IEXDG Strategic Framework Library
Pip Decks Weaponized — Living Knowledge Base
Every tactic absorbed from public guides, video tutorials, author Q&As, and deck indexes. Mapped to IEXDG's 6 ELCC pillars, her actual client-hero archetypes, and every content channel. Updates as Dr. DNicole shares PDF exports.
v1.0 · APR 13, 2026 06:50 AM · 8 DECKS INDEXED · 120+ TACTICS NAMED · 18 TACTICS WITH DEEP WALKTHROUGH
🚨 Correction: Hero & Guide (fixed Apr 13, 06:50 AM)
I miscast the Hero last night. This is the correct framing.
❌ WRONG (what I shipped)
Hero: Dr. DNicole Fields navigating a moment where GHL is broken, hot leads stacking, Chamber deals time-sensitive.
Why wrong: That casts IEXDG's internal operations drama as the story. Dr. DNicole's clients never see GHL or Cloudflare. Positioning her as the person-with-problems erodes her authority and reads like small-business scramble.
✅ CORRECT
Hero: The executive client. Directors, Chiefs of Staff, VPs, HR leaders, superintendents, department heads inside organizations where strong internal teams already exist but leadership and team dynamics are not producing alignment, engagement, or operational efficiency despite heavy training investment.
Guide: Dr. DNicole Fields + IEXDG + the ELCC® six-pillar framework.
Plan: Clarity → Alignment → Transformation.
Stakes: Continued leadership misalignment, top performers leaving, operational gaps despite investment.
Success: Leadership behaviors align with team experience; performance, engagement, and competitive positioning strengthen at the systems level.
The rule I violated
Hero & Guide is client-facing narrative architecture. When I use it, I am writing for the executive buyer, as Dr. DNicole speaking to them. Never invert. IEXDG's ops troubles are never hero material — they are private operational context that never reaches her content.
Section 4 — Storyteller Tactics
54-card deck by Steve Rawling
Business storytelling for sales, marketing, and presentations. This is the deck most relevant to IEXDG content production. 18+ tactics with deep walkthrough absorbed from guides + video tutorials.
Recipes — multi-card workflows
Stories that Sell (6-part program)Storyteller — RecipesDEEP
What it does
A structured 6-session sales-narrative program combining What's It About, Movie Time, Story Hooks, Simple Sales Stories, Rags to Riches arc, and Hero & Guide arc.
The sequence
1. What's It About + Movie Time (set the basics, show it) · 2. Story Hooks (open) · 3. Simple Sales Stories (customer success narratives) · 4. Rags to Riches arc · 5. Hero & Guide arc · 6. Integration + feedback
IEXDG use
Six-week sales-narrative sprint with Dr. DNicole. Output: a deck-agnostic sales story she can tell in 3 min, 10 min, or 45 min versions for Chamber of Commerce, procurement boards, and executive discovery calls.
Hero cast
The buyer-executive (VP HR, Superintendent, Director) — never Dr. DNicole.
5-Day Storyteller ChallengeStoryteller — RecipesDEEP
What it does
Progressive daily exercises that build storytelling confidence: Day 1 listen, 2 tell, 3 write, 4 persuade, 5 present.
The sequence
D1: Story-ish Conversations · D2: Movie Time · D3: Story Hooks + What's It About · D4: Social Proof · D5: Order & Chaos + Rolls Royce Moment
IEXDG use
Week-1 onboarding "storytelling warm-up" for any new Culture Pulse engagement — client executives do 5 days of micro-exercises before the intake call. Ships as a Client Portal mini-course (GHL Memberships).
Pitch Perfect (5-card pitch recipe)Storyteller — RecipesDEEP
What it does
Pitch writing recipe combining Pitch Perfect + Hero & Guide + Innovation Curve + Emotional Dashboard + Rolls Royce Moment.
Key insight
"You just can't pitch if your heart's not in it." Case study: Uroš Rojc was embarrassed about his B2B video service before applying these cards; afterwards he was proud of it. Method: also used "Leave it Out!" to create a knowledge gap in the opening.
IEXDG use
Used to craft the 3-minute Culture Pulse pitch Dr. DNicole delivers on Chamber stages, discovery calls, and executive panels. Ships as the opening of every capability statement.
