Skip to content
ThinkProv
Follow for launch
Learn

Four layers. You are building all of them.

Speaking is the output. These are the inputs, stacked from what you know to how you think and express it. Every drill feeds a layer, and everything you read is there to be used out loud.

The four layers

From what you know to how you think.

  1. 4LayerThinking StyleHow you think and express it. Train your style, or move toward another.6 courses
  2. 3LayerFrameworksHow you structure it. Shapes you can reach for mid-sentence.11 frameworks
  3. 2LayerMental ModelsHow you reason. Tools you can pick up on a topic you have never seen.52 models
  4. 1LayerKnowledge BaseWhat you actually know. Grows from every topic you speak on.Your own map

Frameworks: Hot Seat, Framework Drill. Mental Models: Reframe Challenge, So What Ladder, Mental Models. Knowledge Base: Word Association, Don't Say It, Concept Bridge.

The Learn screen: four layers, you are building all of them, with Thinking Style, Frameworks and Mental Models as stacked cards.The Learn screen: four layers, you are building all of them, with Thinking Style, Frameworks and Mental Models as stacked cards.

App screen with sample data.

Delivery, alongside the stackYour VoicePace, pauses, energy, articulation, conviction. The instrument the four layers play through.
  • Pace & CadenceRate and variation. A pace a listener can follow, changed on purpose.The Pace & Cadence diagram from Your VoiceThe Pace & Cadence diagram from Your Voice
  • Intentional PausesPlaced silence rather than stalls.The Intentional Pauses diagram from Your VoiceThe Intentional Pauses diagram from Your Voice
  • EnergyPitch and volume dynamics. What makes a listener lean in.The Energy diagram from Your VoiceThe Energy diagram from Your Voice
  • ArticulationWord endings that land and vowels that hold under pressure.The Articulation diagram from Your VoiceThe Articulation diagram from Your Voice
  • ConvictionStatements that land rather than lift into a question.The Conviction diagram from Your VoiceThe Conviction diagram from Your Voice
Layer 4: thinking style

Six courses. One for each way of thinking.

Each course has five chapters of seven short cards, each card a paragraph and a piece of animated artwork, and a closing card to remember. Chapters open in order, and your daily program brings them to you.

  1. Chapter 1Why it matters
  2. Chapter 2What it sounds like
  3. Chapter 3The models behind it
  4. Chapter 4The shapes that carry it
  5. Chapter 5Using it under pressure

Analytical Thinking

Evidence first. Logic tight. No wasted words.

Analytical Thinking, chapter 1: Most people think analytically and speak emotionally.Analytical Thinking, chapter 1: Most people think analytically and speak emotionally.
Most people think analytically and speak emotionally.
Analytical Thinking, chapter 3: First principles: break a problem down to its most basic truths.Analytical Thinking, chapter 3: First principles: break a problem down to its most basic truths.
First principles: break a problem down to its most basic truths.
Analytical Thinking, chapter 4: The Pyramid Principle.Analytical Thinking, chapter 4: The Pyramid Principle.
The Pyramid Principle.
  1. 1Why Traceable Thinking Wins Rooms
  2. 2What It Sounds Like In A Meeting
  3. 3The Models That Sharpen It
  4. 4The Shapes That Carry An Argument
  5. 5Training It Under Pressure

Systems Thinking

See the loop, not the event.

Systems Thinking, chapter 1: A recurring problem is often a systems problem you treated as an event.Systems Thinking, chapter 1: A recurring problem is often a systems problem you treated as an event.
A recurring problem is often a systems problem you treated as an event.
Systems Thinking, chapter 3: Second-order thinking.Systems Thinking, chapter 3: Second-order thinking.
Second-order thinking.
Systems Thinking, chapter 4: SCQA as the shape of a system.Systems Thinking, chapter 4: SCQA as the shape of a system.
SCQA as the shape of a system.
  1. 1Why Second Effects Decide Everything
  2. 2What It Looks Like On A Whiteboard
  3. 3The Models That Map It
  4. 4The Shapes That Hold A System
  5. 5Thinking It Under Pressure

Socratic Thinking

The best questions are arguments in disguise.

