I asked ChatGPT what the number one factor of a successful team is. It said “communication”. I then asked what the number factor of a successful leader is. It said “vision”. Here’s the thing: if a leader cannot communicate a vision, what’s the point? This leads me to say that, if not the first, then leadership communication is definitely a runner-up. I asked ChatGPT if it agreed and it said yes.

Good leaders are good communicators. They ensure that everyone understands the message and they are given enough room for clarification. When people don’t understand you because you can’t articulate your thoughts consistently, you lose their interest and performance goes down. So how do you articulate with consistency and ensure your teams are crystal clear from the very beginning?

To answer this important question, I’m proposing the MoSMoS framework. It has four key components stacking on one another, which means that if you don’t grasp the first one, the second one won’t be as powerful.

Let’s get started!

Meta Model

The NLP (Neuro-Linguistic Programming) Meta Model is a set of questions and language patterns that help us clarify and understand the meaning of what someone is saying. By asking specific questions like “Can you give me an example?” or “How do you know that?” (Clarify), we can uncover hidden information and get a clearer picture of someone’s thoughts. Knowing the Meta Model makes it easier to communicate and comprehend each other.

Knowing NLP can really up your game as a leader. Avoiding NLP patterns like deletion, generalization, and distortion keeps your messages crystal clear. You get better at asking the right questions to dig up specific info, challenge assumptions, and get everyone on the same page. You start to communicate more effectively, boost team dynamics, and drive growth.

Here are some examples of those patterns:

• Deletion:
  • Example Sentence: “I can’t do it.”
  • Question: “What specifically can’t you do?”
• Generalization:
  • Example Sentence: “Everyone loves this idea.”
  • Question: “Name one person who loves this idea.”
• Distortion:
  • Example Sentence: “He’s always angry with me.”
  • Question: “How do you know he’s always angry with you? Can you think of a time when he wasn’t?”

Understanding the Meta Model is, in my opinion, a critical skill to have; not only do you get to understand others better, you also look into your own patterns and refine the way you communicate and avoid being unclear to begin with.

Have you ever thought of how much time and money you could save if communication were clear to begin with? I’ve seen instances time and time again where groups of people could be far more productive if their leaders knew exactly what to say.

Structures

Structures solidify your message. That’s why consulting companies like McKinsey, BCG and Bain are so notorious: they know their structures!

I took the time in watching Paul Moss’ Analyst Academy Youtube channel (link in the description). He observes and analyzes what these big consulting companies do with their presentations. Found it yet? Structures. My favorite ones are lines, matrixes, pyramids and loops.

Lines typically have a starting point and an end point. They also typically have midpoints which indicate key moments in a journey. Lines can be straight, curved or even erratic — the point is that it starts somewhere and ends somewhere and it doesn’t go back. Practical uses for lines are timelines (no pun intended), release planning, roadmaps or sequences of any kind. Ask yourself what sequences do you usually have at work and do share with the community.

Matrixes (or tables) associate two or more factors together to establish correlation. Two scenarios come to mind:

1. When one or multiple factors are displayed as columns, and each record holds values for those factors.
2. When you combine two different factors and cross-check them. The intersection may have a value of its own to further strengthen that correlation.

The great thing about matrixes is that the data inside them tell a story of their own. Good examples for using matrixes are detailed lists, breakdowns and exposing data patterns.

Pyramids or trees have a root premise that branches out to its sustaining *arguments. They’re great for sharing ideas with a strong foundation, present *compelling arguments, or even offer presenting suggestions for someone else. *Most educational video content is presented using the pyramid principle which *was invented by McKinsey consultant Barbara Minto. The root is the key takeaway *for a presentation and all branches insightfully sustain that takeaway.

Loops or circles demonstrate repetition. They are broken down into several *steps and the key idea is that the last one connects with the first one, *demonstrating circularity. You typically use loops to represent continuity of *process, identify points of rupture at any stage, etc. Just because you have a *circle doesn’t mean you have to stay within it. This and any other structure *should act as a mental model to help you express your ideas. If you expand upon *the original structure, that’s even better!

Maps

Maps organize your ideas and structures spatially. Although simple in nature, maps can be potentially more complex as you grow them. The important thing to understand about maps is that you gain spatial awareness through proper indications. If you’ve used a map before, you’ll quickly realize there are several things that lead you to use it effectively: boundaries, nodes of different sizes and colors, connections of different kinds, captions, terrain indicators, etc. All of these components are yours to define, as your own constructs are different from others’. Your idea of a map is not the same as for another person.

