The 'Chapter One' Narrative Framework
by Casey Winters • Chief Product Officer at Eventbrite
A renowned product leader and growth expert who previously led growth at Pinterest and GrubHub, advised companies like Airbnb and Canva, and serves as a partner at Reforge.
🎙️ Episode Context
Casey Winters dissects the nuances of product leadership, offering masterclasses on executive communication, managing product complexity, and the sequencing of growth strategies. He challenges conventional wisdom on operations teams and provides a clear roadmap for PMs to transition from execution-focused roles to strategic leadership.
Problem It Solves
Prevents failed executive reviews where leaders feel out of touch or ask basic questions that derail the meeting.
Framework Overview
A communication structure for presenting to executives that ensures alignment before diving into details. It treats every presentation as a story that must begin with the strategic context, regardless of how often the executive has heard it.
🧠 Framework Structure
Start at Chapter 1: Re-state the comp...
Role-Play the Audience: Pre-game the ...
The Pre-Meeting De-risk: Conduct 1:1s...
Middle-Ground Context: Do not start a...
When to Use
When presenting product roadmaps, strategic pivots, or complex feature updates to C-level executives or boards.
Common Mistakes
Assuming executives remember the context of your specific project from a month ago and jumping straight to 'Chapter 6' (the implementation details).
Real World Example
Casey coaches his team at Eventbrite to anticipate questions specific to their CEO (Julia) versus their CFO, ensuring the narrative addresses those specific lenses before they are even asked.
If you're not an executive, whatever you're working on, you're basically writing and telling a story... I find that many times when non-executives are presenting to execs, they'll start on chapter six.
— Casey Winters