Structures — narrative arcs
Hero & GuideStoryteller — StructuresDEEP
What it does
Positions the audience as the hero, your brand as the guide with a plan. Donald Miller StoryBrand lineage.
IEXDG cast (corrected)
Hero: VP HR / Director / Superintendent / Chief of Staff (her buyer) · Guide: Dr. DNicole + ELCC framework · Plan: Clarity → Alignment → Transformation · Stakes: Continued misalignment, top performers leaving · Success: Leadership behaviors align with team experience, performance and engagement strengthen.
When to use
Opening lines of LinkedIn posts, keynote hooks, landing page heros, Voice AI greetings.
When NOT to use
Anywhere that would cast the brand (IEXDG) as the hero. Never invert the roles.
ELCC pillar
Communication · Captaincy
Man in a HoleStoryteller — StructuresDEEP
What it does
5-part Vonnegut story structure: comfort zone → trigger → crisis → recovery → resolution. Character falls in and climbs out better than they started.
IEXDG use
Case studies (City of Tucson, Garfield Heights, Prince George's County). Client testimonials. The "we were doing fine until…" narrative that opens most executive conversations.
Hero cast
Client executive or team — shown in crisis, then shown in recovery. IEXDG shows up as the guide who changes the trajectory.
ELCC pillar
Connection · Culture
Rags to RichesStoryteller — StructuresPARTIAL
What it does
Transformation narrative. Starts low, ends high. Used by Steve Rawling as his personal "I almost lost my newsroom job" story in the Expert Story tutorial.
IEXDG use
Dr. DNicole's origin story for keynotes. "I started as an educator. Then I saw what breaks between leaders and teams. Here's what I built."
Fill-me gap
Full card content: specific prompts and "danger" notes from the card back.
Voyage & ReturnStoryteller — StructuresGAP
Known
Journey-based story structure. Classical Booker arc (protagonist leaves home, faces trial, returns changed).
Hypothesized IEXDG use
Keynote framing for executives who have "returned from" a major culture initiative — what they learned.
Fill-me gap
Full card content pending Dr. DNicole PDF.
Order & ChaosStoryteller — StructuresPARTIAL
What it does
Balance big-picture framing with memorable specific examples. Used in Day 5 of the challenge combined with Rolls Royce Moment.
IEXDG use
Keynote structure: alternate "big order" (the ELCC framework at 30,000 ft) with "chaos" (specific moments at City of Tucson, Ghana, Dubai). Prevents abstract-and-distant or hyper-tactical-and-disconnected.
Happy Ever AftersStoryteller — StructuresPARTIAL
What it does
Framework for story endings. Steve Rawling recommends it when ChatGPT-style auto-endings fall flat.
IEXDG use
Closing lines for LinkedIn posts, email broadcasts, Voice AI wrap. Prevents generic "Let me know your thoughts" fade-outs.
Dragon & the CityStoryteller — StructuresPARTIAL
What it does
Names the villain (dragon) threatening the community (city). Hero defeats dragon. Frames work as epic adventure.
IEXDG use (carefully)
Dragon = toxic leadership patterns, culture-symptom-treatment, "more training" reflex. City = the teams trying to do good work despite. Use sparingly — too-villain framing risks sounding combative for the boardroom audience.
When NOT to use
Anywhere the dragon could be mistaken for a specific person on the buyer's team. Keep dragons systemic, not human.
Circle of LifeStoryteller — StructuresGAP
Known
Cyclical narrative pattern — ending mirrors beginning in a transformed way.
Hypothesized IEXDG use
Multi-year client case study: where they started 2 years ago vs same moment recast today.
Pride & FallStoryteller — StructuresGAP
Known
Hubris narrative — rise, overconfidence, fall.
Hypothesized IEXDG use
Contrarian content: "The leadership team that was the gold standard — and what made them unravel." Used only with fully-anonymized composites, never identifiable clients.
Three Great ConflictsStoryteller — StructuresGAP
Landscape Gardener vs Cowboy BuilderStoryteller — StructuresGAP
Known
Contrasting approaches — careful/systemic vs fast/reckless.
Hypothesized IEXDG use
Pro/con content framing ELCC systems-level work vs "let's do another offsite" reflex.
