Effective Communication Framework

Now that you've created objection awareness, it's time to craft your actual pitch. We're starting with step one, the claim. Here's the key. Keep it brief and make it intriguing. You want to promise a clear benefit while also addressing the likely objection your audience might have. Let's look at the example from the framework. We've developed a decision framework that helps teams reach decisions faster, without sacrificing quality. Notice what's happening here? The benefit is speeding up decisions. That's intriguing. But the second half addresses the elephant in the room: the fear of making bad decisions. You are using your objection prep to craft a claim that proposes value but also speaks to what concerns them most.

Now that you've made your claim, it's time to back it up with your trust statement. This is where you provide the evidence that makes people feel, I can trust this person. Start with the expression "for example," then use concrete details like names, numbers, and times. Let's look at our example. "For example, during a pilot in May with four teams, decisions that typically took 2 weeks were made in five days, and none had to be reversed or reworked. Sarah Chan called it 'faster, not looser.'" Notice that this gives a number of teams, four, a specific time, May, concrete numbers including perspective, two weeks versus five days, and a real person with a real quote, Sarah Chan. These details make people think, 'I can trust this person.'

You've sparked curiosity and built trust with your claim and evidence statements. Now boil everything down to one simple conclusion. No jargon, no complexity. Here's our example: "The bottom line is, we saved time, and the quality held." That's the moment everything clicks. By saying 'the bottom line is,' you signal you're about to make it simple. Don't add new information here - just distill your Step 1 claim into one unforgettable takeaway.

We've reached the final step: your call to action. You don't want people walking away just feeling informed, you want them to do something. Be concrete and make the yes easy. Instead of saying, "let me know what you think," be more concrete. Here's the example: "Would you be open to trying this framework for one of the decisions in next week's team meeting?" Notice how specific that is. It references a specific event—next week's meeting—and specific scope—just one decision on the agenda. Your listener knows exactly what you're asking for. No guessing, no confusion, just a clear path to yes.