The ABT Agenda
@abtagenda.bsky.social
Scientist-turned-filmmaker Dr. Randy Olson, preaching the eternal ABT (And, But, Therefore) gospel of, "Narrative is Leadership." http://abtnarrative.com/
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The ABT Agenda
@abtagenda.bsky.social
· Mar 12
The Two Narrative Metrics
An essay on the And Frequency (AF) and Narrative Index (NI). Originally published as Appendix 2 in "The Narrative Gym for Politics."
abtagenda.substack.com
The idea of putting a number on “How powerful is your story?” sounds somewhat absurd, BUT here are the two (and only two) narrative metrics I’ve found to be useful, intuitive, robust, accurate, and meaningful. abtagenda.substack.com/p/the-two-na...
This is how it’s done. Abraham Lincoln knew this. MLK, Jr. knew this. Mark Carney just demonstrated it. Out of the simplicity of ABT structure can arise infinite complexity. abtagenda.substack.com/p/canadian-p...
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has delivered a brilliant pure ABT-structured speech at the World Economic Forum.
This is how it’s done. Abraham Lincoln knew this. MLK, Jr. knew this. Mark Carney just demonstrated it. Out of the simplicity of ABT structure can arise infinite complexity.
abtagenda.substack.com
January 23, 2026 at 7:30 PM
This is how it’s done. Abraham Lincoln knew this. MLK, Jr. knew this. Mark Carney just demonstrated it. Out of the simplicity of ABT structure can arise infinite complexity. abtagenda.substack.com/p/canadian-p...
Our Winter newsletter is out. See what's new in ABT Land mailchi.mp/4b08c8082c98...
ABT Newsletter: Chinese-American Video, Kindred Spirits Feb 11 (RSVP now)
mailchi.mp
January 20, 2026 at 8:15 PM
Our Winter newsletter is out. See what's new in ABT Land mailchi.mp/4b08c8082c98...
Equivocation Nightmare: Friday's Exchange (Hawley vs Verma) is a piece of “disastrous testimony" for the Biomedical Establishment
abtagenda.substack.com/p/equivocati...
abtagenda.substack.com/p/equivocati...
Equivocation Nightmare: Friday's Exchange (Hawley vs Verma) is a piece of “disastrous testimony" for the Biomedical Establishment
You can’t do this in front of the American public. Average people do not understand this. You must answer the question.
abtagenda.substack.com
January 19, 2026 at 10:19 PM
Equivocation Nightmare: Friday's Exchange (Hawley vs Verma) is a piece of “disastrous testimony" for the Biomedical Establishment
abtagenda.substack.com/p/equivocati...
abtagenda.substack.com/p/equivocati...
Rule #1 of powerful communication is “Don’t TELL me, SHOW me.” The NY Times TOLD us yesterday Dr. Jayawardhana is a good communicator, here are the data that SHOW it.
abtagenda.substack.com/p/is-new-cal...
abtagenda.substack.com/p/is-new-cal...
Is New Cal Tech President Ray Jayawardhana a “Good Communicator”? Yes, here’s QUANTITATIVE PROOF
Rule #1 of powerful communication is “Don’t TELL me, SHOW me.” The NY Times TOLD us yesterday Dr. Jayawardhana is a good communicator, here are the data that SHOW it.
abtagenda.substack.com
January 8, 2026 at 6:07 PM
Rule #1 of powerful communication is “Don’t TELL me, SHOW me.” The NY Times TOLD us yesterday Dr. Jayawardhana is a good communicator, here are the data that SHOW it.
abtagenda.substack.com/p/is-new-cal...
abtagenda.substack.com/p/is-new-cal...
I’m no fan of Steve Bannon, BUT … at an analytical level, I’m pretty sure he understands American society today better than anyone. Why?
Read more: abtagenda.substack.com/p/why-the-ab...
Read more: abtagenda.substack.com/p/why-the-ab...
Why the ABT is so important: The Definitive Signal-to-Noise Tool for Communication
PROBLEM: The Information Maelstrom (today’s world of too much information) EVENTUAL SOLUTION AND ONLY REAL HOPE: The ABT
abtagenda.substack.com
October 13, 2025 at 10:33 PM
I’m no fan of Steve Bannon, BUT … at an analytical level, I’m pretty sure he understands American society today better than anyone. Why?
Read more: abtagenda.substack.com/p/why-the-ab...
Read more: abtagenda.substack.com/p/why-the-ab...
Michael Osterholm talks about his upcoming book on pandemic preparedness, "The Big One," with public experts from University of Georgia, Emory University, and Gates Foundation. abtagenda.substack.com/p/dr-michael... @mtosterholm.bsky.social
Dr. Michael Osterholm, Epidemiologist, author of the upcoming book, “The Big One” - ABT Kindred Spirits Group #26
Dr. Michael Osterholm talks about our lack of preparedness for the next pandemic, how we did on the last one, and his upcoming book with the ominous title, “The Big One."
abtagenda.substack.com
August 22, 2025 at 8:35 PM
Michael Osterholm talks about his upcoming book on pandemic preparedness, "The Big One," with public experts from University of Georgia, Emory University, and Gates Foundation. abtagenda.substack.com/p/dr-michael... @mtosterholm.bsky.social
We’ll be live with Dr. Michael Osterholm, our communications hero, today at 10:00 Pacific | 1:00 pm Eastern. Watch here: youtube.com/live/x6sRvbT...