Styles — narrative approaches
Five T'sStoryteller — StylesDEEP
What it does
Framework for identifying timeline moments of maximum tension. Steve Rawling's example: pinpointed "I'm not really sure this is the right job for you" as his Five Ts moment.
IEXDG use
Finding the one-line-pivot in any client story. The moment where a leader realized the training wasn't working. These become LinkedIn post openings and Voice AI empathy markers.
Rule of Three / Three is the Magic NumberStoryteller — StylesDEEP
What it does
Clusters of three for memory and rhythm. Used by Will Sutton for his "3 best Tableau techniques" presentation structure.
IEXDG use
Instagram carousel format (3 principle slides). "Three structural shifts" in every SWOT deliverable. Culture Pulse Diagnostic has 3 screener questions by design.
Metaphor EngineStoryteller — StylesGAP
AbstractionsStoryteller — StylesPARTIAL
Known
Moving between concrete and general ideas. Described by one reviewer as "the most puzzling card of all."
Universal StoriesStoryteller — StylesGAP
DownfallStoryteller — StylesGAP
Functions — tactical tools
Story HooksStoryteller — FunctionsDEEP
What it does
Opening techniques that capture attention before delivering the message. "It's no good having a great story if nobody's listening."
Hook types
1. Curiosity-gap questions · 2. Unexpected angles · 3. Irony / contradiction · 4. "You / we / us" relatable openers · 5. Knowledge-sharing promise · 6. Superlatives (biggest, weirdest, oldest)
IEXDG use
First line of every LinkedIn post. Voice AI greeting. Email subject lines. Her banked hooks: "You don't have a people problem…" · "Your best people aren't quiet quitting. They're culture-quitting." · "The training worked. The culture didn't change. Here's why."
Movie TimeStoryteller — FunctionsDEEP
What it does
Action + emotion in a concrete visual scene. "Emotion is what people remember, yet business writing often omits it."
Two ingredients
Action (visual, concrete, specific details) + Emotion (stakes, feelings, what's-at-risk).
IEXDG use
HeyGen video cold opens. LinkedIn post openings. Culture Pulse deliverable vignettes. The "Maria, single mum, trying to figure out dinner at 4pm" level of specificity, applied to a VP reading a disengagement report at 8pm on a Tuesday.
ELCC pillar
Connection · Culture
Cut to the ChaseStoryteller — FunctionsPARTIAL
What it does
Direct narrative approach. Pairs with Story Hooks for email communication (Steve Rawling pairing).
IEXDG use
Email broadcasts where space is tight. Voice AI — anti-verbose mode. "Here's the problem. Here's the fix. Here's the next step."
Data DetectivesStoryteller — FunctionsDEEP
What it does
Frame presentations as mystery-solving investigations rather than verdicts. Builds trust by showing the investigation process. Structure: beginning, messy middle, resolution.
Companions
Data Zoomer: big picture → specific example ("At 4pm, 75% of us don't know what we're having for dinner. For example, Maria…") · Data Skepticism: acknowledge measurement limits ("the things that matter most cannot be measured" — happiness, trust, satisfaction).
IEXDG use
The way every Culture Pulse SWOT/deliverable is framed. Not "here's the answer" but "here's what we found when we looked underneath." Particularly effective with VP-HR and Chiefs of Staff who read as data people.
ELCC pillar
Competence · Communication
Trust Me, I'm an ExpertStoryteller — FunctionsDEEP
What it does
Build credibility by admitting mistakes rather than claiming perfection. Counterintuitive: vulnerability compounds authority.
Method
Spend unpaid time with customers (shows commitment). Write comprehensive guides on the subject (shows depth). Tell stories of early missteps (shows learning).
IEXDG use
Dr. DNicole's keynote credibility build. "Before we had ELCC, we tried X and it broke here. Here's what I learned." Also baked into Client Portal welcome — admits what the diagnostic can't measure.
ELCC pillar
Competence · Connection
Story-ish ConversationsStoryteller — FunctionsPARTIAL
What it does
Natural storytelling in dialogue. Listen for others' stories, value them, which makes your own stories land better. Day 1 of the 5-day challenge.
IEXDG use
Discovery call technique — Dr. DNicole captures 2-3 story fragments from every exec call and feeds them back into her content engine as Story Bank entries.
Story BankStoryteller — FunctionsPARTIAL
What it does
Curated personal story library tagged by theme.
IEXDG use
Direct weapon: Nexus Knowledge Base stores Dr. DNicole's 7 signature stories tagged by ELCC pillar. When Claude drafts content, it pulls the best story from the bank. This is the architecture — not just the metaphor.
Thoughtful MistakesStoryteller — FunctionsPARTIAL
What it does
Vulnerability in narrative. Sibling of Trust Me I'm an Expert.
IEXDG use
Keynote opener when the audience is skeptical. LinkedIn posts that start "I was wrong about this for 5 years."
Show & TellStoryteller — FunctionsDEEP
What it does
Aligns spoken narrative with visual presentation. Minimal text, visual focus, speaker carries the content.
IEXDG use
Gamma deck design principle — no slide is text-heavy. The visual anchors the idea, Dr. DNicole (or her HeyGen avatar) carries the narrative.
Emotional DashboardStoryteller — FunctionsDEEP
What it does
Maps audience feelings through the talk. Used in the Pitch Perfect recipe to discover multiple client stories to choose from.
IEXDG use
Pre-keynote prep: map emotional arc from opening to close. Ensures we don't plateau at one register. Voice AI agent also uses an emotional dashboard of caller intent to route responses.
Rolls Royce MomentStoryteller — FunctionsDEEP
What it does
Luxury / premium positioning. Selecting the most impactful specific narrative to carry a principle. Day 5 of the challenge pairs it with Order & Chaos.
IEXDG use
The one story Dr. DNicole always closes a keynote with. The Tiffany-level specific moment that lands the ELCC principle forever in the room. Each sector (Corporate / Gov / Edu) has its own Rolls Royce story.
ELCC pillar
All 6 (carries whichever the talk is anchored in)
Pitch PerfectStoryteller — FunctionsDEEP
What it does
Foundational pitch structure — the skeleton of any persuasive ask.
IEXDG use
Every proposal opens with Pitch Perfect. Every Chamber of Commerce 3-minute intro uses it. Capability statements hinge on it.
Simple Sales StoriesStoryteller — FunctionsDEEP
What it does
Customer success narratives that build buyer confidence. Part 3 of Stories that Sell program.
IEXDG use
One Simple Sales Story per active deal. Ashley Kirkwood, Sam (Garfield Heights), Pepco/WSSC. Each gets a 90-second, 3-minute, and 10-minute version.
What's It About?Storyteller — FunctionsPARTIAL
What it does
Establishes the story's basics in one tight line. Pairs with Movie Time. Used in Day 3 of the challenge with Story Hooks for email.
IEXDG use
First-sentence test before anything ships. If you can't say what this post is about in one line, the post isn't ready.
Leave It Out!Storyteller — FunctionsPARTIAL
What it does
Creates a knowledge gap in the opening to pull the reader through. Demonstrated in Uroš's pitch article.
IEXDG use
LinkedIn hook technique. Open with a missing piece the reader has to stay for. "There's one thing every CEO gets wrong in their first 90 days. And it isn't what their HR team thinks."
Social ProofStoryteller — FunctionsPARTIAL
What it does
Day 4 of the challenge — persuade through others' endorsement/experience rather than self-claim.
IEXDG use
City of Tucson 5-year vendor retention. 1,429+ participants. Dubai and Ghana international delivery. Third-party reviews, not self-claims.
Stories that ConvinceStoryteller — RecipesPARTIAL
What it does
Paired recipe with Data Detectives for management presentations. Persuades clients to wait while you do proper research.
IEXDG use
How Dr. DNicole responds to "can you just send me a proposal today?" — the story that convinces a prospect to book a diagnostic first.
Desert Island Cards (7 foundational)Storyteller — RecipesPARTIAL
What it does
The 7 foundational tactics for different storytelling stages — if you could only take 7 cards.
IEXDG use
The minimum-viable weapon set baked into the Claude content prompt. Fill exact list from her PDF.
Secrets & PuzzlesStoryteller — FunctionsGAP
No Easy WayStoryteller — FunctionsPARTIAL
Known
Acknowledging difficulty. Used by Will Sutton for data-upskilling talk.
