How to Think Fast Before You Speak: Framework Thinking

Summary

In this informative video, Vicki discusses the concept of thinking fast and the ability to steer conversations effectively under pressure. She emphasizes the importance of using frameworks and reasoning from first principles to organize thoughts and identify key levers that influence outcomes. By building a library of frameworks and connecting them, one can quickly navigate through various topics and provide insightful responses. Vicki also shares tips on creating your own frameworks and finding hidden ones online, ultimately enhancing one's ability to think and communicate efficiently.

Takeaways

• 🧠 Developing the ability to think quickly and respond effectively can be trained, rather than being solely attributed to high IQ.
• 🔄 Steering not following is crucial when under pressure; it involves controlling the conversation and directing it towards desired topics.
• 🤔 Many struggle with steering conversations due to a lack of pre-determined frameworks for thinking and responding.
• 🏗️ Frameworks are mental structures that organize thoughts and identify key levers for achieving desired outcomes.
• 🌿 Reasoning from first principles involves breaking down complex ideas to fundamental truths and building up from there.
• 📈 An example of a framework is understanding revenue through the equation: revenue = number of units × price.
• 🔄 By having a library of interconnected frameworks, one can provide depth and insights in various discussions.
• 🎨 Creating your own frameworks involves distilling complex information into its essence for quick recall and application.
• 📚 Hidden frameworks can be found on the internet by structuring condensed information into usable mental models.
• 🌐 Ikigai is an example of a framework that can be applied to discussions about making money doing what one loves by focusing on four key levers: love, skill, payment, and world need.
• 📈 Building a library of frameworks allows for comfortable and expansive discussions on a variety of topics.

Q & A

What is the main topic discussed in the video?

The main topic discussed in the video is about training the brain to think quickly and effectively in conversations, using frameworks and mental models.

What does 'steer don't follow' mean in the context of the video?

In the context of the video, 'steer don't follow' means taking control of a conversation and guiding it towards the topics you want to discuss, rather than being led by the other person's logic or pressure.

Why do people often struggle with steering conversations?

People often struggle with steering conversations because they haven't disciplined their minds to think in frameworks, which are structures that help organize thoughts and identify key levers that influence a result.

What is the importance of reasoning from first principles?

Reasoning from first principles is important because it involves breaking down complex ideas to their most fundamental truths and building up from there, which helps in clear and logical thinking, especially in high-pressure situations or when answering questions on the fly.

How can one develop a library of frameworks?

One can develop a library of frameworks by creating their own based on understanding the essence of a topic, or by finding and structuring information from various sources, such as the internet, into easily accessible frameworks.

What is an example of a framework discussed in the video?

An example of a framework discussed in the video is the one for understanding revenue, which is 'revenue equals number of units times price,' allowing one to focus on either selling more units or increasing the price to grow revenue.

How can connecting different frameworks provide more depth and insights?

Connecting different frameworks allows for a more comprehensive understanding of a topic, as it enables the integration of various perspectives and ideas, leading to a deeper and more nuanced discussion.

What is the process of distilling information to its essence, as illustrated by Picasso's art?

The process of distilling information to its essence involves simplifying complex ideas or concepts into their most fundamental components, making it easier to remember and recall, which in turn allows for faster thinking and more effective communication.

How can one find hidden frameworks on the internet?

One can find hidden frameworks on the internet by identifying key levers or structures in the information they encounter, and then organizing that information into a structured framework that can be easily referenced and applied in conversations or problem-solving.

What is the ikigai framework mentioned in the video, and how can it be used?

The ikigai framework is a concept that breaks down the purpose of life into four key levers: what you love, what you're good at, what you can be paid for, and what the world needs. It can be used to guide conversations about finding fulfillment and making money doing what one loves.

