From Brand Clarity to Team Buy-In: Park Howell on Narrative Leadership

Can you just take us through what the ABT framework is and why you like to start there?

Well, I find that the and, but, therefore, that's what ABT stands for, is literally the DNA of storytelling.

You are gonna find this little short three-word framework at the heart of virtually every story ever told and how chief communication officers and sales and marketing folks can use it.

Now, as you mentioned, I've been in the branding, advertising, marketing world for 40-plus years, and my whole thing is always about making a complex message simple, compelling, easily gettable, and get your audience leaning in within those first few seconds of hearing about you.

So I learned about the and, but, therefore framework.

I didn't invent it, Rob.

It's been around literally since the beginning of recorded storytelling.

But I learned about it back in 2013, so what? Almost, what? 13, 14 years ago, and it's something I wished I had learned in the third grade because it is simply that powerful.

The way it works is this: it uses the and, but, therefore.

And stands for so...

And statement of agreement.

One sentence that gets your audience on board, that demonstrates you understand them, and you appreciate what they want relative to your offering and why that's important to them.

So you're getting people to nod, say, "Oh, wow, you actually know me.

You understand me.

Great.

We have this shared vision for my success." Then you introduce the but statement of contradiction, and that is the problem you are going to solve, you know.

But you're frustrated because you don't have what you want due to this problem.

And then you... that moves you into the therefore statement of consequence.

Therefore, imagine when you get it when you do this with me or buy our product or service or help you overcome that.

So it uses those three forces of story, of agreement, contradiction, and consequence that our primal, pattern-seeking, problem-solving, decision-making, buying limbic brain loves because what we're doing is we're delivering it messages in the way this meaning-making apparatus wants to receive it.

Problem, solution, dynamic.

Rob, another way to think about it is simply act one, setting the scene, your statement of agreement.

Act two, where the action occurs, the problem, and what kind of angst this problem is causing, which then opens up this story loop that our brain wants you to close with act three, the therefore statement of consequence.

Therefore, how are you going to help them get what they want? Set up problem, resolution.

Mm.

Can you just take us through what the ABT framework is and why you like to start there?

Well, I find that the and, but, therefore, that's what ABT stands for, is literally the DNA of storytelling.

You are gonna find this little short three-word framework at the heart of virtually every story ever told and how chief communication officers and sales and marketing folks can use it.

Now, as you mentioned, I've been in the branding, advertising, marketing world for 40-plus years, and my whole thing is always about making a complex message simple, compelling, easily gettable, and get your audience leaning in within those first few seconds of hearing about you.

So I learned about the and, but, therefore framework.

I didn't invent it, Rob.

It's been around literally since the beginning of recorded storytelling.

But I learned about it back in 2013, so what? Almost, what? 13, 14 years ago, and it's something I wished I had learned in the third grade because it is simply that powerful.

The way it works is this: it uses the and, but, therefore.

And stands for so...

And statement of agreement.

One sentence that gets your audience on board, that demonstrates you understand them, and you appreciate what they want relative to your offering and why that's important to them.

So you're getting people to nod, say, "Oh, wow, you actually know me.

You understand me.

Great.

We have this shared vision for my success." Then you introduce the but statement of contradiction, and that is the problem you are going to solve, you know.

But you're frustrated because you don't have what you want due to this problem.

And then you... that moves you into the therefore statement of consequence.

Therefore, imagine when you get it when you do this with me or buy our product or service or help you overcome that.

So it uses those three forces of story, of agreement, contradiction, and consequence that our primal, pattern-seeking, problem-solving, decision-making, buying limbic brain loves because what we're doing is we're delivering it messages in the way this meaning-making apparatus wants to receive it.

Problem, solution, dynamic.

Rob, another way to think about it is simply act one, setting the scene, your statement of agreement.

Act two, where the action occurs, the problem, and what kind of angst this problem is causing, which then opens up this story loop that our brain wants you to close with act three, the therefore statement of consequence.

Therefore, how are you going to help them get what they want? Set up problem, resolution.

Mm.