Socratic Thinking, chapter 1: The one asking the questions nobody else thought to ask.Socratic Thinking, chapter 1: The one asking the questions nobody else thought to ask.
The one asking the questions nobody else thought to ask.
Socratic Thinking, chapter 3: Steel-man the other side first.Socratic Thinking, chapter 3: Steel-man the other side first.
Steel-man the other side first.
Socratic Thinking, chapter 4: PREP, used as a questioning structure.Socratic Thinking, chapter 4: PREP, used as a questioning structure.
PREP, used as a questioning structure.
  1. 1Why The Right Question Beats The Best Answer
  2. 2What It Sounds Like In A Room
  3. 3The Models Behind A Good Question
  4. 4The Shapes A Question Can Take
  5. 5Asking It Under Pressure

Narrative Thinking

Facts inform. Stories move people.

Narrative Thinking, chapter 1: Facts inform. Stories move people.Narrative Thinking, chapter 1: Facts inform. Stories move people.
Facts inform. Stories move people.
Narrative Thinking, chapter 3: Analogy, the engine of narrative thinking.Narrative Thinking, chapter 3: Analogy, the engine of narrative thinking.
Analogy, the engine of narrative thinking.
Narrative Thinking, chapter 4: STAR, the shape of a story told on the spot.Narrative Thinking, chapter 4: STAR, the shape of a story told on the spot.
STAR, the shape of a story told on the spot.
  1. 1Why Stories Outlive Points
  2. 2What It Sounds Like Told Well
  3. 3The Models Behind A Good Story
  4. 4The Shapes A Story Can Take
  5. 5Telling It Under Pressure

Creative / Lateral Thinking

Break the groove. Find the connection.

Creative / Lateral Thinking, chapter 1: First, ask whether it is the right problem to solve.Creative / Lateral Thinking, chapter 1: First, ask whether it is the right problem to solve.
First, ask whether it is the right problem to solve.
Creative / Lateral Thinking, chapter 3: Analogy, borrowed from somewhere unrelated.Creative / Lateral Thinking, chapter 3: Analogy, borrowed from somewhere unrelated.
Analogy, borrowed from somewhere unrelated.
Creative / Lateral Thinking, chapter 4: The Rule of Three, with a deliberately unexpected third.Creative / Lateral Thinking, chapter 4: The Rule of Three, with a deliberately unexpected third.
The Rule of Three, with a deliberately unexpected third.
  1. 1Why New Angles Beat Better Arguments
  2. 2What It Looks Like In The Wild
  3. 3The Models That Unstick You
  4. 4The Shapes That Hold A Wild Idea
  5. 5Making It Work When It Counts

Persuasive Thinking

Being right is not enough.

Persuasive Thinking, chapter 1: Being right is not enough.Persuasive Thinking, chapter 1: Being right is not enough.
Being right is not enough.
Persuasive Thinking, chapter 3: Incentives: what the listener actually cares about.Persuasive Thinking, chapter 3: Incentives: what the listener actually cares about.
Incentives: what the listener actually cares about.
Persuasive Thinking, chapter 4: PREP, the shape that carries a case.Persuasive Thinking, chapter 4: PREP, the shape that carries a case.
PREP, the shape that carries a case.
  1. 1Why People Move For Reasons You Did Not Give
  2. 2What Changing Someone's Mind Looks Like
  3. 3The Models That Move People
  4. 4The Shapes That Carry A Case
  5. 5Holding The Room Under Pressure
Layer 3: frameworks

Structure you can reach for mid-sentence.

Eleven frameworks, each a shape an answer can take. Frameworks are not interchangeable. The occasion decides.

  1. PREP

    Point, Reason, Example, Point

    The simplest structured answer. One idea, three moves.

  2. STAR

    Situation, Task, Action, Result

    A narrative shape for describing something that happened.

  3. Rule of Three

    People process and remember in threes.

  4. SCQA

    Situation, Complication, Question, Answer

    Structure an analytical argument and lead with the answer.

  5. Pyramid Principle

    Top-down: the conclusion first, then arguments that do not overlap.

  6. Problem-Solution-Benefit

    Persuasion in three beats.

  7. Before-After-Bridge

    The current pain, a better future, and the bridge between them.

  8. What, So What, Now What

    An observation, what it implies, and what to do about it.

  9. Setup-Tension-Punchline

    The engine of every joke and every memorable beat.