Outlines

00:00

🧠 Developing Quick Thinking with Frameworks

This paragraph discusses the ability of some individuals to respond quickly and effectively in conversations, attributing it to the use of mental frameworks. The speaker, Vicki, introduces the concept of frameworks as structures that organize thoughts and identify key levers influencing outcomes. She emphasizes the importance of reasoning from first principles rather than by analogy, using the example of revenue growth through increasing units sold or price. The paragraph highlights the value of having a library of frameworks to enable rapid and insightful responses to various topics.

05:01

🎨 Creating and Finding Frameworks

In this paragraph, Vicki explains how to create and discover frameworks for quick thinking. She suggests that while schools don't teach frameworks, they can be developed by distilling essence from complex information. Using Picasso's art as an analogy, she encourages the simplification of knowledge into fundamental structures. Vicki also discusses finding 'hidden frameworks' on the internet by structuring condensed information into usable frameworks. She provides the example of 'ikigai,' a Japanese concept that breaks down the key elements needed to make money doing what one loves, illustrating how to apply such frameworks in conversation.

Keywords

💡Steer Don't Follow

The concept of 'Steer Don't Follow' refers to the strategy of taking control of a conversation or situation rather than being led by someone else's logic or pressure. In the video, it is highlighted as a crucial skill for thinking on one's feet and navigating high-pressure discussions effectively. The speaker emphasizes that instead of being reactive, one should steer the conversation towards desired topics, which requires mental discipline and the ability to think within frameworks.

💡Frameworks

Frameworks are mental structures that help organize thoughts and identify key factors influencing a particular outcome. In the context of the video, frameworks are essential for thinking quickly and responding effectively in various situations. They allow individuals to distill complex information into simpler, more manageable components, making it easier to recall and apply relevant information when needed.

💡First Principles

Reasoning from first principles involves breaking down complex problems into their most fundamental truths and building up from there. This approach is contrasted with reasoning by analogy, which is often easier but less rigorous. The video suggests that thinking from first principles leads to clearer and more structured thinking, which is essential for effective communication and problem-solving.

💡Knowledge Organization

Knowledge organization is the process of structuring and categorizing information in a way that makes it easily accessible and applicable. In the video, the speaker emphasizes the importance of organizing knowledge into frameworks to think faster and more effectively. This organization allows individuals to quickly recall and utilize relevant information in various contexts, enhancing their ability to respond to questions and challenges.

💡Consulting Firms

Consulting firms are professional services companies that provide expert advice and guidance to organizations in various areas such as management, operations, and strategy. In the video, the speaker notes that consulting firms use frameworks to structure their advice and sell high-value projects to clients. These frameworks help them identify key levers for improvement and communicate their insights effectively.

💡Business Storytelling

Business storytelling is the art of conveying information, ideas, or messages in a narrative form to engage and persuade an audience. In the video, the speaker mentions using frameworks like ethos, pathos, and logos to enhance the effectiveness of business storytelling. These frameworks help identify and emphasize the credibility, emotional appeal, and logical consistency of a story or presentation.

💡Ikigai

Ikigai is a Japanese concept that refers to the purpose or meaning of life. In the video, it is used as a framework to discuss how individuals can find happiness and financial success by pursuing what they love. The four elements of ikigai—what you love, what you're good at, what you can be paid for, and what the world needs—provide a structured approach to thinking about personal fulfillment and career choices.

💡Mental Models

Mental models are internal representations or frameworks that individuals use to understand and make sense of the world around them. They are simplifications of complex realities that help in decision-making and problem-solving. In the video, mental models are discussed as tools for structuring knowledge and thinking quickly, which are essential for effective communication and consulting.

💡Picasso's Art

Picasso's art is referenced in the video as an analogy for the process of distilling complex ideas into their essence. Picasso's progression from detailed, realistic depictions to abstract representations illustrates the concept of simplifying information to its core elements, which is a key principle in creating effective mental frameworks for thinking and communication.

💡Library of Frameworks

A 'library of frameworks' refers to a collection of mental structures or models that individuals can use to quickly analyze and discuss various topics. In the video, the speaker encourages building such a library to expand one's ability to think and talk about a wide range of subjects with confidence and depth. This library serves as a resource for quickly accessing and applying relevant frameworks to different situations.

