Structured Communication

SKILL.md

---
name: structured-communication
description: "Activate when: user says 'they didn't get it,' 'I don't know how to bring this up,' 'the message wasn't clear,' 'how do I give feedback without sounding critical,' needs to structure a funding pitch or difficult conversation, or wants to diagnose why a previous message failed to land.
  Do NOT activate when: the exchange is purely informational with no specific response required, or the situation calls for spontaneous casual conversation with no persuasion/coaching/praise goal."
---

# Structured Communication

## Overview

Most communication failure is a failure of sequence and mode — not information. The same facts in the wrong order land as noise. Six models cover the principal communication goals in professional life: **RIDE** (Risk-Interest-Difference-Effect, persuasion), **FIRE** (Fact-Interpret-Reaction-Effect, persuasion), **GROW** (Goal-Reality-Option-Will, coaching), **SCRTV** (Scene-Conflict-Reason-Tactics-Value, influence), **ORER** (Opinion-Reason-Example-Result, argumentation), **FFC** (Feeling-Fact-Contrast, praise).

Composes with [first-principles] (ground the factual slots), [door-in-the-face] (apply influence mechanics on top of sound structure), and [jobs-to-be-done] (identify what the listener hires communication to do, then select the matching model).

## When to Use

- Before high-stakes messages: funding pitch, difficult feedback, proposal to skeptical stakeholder, coaching session, all-hands.
- When a previous message failed to land and you need to diagnose why.
- When you know what to say but are unsure how to sequence it.
- **When NOT to use:** purely informational exchanges with no specific response required; casual social contexts; when factual content is insufficient; when the situation requires listening; emergency/crisis communication.

## Coaching Novices (Adaptive Front Door)

- **Engine mode:** user has a concrete scenario → diagnose goal, select model, fill all slots, return Blueprint.
- **Coach mode:** user is unfamiliar or has no concrete case → guide step by step.

In Coach mode, respond one step at a time. Each [WAIT] is a hard stop — output only that step's question, then stop.

1. **What it is:** Structured Communication picks the right model for your goal — persuade, solve together, express, or praise — and fills each slot with specific content before you speak or write.
2. **Check fit:** "What outcome do you need from the other person — a decision, behavior change, understanding, a feeling of being valued? Who is the audience and what do they resist?"
3. **Elicit the real case:** "(a) persuade → RIDE or FIRE; (b) coach/solve → GROW; (c) explain complex situation → SCRTV; (d) logical argument → ORER; (e) genuine praise → FFC."
> **[WAIT — do not advance until user responds]**
4. **Fill slots:** Work through each slot with the user — "What specifically goes here? Is it concrete or still abstract?"
> **[WAIT — do not advance until user responds]**
5. **Close:** "If every slot is filled with specific content and the sequence is followed, the receiver will [feel X / understand Y / decide Z]."
> **[WAIT — do not advance until user responds]**

## The Process

**Stop-rule:** If you cannot fill a slot with specific, concrete content — not a category label — stop. The model reveals a gap. A model with generic slots is an outline, not a Blueprint.

1. **Diagnose goal:** Choose one — (a) persuade; (b) coach/solve; (c) explain and create buy-in; (d) argue logically; (e) give genuine praise.
2. **Map to model:** (a)→RIDE or FIRE · (b)→GROW · (c)→SCRTV · (d)→ORER · (e)→FFC. Justify the selection.
3. **Fill every slot with specific content** — content a third party could verify or act on.
4. **Check the emotional arc** — does the sequence create the intended progression?
5. **Integrate resistance** — address the most predictable pushback inside the structure, not deferred to "if they push back."
6. **Rehearse** — note deviations; each is a potential failure point.

