Coaching practices for Narrative Pull in Planning
Describe almost anything you are working through and IX Coach finds the practices whose real-world fit is closest. For Narrative Pull in Planning, these are the strongest matches in the current practice library.
Does this sound like the set of challenges you might be facing?
- I’m all in on this plan and the success story in my head is so vivid I can already taste it
- When I tell people what happened it comes out as a flat recap
- I build all this momentum and then kill it by ending on "so, in summary, the key takeaways are…"
- My storytelling stays at the level of "a significant challenge during a difficult period," and it just slides past people without leaving a mark
- I open with my thesis and a wall of supporting points, and I can watch the room go into critique-mode and pick it apart
Practices that may help
- Run a pre-mortem to interrupt forward narrative construction
Before committing to a plan, imagine it failed completely — then generate the most plausible story of why.
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 - Storytelling for Persuasion, Made Practical
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. - Close with a specific call to action, not a summary
A story landing on "so we should all…" is more powerful than a bullet-point recap.
Storytelling for Persuasion, Made Practical - 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 - Lead with a character, not a point
Open with a specific person in a specific situation before you state your argument.
Storytelling for Persuasion, Made Practical - Build a coherent narrative across your three plans
Find the values and themes that appear across all three plans — they are your non-negotiables.
Odyssey Plans: Designing Three Alternative Futures - Invoke the outside view before committing to any significant plan
Before finalizing a plan or forecast, ask "How did similar things go?" as the first checkpoint.
The Outside View - Create tension before resolution
Name the problem or threat clearly before you offer the solution.
Storytelling for Persuasion, Made Practical - Generate alternative histories for past outcomes
For any past success or failure, construct two or three plausible alternative paths that could have led to a different outcome.
The Narrative Fallacy: Why We Can’t Stop Making Stories
Related concerns
- How To End A Persuasive Story
A story landing on "so we should all…" is more powerful than a bullet-point recap.
Close with a specific call to action, not a summary
- How To Tell A Persuasive Story
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.
- 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.
- Storytelling For Persuasion During A Big Change
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.
- Storytelling For Persuasion In A New Job
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.
- Antagonist In Business 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
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