Coaching practices for Exceptions to Problem Story
Describe almost anything you are working through and IX Coach finds the practices whose real-world fit is closest. For Exceptions to Problem Story, these are the strongest matches in the current practice library.
Does this sound like the set of challenges you might be facing?
- I’m so convinced I’m "the one who always falls apart" that I can’t see anything else
- Every time I name what went wrong it comes across as pointing a finger at a person or a team in the room, and the whole thing turns defensive
- It feels like this is just how I am
- I’ve got this clean, satisfying explanation for why it all went the way it did, and it feels airtight
- When I tell people what happened it comes out as a flat recap
Practices that may help
- Finding Unique Outcomes (Exceptions to the Problem Story)
Surface moments when the problem did NOT dominate — these are the seeds of an alternative story.
Narrative Therapy: Rewriting the Stories That Define You - Name the antagonist: what is the obstacle, not who
Every compelling story has something working against the protagonist — name the force, not a person.
Storytelling for Persuasion, Made Practical - Exception Finding: When Is the Problem Already Less Severe?
Identify times when the problem was absent or less severe — these are evidence that solutions already exist.
Solution-Focused Brief Therapy: Building On What Works - Identify what the narrative leaves out
After hearing or constructing a causal story, deliberately list the facts it doesn’t explain.
The Narrative Fallacy: Why We Can’t Stop Making Stories - Structure the story as a transformation, not a summary
The protagonist (you, your customer, your team) should be different at the end than at the beginning.
Storytelling for Persuasion, Made Practical - Create tension before resolution
Name the problem or threat clearly before you offer the solution.
Storytelling for Persuasion, Made Practical - Be skeptical of clean lessons extracted from messy outcomes
When a story produces a neat takeaway, ask whether the lesson is actually in the data or in the narrative shaping.
The Narrative Fallacy: Why We Can’t Stop Making Stories - Use concrete sensory detail, not abstract description
The details that trigger imagery are the ones that produce transportation — vague language doesn’t.
Storytelling for Persuasion, Made Practical - Master your stories
Separate the facts from the story you’re telling about them before you react.
Crucial Conversations, Made Practical - Consult an outside observer to counteract narrative pull
Describe the scenario to someone who doesn’t share your narrative context and listen to their probability estimate.
The Conjunction Fallacy — When "More Details" Feels More Likely
Related concerns
- Conflict In Storytelling
Every compelling story has something working against the protagonist — name the force, not a person.
Name the antagonist: what is the obstacle, not who
- How To Build Suspense In A Business Story
Name the problem or threat clearly before you offer the solution.
Create tension before resolution
- Narrative Conflict Resolution
Name the problem or threat clearly before you offer the solution.
- Narrative Tension Technique
Name the problem or threat clearly before you offer the solution.
- Separating Facts From Stories
List the raw facts, then list the story you’ve layered on top — and check whether the story actually follows.
Separate the data from the narrative you’ve built around it
- Storytelling For Persuasion At Work
When listeners become absorbed in a narrative, their counter-argument generation drops and attitudes shift toward the story’s perspective — a process called narrative transportation. Experimental research confirms that well-crafted stories can be more persuasive than equivalent statistical evidence, particularly for value-laden or identity-relevant topics.
Describe your situation in your own words to search the complete practice library.