Michael Osterholm, Our Medial Communications Hero - ABT Kindred Spirits Group #25
YouTube video by ABT Agenda
youtube.com
August 20, 2025 at 4:19 PM
We’ll be live with Dr. Michael Osterholm, our communications hero, today at 10:00 Pacific | 1:00 pm Eastern. Watch here: youtube.com/live/x6sRvbT...
Will AI Go Mad by Cannibalizing Itself? An excerpt from our latest Kindred Spirits session.
August 7, 2025 at 11:08 PM
Will AI Go Mad by Cannibalizing Itself? An excerpt from our latest Kindred Spirits session.
Robert Kennedy, Jr. may be fond of contrarian views but when we look at his narrative metrics he’s not arguing very powerfully. Why? Uncertainty is the enemy of narrative. abtagenda.substack.com/p/the-narrat...
July 30, 2025 at 5:39 PM
Robert Kennedy, Jr. may be fond of contrarian views but when we look at his narrative metrics he’s not arguing very powerfully. Why? Uncertainty is the enemy of narrative. abtagenda.substack.com/p/the-narrat...
What does the Narrative Index (NI) tell us? A lot. At least sometimes. We all know Maureen Dowd is a brilliant writer, but when it comes to narrative structure, she appears to be more restrained. abtagenda.substack.com/p/the-narrat...
THE NARRATIVE KNOCKDOWN 4: Maureen Dowd appears to be “narrative normal”
What does the Narrative Index (NI) tell us? A lot. At least sometimes. We all know Maureen Dowd is a brilliant writer, but when it comes to narrative structure, she appears to be more restrained.
abtagenda.substack.com
July 22, 2025 at 4:22 PM
What does the Narrative Index (NI) tell us? A lot. At least sometimes. We all know Maureen Dowd is a brilliant writer, but when it comes to narrative structure, she appears to be more restrained. abtagenda.substack.com/p/the-narrat...
As stunning as Narrative Hercules (@jeremyfaust.bsky.social) might be, we’ve found his match. Our new champion (@pkrugman.bsky.social) is not only narratively ripped, he has an Economics Nobel Prize to boot. Read more here: abtagenda.substack.com/p/the-narrat...
July 15, 2025 at 4:13 PM
As stunning as Narrative Hercules (@jeremyfaust.bsky.social) might be, we’ve found his match. Our new champion (@pkrugman.bsky.social) is not only narratively ripped, he has an Economics Nobel Prize to boot. Read more here: abtagenda.substack.com/p/the-narrat...
Advance Warning @jeremyfaust.bsky.social for this week’s Narrative Knockdown — it won't go well for you: we have a new champ (we’ll have grief counselors available if needed).
July 14, 2025 at 6:41 PM
Advance Warning @jeremyfaust.bsky.social for this week’s Narrative Knockdown — it won't go well for you: we have a new champ (we’ll have grief counselors available if needed).
How does Richard Horton of @thelancet.com hold up against Holden Thorp of @science.org or our Narrative Hercules, @jeremyfaust.bsky.social of @medpagetoday.bsky.social? Here's what our latest metrics show. abtagenda.substack.com/p/the-narrat...
July 8, 2025 at 4:40 PM
How does Richard Horton of @thelancet.com hold up against Holden Thorp of @science.org or our Narrative Hercules, @jeremyfaust.bsky.social of @medpagetoday.bsky.social? Here's what our latest metrics show. abtagenda.substack.com/p/the-narrat...
Our Narrative Hercules is @jeremyfaust.bsky.social. Now it’s time to bring on the contenders. Our first match is with the editor of @science.org, Holden Thorp. Here’s what we found: abtagenda.substack.com/p/the-narrat...
July 2, 2025 at 5:19 PM
Our Narrative Hercules is @jeremyfaust.bsky.social. Now it’s time to bring on the contenders. Our first match is with the editor of @science.org, Holden Thorp. Here’s what we found: abtagenda.substack.com/p/the-narrat...
The next round of the ABT Mini-Course is set for the week of July 21st. It’ a 1-week online class designed to help you hammer out your narratives for keynote speeches, grant proposals, marketing messaging, job talks, and more. Sign up here: qpac0b-qy.myshopify.com/products/abt...