Highlights

Some people appear to always know what to say and can think quickly due to trained brains.

The ability to steer conversations instead of following them is crucial under pressure.

Steering conversations involves taking back control and directing the discussion to desired topics.

Many struggle with steering because they haven't disciplined their minds to think in frameworks.

Frameworks are structures that organize thoughts and identify key levers influencing outcomes.

Reasoning from first principles rather than by analogy is recommended for clarity and depth.

An example of a framework is understanding revenue as a product of the number of units sold and price.

Consulting firms sell projects based on frameworks that distill complex ideas into actionable strategies.

Creating your own frameworks involves distilling information to its essence for quick recall.

The framework of ethos, pathos, and logos is used in business storytelling for compelling presentations.

Hidden frameworks can be found on the internet and structured for personal use.

Ikigai is a framework that combines what you love, what you're good at, what you can be paid for, and what the world needs.

Building a library of frameworks allows for expanded comfort in discussing various topics.

Frameworks enable quick thinking by reducing the need to sort through vast amounts of unstructured information.

Charlie Munger emphasizes that孤立的事实无法形成有用的认知结构，frameworks帮助信息有序挂靠。

The video offers to share more frameworks in the comments for those interested in learning more.

Subscribing to the channel is encouraged for more content on mental models and frameworks.

Transcripts

why do some people always know what to

say it seems like they're never

flustered

they can always answer questions on the

fly i thought it was high iq but it

turns out that we can train our brains

to do the same as well welcome back to

my channel i'm vicki and today we are

talking about the one thing you can

train your brain on in order

to think fast before you speak in the

last video we talked about the one thing

you need to focus on when you're under

high pressure and that is

steer don't follow in a nutshell

it means that when the other person is

giving you pressure and you don't know

where you're going

you want to be able to take back the

control

and steer the conversation towards what

you want to talk about instead of just

following their logic

if you want to see the details you can

check out this video below i'll put the

link in the description as well

but before you go i want to talk about

why

a lot of people struggle with making

sure they steer and not

follow and that's because a lot of

people feel like it's hard to find a

point

they can steer the conversation towards

they have to scramble and think

okay where do i want this conversation

to go so today we'll

address exactly that the reason a lot of

us find it really difficult to steer a

conversation on the fly towards a point

that we want to talk about

is because we haven't disciplined our

mind to think in

frameworks frameworks are structures to

help organize

your thoughts so that you can identify

the key levers

that influence a result i think it's

also important to

reason from first principles rather than

by analogy

because it's it's kind of mentally

easier to reason by analogy

rather than from first principles but

you kind of boil things down to

the most fundamental truths and and say

okay what are we

sure is true or sure as possible is true

and then reason up from there for

example

revenue equals number of units times

price this is a framework for knowing

what influences revenue right there are

only two things

either you sell more units or you

increase the price or

you increase both so whenever someone

talks about how can my company make more

money you know

exactly what to say doesn't matter what

version of the story it is

if their question is about revenue and

they want to know how to grow it it's

very simple

you either talk about the number of

units

they can sell how they can increase that

or increase their price and how they

might do that or even increase both

if there's an opportunity to do so so

immediately any question that talks

about revenue

you can always bring it back to these

two levers number of units

and price so simple right so now it

doesn't matter what people throw at you

in terms of a company making revenue

doesn't matter if they say

the vision of this and the strategic

priorities of that and the marketing

creatives of this and that doesn't

matter you always come back to

either number of units sold the price or

both of them

and the goal for framework thinking is

to have a library of these frameworks on

topics

that are important to you that you can

talk about and pro tip if you can

connect

different frameworks then the amount of

depth

and insights you can provide is even

greater

let me give you just a simple example so

we talked about revenue but

a lot of people are want to focus on

profits as well

right so how can i make more money to

take home

now here you can use the very simple

framework again profit equals

revenue minus cost revenue we've already

talked about

costs you can separate it into marginal

cost and fixed cost

so now if people want to talk about how

can i make more

profits you know exactly again what to

