What storytelling framework works for you?

It depends on the audience, medium, and the main goal of the story you’re telling, but a very basic framework I use—and one that I’ve found to be the most effective for business storytelling—looks like this:

1. State the pain/challenge – What’s the core problem or need? This draws the audience in by addressing something relatable.

2. Present the solution – How are you solving it, and what makes your solution different from others? This is the heart of the story where the value is communicated.

3. Highlight the benefit/results – Why does it matter, and what’s the impact? How is your approach better or more effective than alternatives?

4. End with a CTA – What’s the next step or action the audience should take?

This framework is simple yet powerful because it hits all the critical elements: it identifies the problem, communicates a clear and differentiated solution, proves the value, and provides a call to action. It’s flexible enough to be used across formats—pitch decks, customer stories, blog posts, or internal presentations—while ensuring the message is clear, focused, and impactful.