The Cheat Sheet — Pick Your Tool
🧠 Memory Hook
One question decides everything: "What am I trying to do?" — then grab the matching tool.
🎯 Which story for which moment
| Your moment | Use | Shape |
|---|---|---|
| Teaching a lesson / a quick point | Story → Point | 2 beats (simplest) |
| Business / persuading / pitching | Before–After–Bridge | 3 beats |
| A personal story / inspiring | The Story Arc | full arc |
💡 Keep it simple
You only need one tool per moment. Don't think about the structure and the story at once — pick the structure, then forget it and just tell the story. The story matters more than the frame. Master "Story → Point" first.
👧 Simple Version
"Ask 'am I teaching, persuading, or connecting?' — and grab the one matching tool."
📝 Quiz — 5/5 to complete
1. The one question to ask first is…
2. To teach a lesson / make a point, use…
3. To persuade or pitch, use…
4. To share a personal story / inspire, use…
5. Which should you master first?
Tool 1 — Story → Point (simplest — master first)
🧠 Memory Hook
Just 2 beats: tell what happened → say the one point. A little squiggle of story, then a big clear dot.
🎯 When to use it
Everyday — making a point in conversation, teaching a lesson, giving a quick example. Your bread-and-butter tool.
📐 The 2 steps
- Story — one quick, true thing that happened (a few sentences).
- Point — the one lesson, said in a single clear sentence.
💬 Example
"My son couldn't tie his shoes — frustrated, almost gave up. He practiced 5 minutes a day for a week, and got it (story). Anything 'too hard' is usually just something you haven't practiced enough yet (point)."
👧 Simple Version
"Tell what happened, then say the one thing it teaches. That's it."
📝 Quiz — 5/5 to complete
1. Story → Point has how many beats?
2. The "Point" should be…
3. This tool is best for…
4. The "Story" part should be…
5. Why master this one first?
Tool 2 — Before → After → Bridge
🧠 Memory Hook
3 beats: the Before (their pain) → the After (their dream) → the Bridge (your idea that connects them).
🎯 When to use it
Persuading — a business pitch, selling a service, getting a yes.
📐 The 3 steps
- Before — the problem they live with now.
- After — how good life looks once it's solved.
- Bridge — your solution that gets them there.
💬 Example
"Most families spend weeks lost, cold-calling care homes and getting nowhere (Before). Imagine making one call and having the right placement in days (After). That's exactly what Adult Care Finder is — the bridge between you and the right home (Bridge)."
👧 Simple Version
"Here's the problem, here's how good it could be, here's how we get there."
📝 Quiz — 5/5 to complete
1. "Before" describes…
2. "After" describes…
3. The "Bridge" is…
4. This tool is best for…
5. The order is…
Tool 3 — The Story Arc (the fullest)
🧠 Memory Hook
A mountain: climb to the peak (the struggle), then come down to the lesson. Hook → Struggle → Turning point → Lesson.
🎯 When to use it
Sharing a personal story — a talk, a testimony, building trust, inspiring a team.
📐 The steps
- Hook — open in a vivid, tense moment.
- Struggle — the obstacle or low point.
- Turning point — what changed it.
- Lesson — the one takeaway to leave them with.
💬 Example
"I almost quit in year one (Hook). No referrals, savings draining, doubting everything (Struggle). Then one hospital trusted us with a single patient — and that one yes snowballed (Turning point). You don't need a hundred yeses to start — you need one (Lesson)."
👧 Simple Version
"Grab them, show the struggle, show what changed, give the lesson."
📝 Quiz — 5/5 to complete
1. The Arc opens with a…
2. The low point is the…
3. The Arc ends with the…
4. This tool is best for…
5. The arc's shape is like a…