordan Peterson, in his prime, was known for his articulation. He was captivating. Why? Look at his body of work and it's obvious. If you do not have a body of work around the topics you wish to articulate yourself, you may want to increase your expectations as to the work you have ahead of you.
Your Inner Album of Greatest Hits
8-10 big ideas you can connect to almost any topic
Like a musician with their greatest hits, your best ideas deserve to be repeated. Refine them through thousands of iterations until they become second nature.
Now, why do you listen to your favorite musician? Because they have a specific sound or style that you enjoy. Most of their music sounds the same with slight variations. You can listen to a few seconds and know exactly which artist plays it.
The same applies to being a creator, writer, speaker, or just a person who wants to articulate themselves. You need to write or speak, thousands of times, until your best ideas are obvious. The most important ideas deserve to be repeated.
Writing Is How You Practice
If thinking were a puzzle, writing is putting the pieces together
If you don't know what to learn, start writing. Not because writing is some shortcut you can't stop looking for, but because writing teaches you how to think, how to learn, and how to inspire people to care about what you do.
You already write every single day. You text your family and friends. You email your prospects, clients, and coworkers. The foundation of media (which is how you get your work in front of people) is writing.
Right now, the attention is on social media, YouTube, podcasts, and advertisements. All of which require you to articulate persuasively in the form of video scripts, posts, and sales copywriting.
That's how you practice articulating your ideas. You set aside time to write about the topics you want to be articulate with. As a bonus, by posting your ideas in public, you get direct feedback as to which are the most impactful.
Beginner: The Micro Story
The mind is a story engine
"If the person on the receiving end actually has the problem and desires the solution, they can't help but be interested."
– Dan Koe
Humans can't help but pay attention to a story, especially if it's short and impactful. Once you learn how to do it well, you can effectively short-circuit someone's brain into being interested in the topic you are talking about.
The foundation of a story is transformation. This can be as simple as introducing a problem and giving a solution.
The PAS Framework
- Problem: State a relatable problem that you've observed or experienced before.
- Amplify: Illustrate how that problem leads to a negative outcome if not solved.
- Solution: State the solution to the problem in one sentence or a short list.
If you've studied copywriting at all, you've seen this before. It's so simple, yet so powerfully taps into human psychology. After 6 years of doing this, it's still my go-to when I need to articulate a thought fast.
Intermediate: The Pyramid Principle
Structure ideas hierarchically for maximum clarity
The Pyramid Principle is a communication framework that structures ideas in a hierarchical, logical way to make information more palatable and persuasive.
Unlike most content today that waits to give you the answer until the end of the video, this takes an answer-first approach.
3 Methods to Articulate Yourself
From beginner to advanced, each builds on the last
Transform any idea into a compelling story structure
Alex Hormozi is great at this. If asked "What's the greatest skill you can learn?" He wouldn't just say "sales" - he'd respond with his viral idea:
"The single greatest skill you can develop is the ability to stay in a great mood in the absence of things to be in a great mood about."
Not only is that unexpected (novel), but it sets up an interesting conversation. And since it already has 105 thousand likes, when clipped, it will lead to exponentially more results than trying to say something new.
Advanced: Cross Domain Synthesis
Connect ideas across different fields for unique insights
"If I'm talking about deep work, I can use the concept of entropy from physics to illustrate how distraction works."
– Dan Koe
This one is my favorite because I have multiple interests. It's hard for me to stick to one topic. I love studying psychology, philosophy, business, design, tech, health, and really anything that gives me tools to live a better life.
The Structure
- Problem + Amplify: Your introduction should state a relatable problem and illustrate what happens if not solved.
- Cross-domain synthesis: Note patterns from your other interests that support your argument. If talking about deep work, use entropy from physics to explain distraction.
- Unique process: Give steps that solve the problem from your own contemplation rather than someone else's prescription.
This teaches your audience something new, and you can sleep well knowing that all other content on that topic does not do this.
Writing Legos
Ideas come in predictable forms you can snap together
The problem with advanced methods is they lead to something very long. If you're just starting out, you'll be staring at a blank screen because you don't know how to fill in each section.
Luckily, writing is like legos with ideas, and ideas come in predictable forms. If you understand those forms, you can guide your mind to brainstorming what to write next.
Writing Legos
Building blocks you can snap together in any order
Click blocks above to build your outline
These are the "legos" that compose most of my outlines. I tend to cycle through all of them in my head. Once you get the hang of it, it becomes second nature, and your thinking process starts to rewire.