Maps are incredibly important to communicate. That’s how the military prepares their operations very clearly. That’s how adventurers know where to go and what they use to ask for directions. When you use a map for yourself, you create conditions for not just you but others to navigate around your thoughts.

Maps contain structures the same way countries contain cities. While cities are structured, they can be a part of something bigger. When leaders strategize, they can do so with a map: establish the overarching theme of the map, and decompose from there. Ask questions, and answer them with structures.

Maps help you navigate. Much like a real map, you recognize continents and oceans, regions of a country, mountains, rivers and lakes, cities and roads, etc.. In a presentation, your audience benefits from having specific slides or components within them that help them navigate through your message.

Stories

Who doesn’t love a good story? Stories are the culmination of communication because they’re personal, relatable and emotional. After all, the intent of communicating is to trigger a behavior: sharing an idea, getting a response, planning an operation, etc. Stories trigger powerful, emotionally-charged behaviors, and they leverage maps, structures and the meta model together.

Let’s recall the anecdote I told you at the beginning: I asked ChatGPT for the number one skill for teams and leaders, right? There’s a story behind it. Many working adults spend around 8-9 hours of their day solving problems. Can you imagine spending that time in the dark, not knowing where to go or what to do? That happened to me, here’s the situation. Some time ago I met a person who attempted to describe me a problem to solve. I say attempted because he was unable to do so effectively. Every sentence he asked had me ask two questions in return because there were a lot of gaps. What do you mean by that? How did you draw that conclusion? Who’s “we”? When you say “we need to figure out a solution”, what’s on your mind exactly? I spent a good 30-60 minutes back and forth with this person and I was exhausted! I had to find a way to avoid this in the future for good, otherwise I won’t have the time to do the things I have to do. So I came up with a mind map (there’s a map!) that put a central goal or outcome up front, surround it by key questions (there’s the meta model!) and explore as we go, connecting important ideas together. In the end, I would summarize the ideas into a list (there’s a structure!). In the end, the person was grateful and appreciated the effort gaining a sense of the chaotic pile of ideas he had at the time.

The good thing about stories is that your audience maps them to their own setting. The feelings, the decisions, the results, the context, the people, everything. I remember going offsite training on leadership. To me the highlight of the training was watching the first episode of “Band of Brothers” with Scott Grimes and Damien Lewis who played the role of soldiers in a platoon, and David Schwimmer who played the role of their lieutenant. This guy was all over the place, he was so strict and so severe; no one dared to question his authority, under the threat of being forbidden to go home on weekends. The story ends with a silent vote of protest on the part of soldiers, when they noticed that Lewis, one of the best soldiers in the squad was looked up to. He was a naturally caring leader, when Schwimmer was a tyrant. He was later reassigned and Lewis took his place.

I’m almost sure you would replace the tyrant officer with somebody you know; the natural leader too. What about the protesting platoon? Did you find somebody in your own circle, perhaps yourself? That’s the power of storytelling — an overarching message, disguised within a theme everyone can relate to.

Summary

To articulate your thoughts to others with consistency and ensure clarity, understand the MoSMoS framework.

• The Meta Model, derived from Neuro-Linguistic Programming, helps clarify and understand what you say and what others might ask, thus enhancing clarity.
• Structures, such as lines, matrixes, pyramids, and loops, solidify your message and support understanding.
• Maps help organize ideas spatially, enhance understanding through proper indications and promote collaboration.
• Finally, Stories are personal, relatable, and emotionally impactful vehicles of sending out a message that sticks.

If you noticed, most of my podcasts use this framework, I’m using it here! I usually start with a situation or context, provide a challenge, pose a question and then suggest a solution. That’s almost like a story (actually, it’s the SCQA framework which I’m happy to talk about in a later episode). The solution is typically broken down in a pyramid structure. This one has 4 main branches, matching each of the components of the framework, which in turn has several arguments and explanations that validate them, each one typically having lists and other structures that might fit. Also, notice that the words I use have to be as clear and unambiguous as possible. Otherwise, if I were to delete, distort or generalize parts of my ideas, how would you be able to understand what I’m talking about?

That’s good communication right there!