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strategic-storytelling skill

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This skill helps you craft compelling product narratives using strategic storytelling frameworks to pitch, present, and frame features as stories.

npx playbooks add skill menkesu/awesome-pm-skills --skill strategic-storytelling

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SKILL.md

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---
name: strategic-storytelling
description: Crafts product narratives using Andy Raskin's strategic narrative structure and Nancy Duarte's presentation frameworks. Use when writing pitches, creating presentations, framing features as stories, or building compelling product narratives.
---

# Strategic Narrative

## When This Skill Activates

Claude uses this skill when:
- Writing product pitches
- Creating presentations
- Framing features as stories
- Building product narratives

## Core Frameworks

### 1. Strategic Narrative Structure (Source: Andy Raskin)

**Five-Act Structure:**

1. **Old World** - How things used to be
2. **Insight** - What changed (why now?)
3. **New World** - What's now possible
4. **Stakes** - Win big or lose
5. **Your Role** - How you help them win

**Example:**
```markdown
# Pitch: [Product]

## Act 1: Old World
"For years, teams coordinated through email..."

## Act 2: Insight
"But remote work changed everything. What worked in office doesn't work distributed."

## Act 3: New World
"Now, the best teams coordinate in real-time, asynchronously..."

## Act 4: Stakes
"Companies that figure this out will attract best talent and move faster. Those that don't will lose to competitors."

## Act 5: Your Role
"That's where [Product] comes in. We help teams..."
```

---

## Action Templates

### Template: Product Pitch

```markdown
# [Product Name]: [Tagline]

## The Old World (Problem)
[How things used to work, pain points]

## The Insight (Why Now)
[What changed that makes this possible/necessary now]

## The New World (Vision)
[What's now possible, the opportunity]

## The Stakes (Urgency)
[Win big or lose - why this matters]

## Our Solution (Product)
[How we help you win in the new world]

## Proof
- [Metric/testimonial]
- [Metric/testimonial]

## Next Steps
[Clear call to action]
```

---

## Quick Reference

### 📖 Storytelling Checklist

**Structure:**
- [ ] Old world (relatable problem)
- [ ] Insight (why now)
- [ ] New world (vision)
- [ ] Stakes (urgency)
- [ ] Solution (your product)

**Delivery:**
- [ ] Customer is hero (not product)
- [ ] Emotional + logical
- [ ] Concrete examples
- [ ] Clear next steps

---

## Key Quotes

**Andy Raskin:**
> "The best product stories make the customer the hero, not your product."

**Nancy Duarte:**
> "The audience doesn't need to tune themselves to you—you need to tune your message to them."

Overview

This skill crafts product narratives using Andy Raskin's strategic narrative structure and Nancy Duarte's presentation frameworks. It turns features and data into clear, emotionally resonant stories that position customers as heroes. Use it to build pitches, slide decks, and feature narratives that create urgency and a clear path to action.

How this skill works

The skill inspects your product, audience, and context to map a five-act strategic narrative: Old World, Insight, New World, Stakes, and Your Role. It then applies Duarte-inspired delivery rules—audience tuning, contrast, and clear calls to action—to shape slides and talking points. Templates and a checklist guide tone, evidence, and sequencing so each narrative is concise and actionable.

When to use it

Writing investor or customer pitches
Designing slide decks for executive updates
Framing new features as customer-centric stories
Creating go-to-market messaging and launch narratives
Preparing sales or onboarding presentations

Best practices

Make the customer the hero; the product is the helper
Lead with a relatable Old World problem, not features
State a clear Insight to justify why now matters
Contrast Old World vs. New World with concrete outcomes
Use stakes to create urgency—what’s gained or lost
End with a specific, easy next step or call to action

Example use cases

Investor pitch: show market shift (Insight) and how product unlocks new value (New World)
Product launch deck: Old World pain, demo as Our Role, and rollout next steps
Sales demo: frame customer success as the win, use proof points to support Stakes
Roadmap update: position upcoming features as steps toward the New World
Onboarding slides: tell a short story that makes the customer see immediate value

FAQ

How long should a strategic narrative be?

Keep it short and focused: one sentence for each act in early drafts, then expand key acts into 1–3 slides or talking points each.

What evidence works best for Proof?

Use customer metrics, testimonials, and short case examples that link directly to the New World outcomes you promise.