  10. Hook-Story-Offer

    The pitch structure.

  11. Five Ws

    Who, what, when, where, why

    A checklist for the facts. In Learn, not in the drill.

Which shape for which room

The occasions in the Framework Drill, and the frameworks that fit each one best.

  • Job interview

    STAR, PREP. Also works: Rule of Three, What, So What, Now What

  • Client pitch

    SCQA, Pyramid. Also works: Before-After-Bridge

  • Presentation

    Pyramid, Rule of Three. Also works: Problem-Solution-Benefit, PREP

  • Difficult conversation

    SCQA, Before-After-Bridge. Also works: What, So What, Now What, PREP

  • Elevator pitch

    Hook-Story-Offer, PREP

  • Comedy

    Setup-Tension-Punchline

Layer 2: mental models

Tools for a topic you have never seen.

Fifty-two models, started from Charlie Munger's idea of a latticework. 34 are core: you learn them, test them, apply them and train them. Eighteen more, mostly biases, sit in a library to browse.

  1. ReadThe model, with its diagram.
  2. RecogniseSpot it at work in passages you have not seen.
  3. ApplyUse it on your own life, spoken or typed.
  4. TrainProduce it under pressure, in a drill or a Cold Stage, and have it shape the answer.
Diagram of the First Principles mental modelDiagram of the First Principles mental model
First Principles
Diagram of the Second-Order Thinking mental modelDiagram of the Second-Order Thinking mental model
Second-Order Thinking
Diagram of the Inversion mental modelDiagram of the Inversion mental model
Inversion
Diagram of the Feedback Loops mental modelDiagram of the Feedback Loops mental model
Feedback Loops
Diagram of the Steel-man mental modelDiagram of the Steel-man mental model
Steel-man
Diagram of the Opportunity Cost mental modelDiagram of the Opportunity Cost mental model
Opportunity Cost
Diagram of the Map vs Territory mental modelDiagram of the Map vs Territory mental model
Map vs Territory
Diagram of the Incentives mental modelDiagram of the Incentives mental model
Incentives
Diagram of the Analogy mental modelDiagram of the Analogy mental model
Analogy
Diagram of the Peak-End Rule mental modelDiagram of the Peak-End Rule mental model
Peak-End Rule
Diagram of the Compounding mental modelDiagram of the Compounding mental model
Compounding
Diagram of the Circle of Competence mental modelDiagram of the Circle of Competence mental model
Circle of Competence

General thinking tools11

Inversion, Circle of Competence, Second-Order Thinking, Occam's Razor, Filters, Two-Track Analysis, First Principles, Steel-man, Map vs Territory, Falsifiability, Analogy

Psychology and human behaviour10

Incentives, Twaddle Tendency, Reason-Respecting Tendency, Lollapalooza Effect, Identifiable Victim Effect, Curse of Knowledge, Peak-End Rule, Concreteness Effect, Narrative Transportation, Functional Fixedness

Engineering and systems5

Redundancy, Margin of Safety, Critical Mass, Feedback Loops, Bottlenecks

Economics and investing4

Opportunity Cost, Price Signals, Scale Effects, Disruption

Biology and evolution2

Natural Selection, Ecosystems

Mathematics and statistics2

Compounding, Base Rates

The ideas underneath

Why it is built the way it is.

ThinkProv leans on a few well-known ideas about how skills are learned. We use them as design rules, not as promises.

Two systems

Thinking has a fast, automatic side and a slow, deliberate one. Reading puts a move in the slow side. Only producing it under time pressure, again and again, moves it to the fast one. That is why every layer is trained out loud.

Spacing

Short reps spread across days beat one long session. The spacing effect has been studied since Ebbinghaus in 1885. A few minutes daily beats an hour once a week, so the program is a short daily one.

Retrieval

Every rep is retrieval practice. Pulling an idea out of memory, on the spot, is what makes it easier to pull out next time. The fast drills are built around exactly that.

Deliberate practice

Volume is not the variable. What counts is practice aimed at a specific weakness with feedback on it, which is why each day aims at what your recent reps say needs work.

NextThe daily program, and where it leads

One rep a day. Not an hour.

A short daily program that adapts to how your recent reps went.

Coming soonGoogle Play
Coming soonApp Store