talk_story_structure v1.0.0

name: "talk_story_structure" description: "Structure a talk or lecture as a narrative, not a fact pile: pick a spine pattern (contrast, Monroe, ABT, comparative), write a hook from the audience's present, bridge beats with signpost transitions, and land a closing that earns its ending. Triggers on 'structure my talk', 'help me write a lecture', 'presentation outline', 'speech structure', 'make my talk memorable', or 'how do I open/close this talk'."

Talk Story Structure

Purpose

Most talks fail because they are stacked facts. This skill turns a topic into a narrative: one spine, a hook rooted in where the audience is right now, transitions that carry them between beats, and a closing written before the rest. Output is a complete talk outline an agent or human can rehearse from.

Workflow

1. Intake: where the audience is, where they need to land

Ask or infer and write down:

• Who is in the room and what do they already believe about this topic.
• What should they think, feel, or do differently when the talk ends.
• The big idea: one complete sentence, and what is at stake if they ignore it.

Write the audience's present tense in their words. If you cannot state their "what is" in a sentence, you are not ready to structure.

2. Pick one spine

Choose based on intent. One spine per talk.

| Spine | Shape | Best for | |---|---|---| | Contrast (Duarte) | Alternate "what is" (their current reality) with "what could be" (the future vision), 3-4 cycles, end on the new bliss | Vision talks, keynotes, persuasion with a future at stake | | Monroe (Monroe, 1935) | Attention -> Need -> Satisfaction -> Visualization -> Action | Fundraising, advocacy, sales, any talk that ends with an ask | | ABT (Olson) | Chain of And (setup) -> But (tension) -> Therefore (resolution) blocks per section | Lectures, explainers, research talks, anything that teaches | | Comparative | Two options side by side, stacked evidence, one wins | Decisions, tool picks, strategy debates |

Never blend spines. If the talk wants two, split it into two talks.

3. Write the hook from their present

The first 30 seconds start in the audience's world, not yours. Pick one hook type and write the literal opening line:

• Startling fact or statistic: one number that breaks an assumption they walked in with.
• Prop, image, or demo: "Let me show you something." Show first, explain after.
• Bold claim: state what they will walk out able to do or see differently.
• Personal story: a real moment from your world that mirrors theirs. Keep it under 60 seconds, make the hero someone the audience can be.

Then write the link: one sentence explaining how the hook connects to the big idea. A hook with no link is a gimmick; cut it.

4. Beat out the body, one ABT per beat

Each main beat follows setup -> tension -> payoff. For each beat write:

• The beat's claim (one sentence).
• Its tension: the "but" that makes this beat necessary.
• Its evidence: one proof point, verified. See Operating Rules.
• The transition out: a signpost line that acts like a crosshead ("That is the problem in the room. Here is what fixes it."). Write it verbatim.

Transitions every 7-10 minutes. Plant one open loop per talk: ask a question early ("I will tell you what the number was") and pay it off at least two beats later.

5. Write the closing first, then finalize

Write the ending before you polish the middle. Choose one closing:

• Callback: finish a story you opened and left hanging in the hook.
• Circle-back: return to the opening fact, quote, or question and re-read it with new meaning.
• Repeat phrase: build one repeated line to a crescendo (works when the talk already used the phrase twice).
• Direct ask: state exactly what they should do, and what happens if they do nothing.

Closings are never a pure summary. After the closing line, the talk is over. No "any questions" slide.

6. Run the structure check

Fill the outline template at references/talk-outline-template.md, then run:

python3 bin/check_talk_outline.py outline.md

Fix what it flags, then rehearse the hook and closing aloud once. If either feels clunky spoken, rewrite it.

Output Contract

A finished outline contains all of:

• Title and big idea (one sentence each).
• Audience present-tense snapshot.
• Chosen spine, named.
• Hook: verbatim opening line + hook type + link sentence.
• Beats in order, each with claim, tension, evidence, and verbatim transition out.
• One open loop, noted where planted and where paid off.
• Closing: verbatim ending + closing type.
• Timing estimates per beat (hook 30s; beats 7-10 min; closing 60-90s).
• Delivery notes: where to pause, where the audience participates, where the energy shifts.

See references/worked-examples.md for two complete worked outlines to calibrate against.

Operating Rules

1. Accuracy rule: every factual claim, statistic, date, and quote must be verified via web search or a primary source. Unverifiable gets cut or framed as opinion. Never invent numbers to make a hook stronger.
2. Hook honesty: the hook must come from or land in the audience's actual world. Never open with your credentials or an agenda rundown.
3. Transitions are load-bearing: no beat without a written signpost out. "Moving on to my next point" is not a transition.
4. One closing: pick one closing type. Two endings make the audience sit back down twice.
5. Evidence beats adjectives: each beat needs one concrete proof point (a number, a case, a quote, a demo). If a beat has none, it is a claim without a leg.
6. Timebox the beats: a beat without a timing estimate will grow and eat the closing. Total beats should fit the slot with 10% slack.
7. Delivery notes stay separate: do not mix slide design or rehearsal coaching into the outline. This skill structures the story; use marp_slide_decks for slides.