Past-Present-Future Communication Framework

There are many organizing templates you can use that are designed to persuade and inspire your listeners. One that’s ideal for leadership communication is the past/present/future framework. It’s particularly effective when you’re speaking about your company’s vision and your future prospects, or when you’re announcing a new project that requires everyone’s buy-in and commitment.

The Past

Take a moment to remind your employees of a host of things that serve to inspire. Here are some questions to ask yourself:

What has been our situation in the past?
What are the challenges our team has overcome?
What are the lessons learned that we don’t want to forget?
What are the great accomplishments we’ve already achieved?
What are the victories we’ve won?
What are the team’s strengths?
What has made us who we are today?
What are the things we want to celebrate, the things we need to bring forward?
Which hero stories do we need to keep alive?

It’s your job as a leader to interpret and give meaning to the past for your people. When you do this, you make people feel that they’re a part of your company’s vision. This increases your odds of inspiring them to buy into the vision of your business’s future. It is, after all, a shared vision, not just your own vision.

The Present

Pause for a moment to address your company’s current situation. Some points to address are:

What are our current challenges?
What do we need to watch out for?
If we were to perform a pre-mortem, what are some things that might show up that we can decide to avoid?
What roadblocks do we anticipate?
How can we overcome any potential roadblocks?
What are the opportunities we must capitalize on?
What might be some opportunities disguised as problems?
What do we need to abandon?
What do we need to continue to do?
What might hold us back and what do we need to do about it?
What are the emotions in the room?
How do we avoid being derailed?
What do we all agree are non-negotiables? For example, we’ll have no complaining behind doors and no sacred cows. Or we’ll have all support, no walls.

The Future

Now you’re ready to roll out the vision, paint the future and take people step by step through whatever the future prospect entails. These questions will get you started: