The fundamental elements of any compelling story—a character, a conflict, and a resolution—map directly to product management. The user is the character, their problem is the conflict, and your product provides the resolution. This simplifies story creation.

DreamWorks co-founder Jeffrey Katzenberg argues that successful businesses are built on compelling narratives. Storytelling is essential for recruiting top talent, securing investment, and acquiring customers, making it a foundational skill for any leader, not just a creative department's job.

Many leaders mistake a chronological summary or a problem-solution statement for a story. True storytelling, like that used by Alibaba's Jack Ma, requires a narrative with characters, conflict, and resolution. This structure is what truly engages stakeholders and persuades them to join a cause.

Storytelling frameworks are useless without substance. The foundation of a compelling narrative is knowing more about your industry's core problem than anyone else. The goal isn't to master abstract techniques but to develop a deep, unique perspective that you feel compelled to share. The true test: could you write a book on your category?

At Alphabet's X, the primary role of storytelling isn't marketing but creating an 'architecture of understanding.' A compelling narrative must lay out a plausible, step-by-step path to the goal. This provides a clear hypothesis and a set of milestones that the team can then systematically test and disprove.

To develop your storytelling muscle, input a standard communication like an email into an AI and prompt it to restructure the text using a narrative framework. This acts as a training tool to help you internalize new patterns for persuasive communication.

While many acknowledge storytelling's importance, few master its application. The ability to frame what your product does within a compelling story is a macro-level skill that makes abstract concepts understandable and memorable. It is the practical vehicle for explaining things clearly and avoiding customer disengagement.

Like Picasso mastering fundamental techniques before developing his style, elite salespeople develop their "art" only after mastering the "science"—the structure and process of selling. True artistry is built upon a foundation of discipline, not just natural talent.

The narrative structure used in Pixar films—"Once upon a time... and every day... until one day... because of that... ever since then"—provides a simple, effective template for product managers to build compelling stories around their users and solutions.