Master narrative

Definition

Structuring any communication as a narrative — hook, tension, progression, resolution — and adapting the narrative arc to the format, the channel and the audience. Narrative is the oldest and most powerful cognitive technology for capturing freely given attention: mastering it means being heard without manipulating.

Components

• Narrative structures: hook/tension/resolution, entering in medias res, open loops, the turn
• Rhythm according to format: from the fifteen-second video to long form
• Hook and retention: the first seconds, the promise kept
• Registers: factual narration, testimony, fiction, demonstration told as a story
• Transposition: adapting a single narrative arc across heterogeneous formats

The four levels

1. N1 Discovery Lower secondary · complete beginner

   Is able to identify hook, tension and resolution in content they enjoy, and to tell an anecdote in a structured way.

   Evidence of assessment

   Analyse the narrative structure of a short piece of content and tell a structured anecdote in sixty seconds.

2. N2 Application Upper secondary · advanced beginner

   Is able to produce coherent narrative content in at least two different formats.

   Evidence of assessment

   Tell the same story in two distinct formats, with a structure adapted to each.

3. N3 Adaptation Tertiary · junior professional

   Is able to adapt a narrative arc to audience and channel with measurable effect.

   Evidence of assessment

   Turn a technical subject into three formats (short video, post thread, infographic) with a distinct narrative logic in each.

4. N4 Orchestration Experienced professional

   Is able to design narrative architectures — series, universes, recurring formats — and to hold them coherent over time.

   Evidence of assessment

   Produce the narrative bible of a series or format, and six episodes that observe its rules.