Story-audience matrix.

By Polle de Maagt · First published 17 April 2020 · Updated October 2026 · 3 min read

One story, several audiences. Decide per audience which chapters they get, and how much of each, before you write a single version.

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What it does

Keeps track of how the different parts of your story match the different audiences.

Use it for: StoriesSpeechesPresentations
You need: PaperOr sticky notes on a wall
Origin: My own, 2020

The problem.

When I write a story, speech or presentation, the content is often used in more than one setting. It can be as simple as a project that has to be presented to your manager, the board, the rest of the team and an external audience at a conference.

That confuses people. You keep switching gears while you craft the story, which makes your point more diffuse and takes away from its power. At the same time, it often does make sense to have one overall story and reuse it for different audiences.