Free workflow

15 minutes before any conversation where the outcome matters.

A four-step preparation workflow used with every executive I advise. Not about your slides. About the gap between what you see and what the person across from you sees.

The problem

Most people prepare for high-stakes conversations by rehearsing what they want to say. They build slides, write talking points, practise their opening line. All of which is fine, and all of which misses the thing that actually determines whether the conversation lands.

The preparation that matters isn't about your material. It's about the gap between what you see and what the person across from you sees — and whether you've done the work to close it before you open your mouth.

The workflow

Define the outcome — one sentence, one verb, one measurable result
Identify the feeling — what your audience needs to feel by the end
Find the gap — what you believe vs. what they believe
Rehearse the first 30 seconds — not the whole thing, just the opening

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The complete workflow with worked examples and edge cases. Enter your email and the system reveals below.

01 — Define the outcome

One sentence. One verb. One result.

Not “present the Q2 strategy” but “get the board to approve the hiring plan.” One sentence, one verb, one measurable result. If you can't do this, you're not ready to walk in the room.

This step filters out the 80% of preparation that doesn't matter. Most people prepare for the topic. You need to prepare for the decision.

02 — Identify the feeling

The most strategic question you can ask.

What does your audience need to feel by the end? Confident? Reassured? Urgent? This sounds soft, but it's the most strategic question you can ask — because people make decisions based on how they feel about the decision, not the data behind it.

Name the feeling. Then ask: does everything in your material move them toward that feeling, or does some of it move them sideways?

03 — Find the gap

Where the real conversation lives.

Write down what you believe about this topic. Then write down what they believe. The distance between those two maps is where the real conversation lives.

Every minute you spend on something they already agree with is a minute wasted. Every minute you spend in the gap is a minute that moves the room.

04 — Rehearse the first 30 seconds

The emotional frame for everything that follows.

Not the whole thing. Just the opening. Say it out loud — to another person if possible, to a voice memo if not.

The first 30 seconds set the emotional frame for everything that follows. Most people default to throat-clearing (“Thanks for making time, I know everyone's busy”) instead of leading with the thing that matters. Your opening should make the room lean in, not settle back.

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Install in 30 seconds.

The complete system — all four steps with worked examples, edge cases, and the emotion-first preparation framework — is a Claude Code skill you can install and run before any high-stakes conversation.

Install from GitHub

Want this as part of a broader system?

The Stakes Prep is one piece. I build communication architecture for executives — the structure behind how leaders think, speak, and present when the outcome matters. If you want help building yours, let's talk.

hello@thinkmetis.co