If you’re familiar with SCI-PAB, you know what a powerful tool it can be in your business communications. But did you know that it can be incredibly useful in your personal life as well?
SCI-PAB lets you grab your listeners’ attention within the first few seconds—when they are most attentive—and in a few quick sentences, convey the problem, suggest how to resolve it, and share the benefits of doing what you recommend.
Part of what makes SCI-PAB so powerful is that it’s based on the simple storytelling framework that we were all exposed to in children’s books and stories.
Scenario: Hansel and Gretel
- Situation: After getting lost in the woods, Hansel and Gretel came across a candy-coated house and a sweet old lady who lived there.
- Complication: The sweet old lady was actually a mean witch who locked them in a cage and tried to fatten Hansel up.
- Implication: Her plan was to eat Hansel.
- Position: Hansel and Gretel needed to find some way to defeat the witch.
- Action: They pushed the witch into the oven, filled their pockets with gold, and returned home to their father.
- Benefit: And then they lived happily ever after.
But that’s just the beginning. SCI-PAB can be used to guide any communication or conversation. Below are just a few examples.
Scenario: Deciding who has dish duty
The dishes are piling up in your sink and you’re getting tired of it. Here’s how you could use SCI-PAB to open the conversation with your roommate or partner—or even teenager!
- Situation: It seems like the dishes need to be washed more frequently.
- Complication: Unfortunately, it’s not clear whose job it is, and they are piling up.
- Implication: We’re running the risk of this becoming a significant issue between us.
- Position: I think we need to think about doing the dishes in the context of our other chores and make sure responsibilities are divided fairly.
- Action: Let’s sit down and make a list, see who wants to do what.
- Benefit: Then we won’t have to feel like we’re each doing more than our fair share.
Scenario: Toasting the new Mrs. and Mr.
- Situation: As many of you know, Brian lived with Bob and me for a long time.
- Complication: He’s a fantastic friend. But, if you’ve ever lived with Brian, you’ve come to learn he has some “quirks.”
- Implication: Frankly, we all figured that he would be single forever.
- Position: Working with the Law of Numbers, we pushed him to go out on date, after date, after date. We were thrilled when he finally met Julie!
- Benefit: Julie has embraced Brian’s quirks and I have never seen him happier.
- Action: Please raise your glasses as we wish the new couple a life filled with love, laughter, and even a few quirks!
(Pro tip: Sometimes it works better to switch the Benefit and the Action around so that the action is last.)
Scenario: An eloquent intro in your Ice Bucket Challenge Video
The rules of the Ice Bucket Challenge are simple: participants can either dump a bucket of ice water over their head and donate $10 to The ALS Association or skip the water and donate $100. They have 24 hours to complete the challenge and, if they choose the ice bucket, they have to upload a video as proof.
- Situation: ALS is a heartbreaking disease, and the ALS Association is an important part of the research that brings about breakthroughs in diagnosis, treatment, and hopefully a cure.
- Complication: They need money—lots of it—to continue their life-changing work.
- Implication: If they don’t get it, more people will suffer.
- Position: I am here, ready to dump this bucket of ice water over my head—and nominate others to do the same.
- Benefit: Doing so will bring attention to this important disease, and this incredibly hardworking and worthwhile organization—as well as much-needed donations.
- Action: Let the bucket fall!
Scenario: Drumming up conversations with colleagues
SCI-PAB can also help you discover and ask questions of others.
- Situation: It has been a crazy last two years.
- Complication: What challenges did you face at home?
- Implication: How did those <reference challenges you heard in the Complication> impact you?
- Position: The good news is that we got through it—and learned a few things along the way.
- Action: And now it’s time to move forward and get back to seeing one another in person.
- Benefit: We definitely have a newfound appreciation for some of the things we previously took for granted.
Scenario: Holiday hello
You can even use SCI-PAB to frame up your holiday greeting.
Put SCI-PAB to work for you
Curious to know more? We’d love to talk to you about how SCI-PAB can help you in your business and personal communications.
