Think Slower Frameworks

Decades in the making, these frameworks give you the roadmaps to Think Slower.

Whether you're in marketing, operations or sales; The C-suite or first rung of the ladder; And everything in between. Each framework will help you solve a variety of challenges and can be scaled up, down and sideways.

Click on the links below to dive into a framework (or keep scrolling for a preview of each):
P-O-P Process to efficiently figure out how to do anything new.
Desire-Relevance Matrix to choose what to communicate.
Highlights-Insights Research Arc to share research and direction.
Listening in Permutations to minimize miscommunication.
Audience Motivations to focus on what really drives your audience.

P-O-P Process

Too often, we dive into execution before we’ve truly figured out what works. The result is wasted effort, inconsistent output, and processes that don’t scale. The Play-Optimize-Produce (P-O-P) Process is designed to change that. It offers a strategic sequence for approaching complex or repetitive work: explore first, refine deliberately, then execute at scale.

P-O-P helps individuals and teams build smarter systems — ones that improve with each cycle and enable better results with less strain. Grounded in research on cognitive load, feedback loops, and skill acquisition, the framework turns reflection into a competitive advantage. It’s not about moving slower overall — it’s about moving smarter from the start.

Desire-Relevance Matrix

We’ve all been in conversations where too much is said, or the wrong thing is emphasized. This often happens because we start from the wrong place — thinking about what we want to say, instead of what our audience needs to hear.

The big idea is straightforward: Start with what your audience needs to hear. Then, add in a bit of what they want to hear. If you have something you truly need to say, find the right moment and framing. And if it’s just something you want to say — but no one needs or wants it — skip it. That kind of discipline can make your communication more focused, more empathetic, and more impactful.

Highlights-Insights Research Arc

The Highlights-Insights Research Arc turns research into momentum. In the Highlights phase, researchers share select findings to spark dialogue — not to deliver conclusions, but to confirm understanding, test interpretations, and align perspectives with stakeholders. It’s a lightweight, conversational checkpoint that keeps everyone engaged and thinking together.

In the Insights phase, the team shifts from discussion to direction. Here, researchers synthesize patterns and evidence into clear, defensible takeaways — their informed perspective on what the findings mean and how to move forward. Together, these stages create a faster, smarter bridge from discovery to action.

Listening in Permutations

Even when people are trying their best to communicate clearly, things still get misunderstood. That’s because what we hear isn’t always what was meant — and what we say isn’t always what others take away. Listening in Permutations is a simple framework designed to help with that. It invites you to quickly consider three perspectives: what you think was said, what the speaker thinks they said, and what others might have heard.

By doing a fast mental scan of those angles, you can spot misalignments before they turn into problems. The idea isn’t to overanalyze everything — it’s to become more aware, more accurate, and more connected in the way we listen. And the research supports it: from cognitive bias to active listening to empathy, the best communicators are the ones who make space for multiple interpretations — and then work to bring them into alignment.

Audience Motivations

The Audience Motivations framework reveals what truly drives people — the emotions and instincts behind their choices. It maps out key drivers like comfort, cost, pride, fear, and compassion to help you understand not just what your audience does, but why they do it.

By identifying which motivations matter most, you can shape messages and experiences that connect on a human level — sparking curiosity, building trust, and inspiring action.