### Model Slot Reference

**RIDE:** R(Risk — specific/vivid) · I(Interest — good specifically for them) · D(Difference — vs. named alternatives) · E(Effect — quantified)

**FIRE:** F(Fact — verifiable, not inference) · I(Interpret — own it: "What this means to me...") · R(Reaction — emotional acknowledgment) · E(Effect — call to action)

**GROW:** G("What would a good outcome look like?") · R("What's happening now? What have you tried?") · O("What else could you do?" — multiple before evaluating) · W("What will you do, and by when?" — commitment not intention)

**SCRTV:** S(Scene — context before conflict) · C(Conflict — named after Scene) · R(Reason — root cause) · T(Tactics — solution) · V(Value — outcome)

**ORER:** O(Opinion — conclusion first) · R(Reason — logical basis) · E(Example — specific/concrete) · R(Result — conclusion restated, closes arc)

**FFC:** F(Feeling — genuine reaction first) · F(Fact — specific observable behavior) · C(Contrast — vs. peer standard or alternative)

### Output: Communication Blueprint

```
Communication goal: [Persuade/Solve/Express/Praise] | Receiver: [who, what they know/resist/care about]
Model selected: [RIDE/FIRE/GROW/SCRTV/ORER/FFC] | Justification: | Mode: [Spoken/Written]
Filled Slots: [each slot with specific content]
Resistance: Most likely: | Integrated at slot [X]:
Arc check: [intended progression confirmed]
Rehearsed: [Yes/No] | Deviations:
```

*→ Method in Action: [Lincoln's Cooper Union Address (1860)](examples/lincolns-cooper-union-address-1860.md)*

## Communication Packs

- **Investor/Fundraising:** RIDE primary + ORER for written memo. **Engineering/Technical:** ORER (conclusion first, logic-led).
- **Management/Feedback:** FIRE if emotional; FFC if goal is appreciation. **Coaching:** GROW — every instinct to lecture becomes a question; press W for specific commitment with deadline.
- **All-Hands/Org:** SCRTV — large audiences need Scene before Conflict; context makes conflict intelligible.

## Applying It Well

1. Diagnose goal before model — defaulting to ORER when RIDE is needed is the most common error.
2. Every slot must be specific — verifiable by a stranger reading it cold.
3. GROW: press Will for a specific commitment with deadline, not vague intention.
4. FFC: Feeling must be genuine — fabricated reactions are detected within seconds.
5. FIRE: Reaction slot is the most skipped and most important — skip it and the receiver feels unseen.

*→ Primary sources: [references/sources.md](references/sources.md)*

## Common Rationalizations

**[D] = designed upfront | [O] = observed in real use. [O] entries are more valuable.**

| Fake move | Reality |
|---|---|
| [D] Using ORER when the goal is persuasion and receiver is skeptical. | Skeptical receivers need RIDE or FIRE — risk/interest framing creates motivation logical argument alone cannot. |
| [D] Filling FIRE's Fact slot with an inference rather than observable fact. | "You seemed disengaged" is inference. "You didn't respond to three emails" is a fact. The whole sequence fails if Fact is disputed. |
| [D] Using FFC without genuine Feeling. | Generic praise without genuine emotional reaction is detected as performative and discounted. |
| [D] Applying GROW and then telling the receiver the answer when they take too long. | The moment the coach answers for the receiver, GROW becomes ORER-as-dialogue — which produces resistance. |
| [D] SCRTV but leading with Conflict before Scene is established. | Audience without context interprets Conflict as alarm or noise. Scene makes Conflict interpretable. |
| [D] "I know the structure; I don't need to write it out." | Unwritten blueprints are unverifiable. Under pressure, communicators revert to default patterns. |
| *→ Add [O] entries here after each real use — paste the actual failure pattern* | *What went wrong and why* |

## Red Flags

- Cannot name the goal · Model selected without justification · FIRE's Fact is an inference not an observable.
- GROW's Will accepted as vague intention · FFC leads with Fact not Feeling · SCRTV Conflict before Scene.
- Blueprint not rehearsed before delivery.

## Verification

- [ ] One goal selected (not combined) · Model justified · Every slot specific and concrete.
- [ ] Stop-rule applied: unfillable slots triggered a pause to gather missing content.
- [ ] Resistance integrated at a specific slot · Emotional arc confirmed.
- [ ] Blueprint rehearsed in actual delivery mode · Complete and reviewable by a third party.

---
*Part of **deciqAI Knowledge Skills** — 164 open-source thinking skills that make rigor executable for AI agents. The same skills power every deciqAI agent, which runs them autonomously to operate your company. **See it run → https://www.deciqai.com/c/structured-communication** · ⭐ Star the repo → https://github.com/deciqAI/knowledge-skills · Contributions welcome.*