talk about you have to increase your

revenue or you have to decrease your

cost

and pick one to focus on then you can

double click

into that topic right now you've got the

revenue framework you can say

if you want to increase your revenue

let's look at how many units are you

selling

what is the price what can we how can we

tweak these things right or if you want

to talk about

cost you can say okay let's look at the

cost structure

where can you take things out right is

it in the fixed cost or is it in the

marginal cost

and this way now if people ask you you

know how can i make more money

you know exactly what to talk about you

can use these frameworks

as almost an assessment tell me your

situation and i will tell you

what you can tweak so that in essence is

you know how consulting firms sell

hundreds of thousands of dollars of

projects

millions of dollars of projects based on

frameworks

like this as charlie munger says you

can't really know anything if you just

remember isolated facts and try to bang

them back

if the facts don't hang together on the

lattice work of theory

you don't have them in a useful form

to think fast you need to put your

knowledge

into frameworks sort them organize them

so you can very quickly

recall what you want to talk about what

are the key levers that

make sense so where do you find these

frameworks

they don't really teach them in school

right well there are two ways i'll share

with you and the first one

is to create them yourself and it's

really not that hard

hear me out here apple teaches their

employees

with picasso's art the bowl picasso was

drawing these bowls

trying to capture the essence of it he

calls

the spirit of the beast and as you see

at the beginning everything is very

realistic there's a lot of detail

but as he iterates he tries to bring it

down to the skull

and eventually down to something very

abstract

just a few lines right to represent the

horns

to represent the body to represent the

legs and so

we want to do the same things distill

the things we know

down to the very essence of it once you

know the essence then you can think

faster right because all you need to

look for in your brain is a structure

and not just

one piece of information that takes a

lot of sorting through that takes a lot

of memory space

but if you're just looking for one

structure it's a lot quicker and that's

how people think

fast on their feet for example i work in

business

storytelling and there are quite a few

frameworks

for that one of the ones i use is ethos

pathos and logos

which means credibility emotions and

logic

now whenever people come to me with a

question about hey why is my

presentation not very compelling

why don't people take action when they

visit my website or why is my marketing

message

not working i start there right let's

look at the three levers and let's see

what you're doing right now by seeing

the essence of something

and then having multiple frameworks that

connect

you're going to be able to talk about a

variety of things

very quickly because you know the

structures and you can connect them

together now if you feel like well this

is way too much work i don't want to

start from scratch

that's okay let's talk about the second

way of finding

frameworks finding hidden frameworks on

the internet

now why do i say hidden because we're

not trained to think in frameworks

when we find information on the internet

most

of the authors who have done a lot of

condensing and finding the key levers to

problems they don't call it a framework

so all you have to do is

take that information and structure it

so that it becomes a framework for you

to reference it very easily

when you are thinking fast before you

talk let's use

an example to make this more concrete

say you're talking about

how to make money doing what you love

right there isn't per se

a framework out there on google but

there is this concept of ikigai

which means like the purpose of your

life in japanese

and already ikigai breaks down the four

elements the four key levers you need in

order

to make money doing what you love they

are what you love

what you're good at what you can be paid

for

and what the world needs so easy all the

work is done for you

all you need to do is just remember that

there are four levers there and you make

that connection between the four levers

and the topic

which is how to make money doing what

you love

so now whenever people ask you hey i

hate my job

i don't know what to do how can i be

happy and make money

doing what i really love you can just

take these four levers and

talk them through it of course the

information you provide

might still be very surface level right

unless you have the expertise you have

the experience

so with that in mind really it's about

building that library

of frameworks so that you can expand the

things that you can talk about very

comfortably and then you have the

direction

knowing which areas which topics which

levers i need to look further into in

order to expand

if you're interested in learning more

mental models or frameworks let me know

in the comments below i can always share

the ones i use

almost on a daily basis and if you found

this helpful

please give this a thumbs up subscribe

if you haven't already it really helps

the channel

and i'll see you in the next video