Step 1: Define an “Application” of Your Message

First stage, “about us” presentation Investor pitch Breakout session Keynote presentation Multi-part workshop Internal conversation asking for commitment or resources Fundraising asks: Fundraising materials and slide decks Case statements First conversation The Ask Books: Summary for a book proposal or treatment Back cover copy

Your messages are the clothes you put on your “invisible person” of an idea, depending on your audience and the outcome you seek.

people don’t just want the answer. They want their answer. They need to find their own way to your idea.

You may have one idea, but you can’t ever have just one message about it. There is no such thing as a “one size fits all” version of your message.

My goal? Find a way to structure a story that would be simple enough for busy people to learn, remember, and apply easily, be flexible enough to cover multiple applications, and still capture the most critical elements, and benefits, of story.

Step 2: Define the Outcome Your Message Should Achieve

Problem: Your idea has and is a story, but stories and ideas aren’t the same. There’s always more than one way to talk about your idea. Truth: Situation drives story. What you say about your idea depends on whom you’re talking to and what you want to achieve. Change: Find the story that suits the situation. Action: Define the application, outcome,

your Red Thread will give them, and their brains, a map to follow.