Drop the Mask — Show the parts you’d rather hide. Your uncertainty. Your shame. The moments you got it wrong.
In Medias Res — Don’t start at the beginning. Start in the middle of the conflict, where the tension lives.
Raise the Stakes — Authentically elevate what matters. The real question. The career on the line. What actually hung in the balance?
Be Original — Say the thing differently. Notice what nobody else is noticing. Specificity escapes the attention filter.
Polish the Treasure — Express your value through emotion, not description. Show the breakthrough, not the lesson.
Nail the Proof — One concrete piece of evidence that something shifted. Specific beats abstract every time.
These aren’t rules. They’re tools. Think of them as ways to turn up the volume on what you’re trying to say. Use what fits. Discard the rest.
Drop the Mask
Most people tell stories while wearing protective gear. They soften the edges. They apologize before they even speak. They lead with credentials instead of humanity. Dropping the mask means showing the parts you’d rather hide. Your uncertainty. Your shame. The moments you got it wrong. The more specifically human your story is, the more it lands.
In Medias Res
Don’t start at the beginning. Start in the middle of the conflict. The Three Levels begins with Level One because that’s where people are stuck—not because it’s the logical opening. Start where the tension lives. Pull people into the middle of something real, and they’ll follow you anywhere.
Raise the Stakes
A story about a small problem feels small. A story where you have everything to lose feels urgent. The higher the stakes, the more dramatic. Not artificially—authentically. The real question you’re asking. The career you might have lost. The relationship on the line. What actually mattered?
Be Original
Novelty escapes the attention filter. If you sound like everyone else, you’ll get filtered out like everyone else. Say the thing differently. Notice what nobody else is noticing. The more specific and unexpected your story is, the less it feels like a formula, and the more people actually pay attention.
Polish the Treasure
Don’t describe your value. Express it through emotion. If you help people get healthier, don’t say “I help people get healthier.” Tell the story of the client who cried when they could finally play with their kids. Features are boring. Feelings are sticky. The “treasure” in your story isn’t the lesson—it’s what it felt like to have the breakthrough.
Nail the Proof
Proof isn’t a testimonial. It’s evidence. It’s the thing that makes your claim believable. What’s your strongest evidence that something shifted? Show that. Not three pieces of evidence. One really solid one. The more specific and concrete, the more it creates Resonance.
Master Principle: Contrast
All six of these work because of contrast. Lower lows make the highs feel higher. Your failure makes your success matter more. Your honesty makes your confidence feel earned. Your specific small detail makes the big point land harder.
The amplifiers aren’t complicated. They’re just paying attention to what actually makes people feel something when you tell a story. Most stories get muted because nobody’s turning up the volume. These are the knobs.
Turn them.