That's FunnyStoryteller — FunctionsPARTIAL
Known
Humor integration. Highlighting paradoxes (Steve used "talented colleagues couldn't answer basic story questions").
It's a Kind of MagicStoryteller — FunctionsGAP
Innovation CurveStoryteller — FunctionsDEEP
What it does
Addresses diverse client needs across the adoption arc (innovators → early adopters → majority → laggards). Part of Pitch Perfect recipe.
IEXDG use
Speak to buyers differently depending on where they are on the adoption curve. Innovators: framework. Majority: case studies. Laggards: risk data.
Movie Time / Story-ish / Drive Stories / Curious TalesStoryteller — FunctionsGAP
SAVE Your ReaderStoryteller — FunctionsGAP
What's My MotivationStoryteller — FunctionsGAP
Rules, Cheats & RebelsStoryteller — ArchetypesGAP
The Sage (and other archetypes)Storyteller — ArchetypesGAP
Herding Cats in the Fog on a DeadlineStoryteller — FunctionsGAP
The Shock of the OldStoryteller — FunctionsGAP
Section 5 — Workshop Tactics
54-card deck for running workshops
Agile workshop exercises for teams. This deck most directly maps to IEXDG's in-client facilitation work (Culture Pulse debriefs, leadership alignment sessions).
Who, What, WhenWorkshopDEEP
What it does
"Make sure stuff actually gets done." Assigns names, actions, and due dates for accountability.
IEXDG use
Every Culture Pulse deliverable ends with a Who/What/When table. Three shifts x three owners x three deadlines. Prevents "nice ideas, no movement."
Sticky StepsWorkshopDEEP
What it does
Work backwards from goal using small steps to uncover hidden dependencies.
IEXDG use
Executive kickoff exercise. "Where do we need to be in 12 months?" → reverse-engineer the 90-day, 30-day, 7-day moves.
Priority Map (Impact/Effort 2×2)WorkshopDEEP
What it does
2x2 grid with opposing priorities creates focus. Common variation: Impact vs Effort.
IEXDG use
Post-diagnostic: which of the 20 findings do we tackle first? Plots onto Impact/Effort 2x2 to stage the 90-day roadmap.
Journey MapWorkshopDEEP
What it does
Identifies where expectations aren't met, met, or exceeded in a product/service experience.
IEXDG use
Mapped to employee experience, not customer experience — where the org's stated culture values diverge from lived experience across onboarding, 1:1s, performance reviews, exits.
Five WhysWorkshopDEEP
What it does
Ask "why?" five times consecutively to surface root causes.
IEXDG use
In every Culture Pulse debrief for the top 1–3 findings. Usually resolves to a Captaincy or Communication root, not the surface-level symptom.
T-BarWorkshopDEEP
What it does
Clarifies ideas: name, bullet-point description, and sketch. Mini-presentation structure.
IEXDG use
Each of the "3 Structural Shifts" in a SWOT gets a T-Bar. Keeps deliverable scannable. Also used in Idea Tactics cross-deck.
PremortemWorkshopDEEP
What it does
Imagine how the project could fail before starting, then preempt.
IEXDG use
Run at kickoff for every $10K+ engagement. Exec team lists "how will this culture initiative fail?" — we reverse-engineer the support structures from there.
Idea StormWorkshop / IdeaDEEP
What it does
Problems → innovative solutions via structured divergent thinking.
IEXDG use
Leadership team session when a persistent cultural problem has resisted the obvious fixes. Goes to Idea Tactics deck for the deeper toolkit.
SailboatWorkshopPARTIAL
What it does
Visual retrospective: what winds are pushing us forward, what anchors are holding us back.
IEXDG use
Team-health check during a multi-month engagement. Honest anchors usually surface faster than in "traditional" retrospectives.
Crazy Eights / Idea EightWorkshop / IdeaPARTIAL
What it does
8 ideas in 8 minutes. Rapid ideation.
IEXDG use
Breakout exercise in facilitated sessions — gets leaders past the "one right answer" reflex.
Reverse BrainstormWorkshopPARTIAL
IEXDG use
"How would we make this culture WORSE?" — exposes unspoken tolerations fast.
