In this lesson, you’ll discover how to effectively communicate your ideas by using the PDIS scheme. We’ll explore the importance of going beyond simply sharing information and delve into the art of presenting your ideas in a clear and engaging manner. Whether you’re crafting social media posts, essays, articles, or delivering presentations and speeches, the PDIS scheme, which stands for Problem Statement, Description of the Problem, Impact, and Solution, will be your go-to tool for ensuring that your message is not only heard but also understood. We’ll also share real-world insights on how this scheme can make your communication stand out, just as it did for the operations team leader in a tech company. By the end of this lesson, you’ll be well-equipped to create compelling content that captivates your audience and effectively conveys your message.

Did you know that merely sharing information isn’t enough for people to understand you? In this video, we will discuss how to effectively deliver an idea, especially if you need to convince others.

There is a method that will allow you to share your idea clearly and expect understanding. It can be used in:

• Social Media Posts
• Essays
• Articles
• Book chapters
• Videos
• Presentations
• Speeches
• Conversations

This method is simple, and it works well. Let me share a story to explain where this method came from, as it might help you better understand its impact on communication.

The story behind the scheme for better understanding

I was working as an Operations team leader for a tech company. My task was to manage the Partner Program and troubleshoot various issues, ensuring the management was alerted to anything going wrong so they could act promptly to avoid compromising the Partner Program due to poor performance.

The key was delivering alerts to the right people as soon as possible. How do you ensure your message is read and receives proper attention in the corporate world, where decision-makers receive numerous emails?

After one crucial alert was missed by my boss, I learned an important lesson. He explained, “In a world with hundreds of messages, your message must stand out. But how can you make it stand out without constantly sounding alarms and losing trust? Even creating a ‘clickbait’ email subject is not a solution, as everyone uses email subjects to highlight their urgent problems. The real solution is to add value to your email.”

To ensure your email is valuable, it should include a subject, an explanation of the issue, an assessment of the issue’s impact on the business (so decision-makers understand its urgency), and, if applicable, a solution or a clear request.

This way, decision-makers can make quick decisions by glancing at properly presented information. Such emails are more likely to receive prompt responses, as it’s faster to respond immediately than to come back to the email later and re-read it.

This is how correctly presented and digestible information is used in communication to ensure people hear you. Posts written in this way increase impact and engagement, while books using this method are transformational because they address the arguments people are likely to have while reading, such as, “What will happen if I don’t follow what I’ve learned?”

Let’s take a closer look at the scheme itself: PDIS (or PDS).

• P – Problem Statement: A very brief and descriptive sentence that outlines the problem, such as, “The website has not been working for the last two hours.”
• D – Description of the Problem: This paragraph provides more details about the problem and may include personal experiences related to it, like, “For the last 2 hours, we have received four requests from students trying to access the website, which appears to be down. The expected downtime is until 4 AM.”
• I – Impact: Identify the various ways the issue can impact and describe the most significant negative outcomes if the problem remains unresolved. For instance, in our message, we want to ensure that students can study anytime, so we’ll focus on how their inability to study negatively affects them: “Students are falling behind on their learning schedule due to the website downtime and may miss their deadlines.”
• S – Solution: In an email, you may not know the solution and may need to request it from the decision-maker or offer suggestions. For example, “We need an alternative platform to provide students with temporary access. We may grant access via a YouTube playlist during the website’s downtime.”

For articles, book chapters, courses, or coaching programs, you should provide a clear and comprehensive solution, detailing the steps to eliminate the problem’s impact and how to resolve it.

For the purpose of working on basic product concept development as part of the Product Creation course, these PDIS elements are added to the 100 Problems and Solutions List, where you can find a column for each element.

Now that you understand what PDIS stands for, you can create 100 solutions that can later be converted into articles, videos, books, coaching programs, courses, and even social media posts.