Neen James: how to create visual frameworks to elevate your business

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New to the show? On How Stories Happen, business communicators take us inside the crafting of their ideas into powerful stories they use to grow their audience and their cause. It's a show about what it really takes to become a more effective storyteller, so you can differentiate and resonate everywhere you show up.


If you’re an expert in something, chances are, you share content about that something. But so does everyone around you. Merely sharing your expertise makes you a commodity. I can get it anywhere, and I guess you’re anywhere. That’s why I routinely say, you need to stop creating content and start creating IP.

Your IP is built on top of your premise, the core idea informing the rest, but more experts should also develop their signature frameworks, or what our guest today calls "contextual models." Your contextual models help turn complexity into simplicity, so people go, "Wow, I get it, and I see how much more there is to know. Take me through it."

Today's wonderful guest (and a master of contextual modeling) is Neen James.

She’s a leadership strategist who has worked with brands like Viacom, Comcast, and the Four Seasons, a fantastic keynote speaker, and the author of multiple books, including Folding Time, Attention Pays, and her latest: Exceptional Experiences: Five Luxury Levers to Elevate Every Aspect of Your Business.

In our episode, Neen shares how she develops her frameworks, then delivers a signature story from her speeches and her new book which we dissect and celebrate piece by piece.

This is a rare and generous look at the process of one of my favorite business authors and speakers.

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ABOUT ME - IN 3 PHRASES

  • Don't market more. Matter more. (<-- what we want, i.e. our new focus)

  • Think resonance over reach. (<-- what we need, i.e. my premise)

  • Don't be the best. Be their favorite. (<-- what we hope, i.e. the best case outcome)

That's called "laddering down your message," and it's something I help clients do as part of my 1:1 advisory process. I help experts differentiate and resonate by becoming stronger public voices. We begin by developing a clear premise for your platform and projects, then turn your expertise into IP and deliver it to the public through stronger speeches and stories.

You’ve done lots of things. Now it’s time to [be] a thing. It's time to stop chasing attention and become the one others seek.

Work with me 1:1, book me to speak, or explore free resources at jayacunzo.com

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Jay Acunzo