Hopes and FearsWorkshop / TeamPARTIAL
What it does
Opening exercise surfacing what participants hope for and fear about the session/project.
IEXDG use
Opener for every leadership alignment workshop. Anonymously collected first, then discussed. Sets psychological safety baseline.
Skills MarketWorkshopPARTIAL
What it does
Team members identify unique competencies and skill-development areas.
IEXDG use
Used in leadership-development workstream to surface what's actually in the room vs what was assumed.
SWOT AnalysisWorkshopPARTIAL
IEXDG use
Every Culture Pulse Diagnostic ships with a SWOT. This tactic is already baked in at the deliverable level. Card gives variations we can use for quarterly refresh sessions.
Empathy MapWorkshopGAP
Hypothesized IEXDG use
Pre-facilitation prep: map the leadership team members' say/think/do/feel before entering the room.
Lightning Decision JamWorkshopGAP
How Might WeWorkshop / IdeaPARTIAL
Known
Transforms daunting problems into solvable questions.
IEXDG use
Reframing tool — every cultural pain point gets rewritten as "How might we…" before ideation.
Get Unstuck SessionWorkshopGAP
Prototype PersonaWorkshopGAP
Value PropositionWorkshopGAP
Section 6 — Team Tactics
54-card deck by Dave Cunningham
Team rituals, retros, vision setting, 1:1s, coaching, team health, inter-team comms, stakeholder mgmt. Most directly IEXDG-operationally-applicable.
Team VisionTeamPARTIAL
IEXDG use
First exercise in multi-month engagements where the leadership team has never explicitly named its vision. Often reveals the gap between stated-vision-on-website and what leaders actually discuss.
Retros (Retrospective Workshops)TeamPARTIAL
IEXDG use
90-day retrospective cadence for every Sustained Partnership client. Multiple retro formats built in (Sailboat, 4Ls, Stop-Start-Continue).
One-to-OneTeamPARTIAL
IEXDG use
Coaching framework for executive 1:1 sessions in the Leadership Development service line. Replaces ad-hoc "how's it going" with structured recurring conversation patterns.
Build Psychological SafetyTeamPARTIAL
IEXDG use
Anchor tactic for the Culture pillar. Baked into every facilitation opener. Also a discrete ELCC training module.
Hopes & Fears (Team variant)TeamPARTIAL
Coaching techniquesTeamGAP
Team Health MonitoringTeamGAP
Stakeholder ManagementTeamGAP
Inter-team CommunicationTeamGAP
Recognition RitualsTeamGAP
Team Tactics gap
This deck has the tightest fit with IEXDG's core service lines. Only 5 of 54 surfaced in public guides. Priority #1 for her PDF export.
Section 10 — Idea Tactics
54-card deck by Joel Stein
Deeper ideation craft than Workshop Tactics. Organized into Prime / Frame / Explore / Diverge / Stretch / Refine / Review + a Strategy System card.
Zen Spiral (Prime)IdeaPARTIAL
What
Accessible warm-up to prime creative thinking.
Draw Your Job (Prime)IdeaPARTIAL
What
Imaginative priming via visual expression.
Haiku (Prime)IdeaPARTIAL
What
Deceptively powerful creative warm-up.
How Might We? (Frame)IdeaPARTIAL
Who, What, Where, Why (Frame)IdeaPARTIAL
Mind Map (Explore)IdeaPARTIAL
Make a Meme (Explore)IdeaPARTIAL
Observe/Infer (Explore)IdeaPARTIAL
Fame vs Shame (Explore)IdeaPARTIAL
Combinaboards (Explore)IdeaPARTIAL
Worst Idea Race (Diverge)IdeaPARTIAL
Lotus Blossoms (Diverge)IdeaPARTIAL
Human Truths (Stretch)IdeaPARTIAL
T-Bar (Refine, cross-deck)Idea / WorkshopDEEP
Mega Memo (Refine)IdeaPARTIAL
Invest Your Pipcoins (Review)IdeaPARTIAL
SICFAM (Review)IdeaPARTIAL
Deep Impact (Review)IdeaPARTIAL
Strategy System CardIdeaPARTIAL
What
Six-question navigation guide for the entire creative process.