The ladder · Level 3 · Persuasion and hard conversations
Influence
The bar: Build a three-minute case with two minutes to think, hold a hard conversation with "and" instead of "but", make a real ask without the cushion, and answer the strongest argument against you.
18 lessons. Finished at Holding or better on every skill across the last three reps. A rep or two a week puts it at about a quarter.
The hook and the close
Hook them, then close with impact
The hook buys you the room for ten seconds. The close is what they live with.
The rep: Hook, through line, close, 2 minutes (2 min)
One through line
A case has one through line. Every picture you paint points back at it, and the room never has to guess what you are arguing.
The rep: One through line, 2 minutes (2 min)
Close with impact
The close is what they live with. A power line, then a clean thank you, so the room knows exactly when to clap.
The rep: The last line first, 2 minutes (2 min)
Your brand
Five words
The communication brand audit: five words for how you communicate right now, then five for the confident communicator you want to be, seeded with one strength you already have.
The rep: Five words, twice, 60 seconds (1 min)
The brand statement
"I am somebody who ___, and people who interact with me leave feeling ___." One for now, one for where you are going.
The rep: Your brand statement, 60 seconds (1 min)
Holding the room
Slow down to land it
Slow down on the line that matters and let it sit. Then pick the pace back up. The change is what the room hears.
The rep: Two lines, slowed down, 2 minutes (2 min)
The four levers on command
Louder, softer, faster, slower, on command, on the same line. The levers you can move on demand are the ones you own, and the comedy work is the fun way in.
The rep: Four levers, 2 minutes (2 min)
Two steps and plant
Own the physical space. Walk the room in silence, a powerful stance, two steps and plant, and let the motion itself be a built-in pause. Then step off the stage, toward the room, on the point you most want them to feel.
The rep: Two steps and plant, 2 minutes (2 min)
Bullets, not a script
A few short bullets you can glance at, then look back up before you speak. A full script trips you mid-sentence. Things land in threes.
The rep: From three bullets, 2 minutes (2 min)
Hard conversations
You can only control your reaction
You cannot force anyone to speak to you a certain way. You get dealt a hand; your reaction is the only card you hold. The conflict spectrum: avoid, explode, navigate.
The rep: Avoid, explode, navigate, 2 minutes (2 min)
Trade "but" for "and"
"But" quietly tells the other person that what they said did not matter. "And" builds on it. Same point, and the agreement stays intact.
The rep: Three disagreements, 60 seconds (1 min)
The question of curiosity
When you would rather argue, ask. "Help me understand." "Tell me more." A question of curiosity keeps you in the conversation instead of shutting it down.
The rep: Curious first, 60 seconds (1 min)
Assertive, not aggressive
Advocate for yourself clearly without the cushion. State what you want first; any softening comes second, if at all. "Call me back when you get the chance," not "maybe please."
The rep: The ask without the cushion, 60 seconds (1 min)
Turn a complaint into a request
Frustration is a fine place to start. Point it at the person who can help: "I'm having some trouble, can I get ___?" Stay on the north star of the conversation instead of venting.
The rep: From complaint to request, 60 seconds (1 min)
The ask
Pitching something you want: open with the thing they said before or the thing coming up, make the ask as a question, give a little to get a little. Ask the bigger ask on purpose; the no you are dodging usually has a smaller yes behind it.
The rep: The pitch, 2 minutes (2 min)
Under pressure
Two minutes to build it
Two minutes to think, then go. A hook, a through line, a close, built from whatever the prompt gives you.
The rep: Built in two minutes (2 min, cold)
The argument against you
Know the strongest argument against you before they say it. Name it, give it its due, and answer it.
The rep: Your case, then the pushback (2 min, with a follow-up)
The three-minute case (capstone)
The level in one rep: two minutes to think, three minutes to persuade, then the strongest argument against you.
The rep: The three-minute case (3 min, cold, with a follow-up)
Live with Noah
- Deliver the case live to the group and take their follow-up questions.
- Role-play one hard conversation live: a complaint turned into a request, assertive, not aggressive.
- Run the four levers on command, live: the same line, one lever changed at a time.
Finish Influence inside a paid term and Command opens on its own. Tracks is $69 a month; Coaching adds Noah twice a month.