I came across this recent video from Vicky Zhao last week and loved her brief summary of how she grew in her ability to clearly articulate ideas on the spot by getting to the point, using story structure from improv, and forcing specificty in sharp, boilerplate phrasing with clever mental models. Highly recommended watch.
I loved it so much, I took notes. I’m sharing those here but with some other related advice for writing, reading, thinking, and decision-making folded in. I hope you’ll find it useful as you watch, or re-watch.
Get to the point
Vicky Zhao recommends following the framework of “the one thing you must know about this topic is …” when you start sharing an idea.
- Use your language to guide your thinking before you even have chance to ramble.
- The easiest way to get to the point is to use the word “one.”
- Start with, “the one thing you must know about this topic is …”
- It doesn’t have to be a groundbreaking statement. The purpose is to provide clarity and direction for you and your audience.
- As you continue, you’ll be able to refine the initial statement.
This idea is a lot like a McKinsey- or BCG-style Action Title for presentations in Slide Decks. An action title is like the “So what?” statement for your slide that captures the singular point and key takeaway of what your slide is all about.
| Conventional title | Action title |
|---|---|
| Survey results | Survey output indicates main root cause of churn is awareness of better value for money offering. |
| Monthly churn by customer tenure | Yearly renewal prompt found to be strong driver of churn |
| Overview of churn management initiatives | Based on current performance and required implementation efforts we have identified 11 initiatives to initiate in the short run |
| Sales in M USD and number of widgets sold | Widget market in US is estimated to be 907 mUSD with 5.1% growth p.a. but with DtC segment in decline |
Providing this at the top of a slide — just like starting with “the one thing you must know about this topic is,” — frames the whole presentation you’re making, grabs your audience right away, and helps them evaluate and understand everything you’re going to say next.
Lately, I’ve been doing this even in my Slack communication, leading with a tl;dr or something like Dharmesh Shah’s communication with Flashtags and then following with a short, bullet list expansion of the statement.
You can also follow this framework when it’s you who is the audience.
If you’re reading a non-fiction book, follow Mortimer Adler’s advice on How to Read a Book. Read the book backwards, read the index, and skim the whole book — before you even consider reading it. This lets you absorb the main thesis, the “one thing”, and better understand the arguments to follow.
Add story structure
Sharing ideas in the framework of a 3-line scene will help you think on your feet and get your point across.
Line 1
- The first line sets the scene and you already have this in place if you’re starting with “the one thing you must know about this topic is …”
- This will put everyone on the edge of their seat eager to know more.
Line 2
- The second line adds depth and you can add depth in two ways.
- First, you can go deeper with statements like, “What I mean by X is …” and follow up with an explanation of your “one thing.”
- Or you can add depth by introducing a surprise — something that people wouldn’t know by staying on the surface. Introduce a “BUT the surprising thing about X is …” statement that adds a surprising wrinkle to the “one thing.” This really puts people on the edge of their seat.
Line 3
- The third line answers the question, “What’s next?” and you have two options for resolution here.
- First, you can open the conversation with a Question, “And the question is X — discuss.” This will propel you into a discussion and contribution phase.
- Or, you can close the conversation with an Answer by using the phrase, “And it’s because … X.”
This 3-line scene framework of setting the stage, introducing a new wrinkle, and then swinging into a resolution phase follows the structure of all great storytelling. The Story Spine is a great example of what that looks like in a structure we’re all probably more familiar with.
Once upon a time there was ______. Every day, ______. One day ______. Because of that, ______. Because of that, ______. Until finally ______.
You’ll find stories like that set up everywhere. Even in UX Design.
Be specific
Specificity forces articulate communicaiton.
- The advice above uses set phrases to introduce specificity like, “The one thing you need to know about this topic is …”, “What I mean by X is …”, “But the surprising thing about X is …”, “And the question is …”, “And it’s because … X.”
- To practice being more specific use Via Negativa: talking about what something is not rather than what it is.
- Sometimes it can be really difficult to articulate exactly what something is but it’s easier to say what it’s not.
- When you’re on the spot and under pressure, using Via Negativa can really help you rethink what you’re trying to say, and focus in on the specific things people need to understand.
This is also just great advice when you’re not on the spot and trying to check your own thinking. I’ll leave you with the advice of legendary investor Charlie Munger here in his famous speech at Harvard in 1986, How to Guarantee a Life of Misery, and expanded version of Johnny Carson’s similar speech to the Harvard Class, which itself is Via Negativa in action. His recommendation to always “invert” reminds me of it most though.
What Carson did was to approach the study of how to create X by turning the question backward, that is, by studying how to create non-X. The great algebraist, Jacobi, had exactly the same approach as Carson and was known for his constant repetition of one phrase: “Invert, always invert.” It is in the nature of things, as Jacobi knew, that many hard problems are best solved only when they are addressed backward
I’ve also heard this expressed as a way to get to decisions faster. When people can’t decide on a several options you can promote a “bad idea” and watch people start defining better ones in answer to it. Like suggesting McDonald’s as the choice when no one can decide on a restaurant. Suddenly, people can decide pretty quickly in the moment then. 🙂
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