ABT Mini-Course
Start Date: July 21st A one week (2.5 hrs over 5 days) online program working repetitively with your one sentence ABT narrative core statement. We promise you’ll see an arc from start to finish. SCH...
qpac0b-qy.myshopify.com
June 25, 2025 at 9:52 PM
The next round of the ABT Mini-Course is set for the week of July 21st. It’ a 1-week online class designed to help you hammer out your narratives for keynote speeches, grant proposals, marketing messaging, job talks, and more. Sign up here: qpac0b-qy.myshopify.com/products/abt...
Livestream starts in 10 minutes: youtube.com/live/GpM5_Cw...
ABT and the Law - ABT Kindred Spirits Group #23
Our special guest is lawyer Patrick Barone.
Patrick’s recent article on using the ABT/narrative in the legal world: https://www.counterpoint-journal.com/vol-9-iss-1-art-6---stories-2.html
Patrick...
youtube.com
June 25, 2025 at 4:51 PM
Livestream starts in 10 minutes: youtube.com/live/GpM5_Cw...
Tomorrow (Wednesday) at 10:00 am Pacific (Los Angeles) is our last Kindred Spirits session before the July break. Our special guest is lawyer Patrick Barone. You can watch it live streamed on our YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/watch?v=GpM5...
June 24, 2025 at 9:08 PM
Tomorrow (Wednesday) at 10:00 am Pacific (Los Angeles) is our last Kindred Spirits session before the July break. Our special guest is lawyer Patrick Barone. You can watch it live streamed on our YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/watch?v=GpM5...
Tomorrow (Wednesday) at 10:00 am Pacific (Los Angeles) is our last Kindred Spirits session before the July break. Our special guest is lawyer Patrick Barone. You can watch it live streamed on our YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/@ABTAgenda
June 24, 2025 at 8:47 PM
Tomorrow (Wednesday) at 10:00 am Pacific (Los Angeles) is our last Kindred Spirits session before the July break. Our special guest is lawyer Patrick Barone. You can watch it live streamed on our YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/@ABTAgenda
Patrick Barone lays out a guide for prompt engineering AI for better ABTs. His focus is on the legal word, but the principles are broadly applicable. Give it a read: patrickbarone.substack.com/p/the-reason...
The Reason Your Legal Arguments Fall Flat? No ABT. No Story. No Chance.
Unlock narrative persuasion with GenAI, prompt engineering, and a deceptively simple 3-word framework.
patrickbarone.substack.com
June 24, 2025 at 7:57 PM
Patrick Barone lays out a guide for prompt engineering AI for better ABTs. His focus is on the legal word, but the principles are broadly applicable. Give it a read: patrickbarone.substack.com/p/the-reason...
NY Times editorials have greater narrative strength than science and medicine, BUT the editorials of @jeremyfaust.bsky.social are more powerful than all of them. We’ve never seen such narrative strength. abtagenda.substack.com/p/dr-jeremy-...
Dr. Jeremy Faust: The Narrative Exception That Proves the Rule
NY Times editorials have greater narrative strength than science and medicine, BUT the editorials of Dr. Jeremy Faust are more powerful than all of them. We’ve never seen such narrative strength.
abtagenda.substack.com
June 23, 2025 at 7:21 PM
NY Times editorials have greater narrative strength than science and medicine, BUT the editorials of @jeremyfaust.bsky.social are more powerful than all of them. We’ve never seen such narrative strength. abtagenda.substack.com/p/dr-jeremy-...
For years I’ve why the Democrats couldn’t figure out the singular narrative, but @ezralevin.bsky.social might have cracked it with NO KINGs. Read more here: abtagenda.substack.com/p/singular-n...
SINGULAR NARRATIVE FOUND: "NO KINGS" is what the Democrats have been painfully needing (a good slogan)
It’s that simple. Finally. The Democrats, who have lacked a SINGULAR NARRATIVE have finally locked on to one, good, broadly unifying, deeply resonant message, thanks a great deal to Ezra Levin.
abtagenda.substack.com
June 19, 2025 at 5:02 PM
For years I’ve why the Democrats couldn’t figure out the singular narrative, but @ezralevin.bsky.social might have cracked it with NO KINGs. Read more here: abtagenda.substack.com/p/singular-n...
Our 1-week Zoom ABT Mini-Course is designed to help you hammer out your work narratives and help you communicate to colleagues or strangers about why your project goals are important. We’re starting a new round next week (June 23rd). Sign up link in the comments.
June 16, 2025 at 10:30 PM
Our 1-week Zoom ABT Mini-Course is designed to help you hammer out your work narratives and help you communicate to colleagues or strangers about why your project goals are important. We’re starting a new round next week (June 23rd). Sign up link in the comments.
For the past 3 years we’ve been developing the ABT for the legal world, starting with Doug Passon and the book he co-authored with me, “The Narrative Gym for Law.” Now Patrick Barone is making the case for narrative in law with his articles. Links in the replies.
June 13, 2025 at 4:59 PM
For the past 3 years we’ve been developing the ABT for the legal world, starting with Doug Passon and the book he co-authored with me, “The Narrative Gym for Law.” Now Patrick Barone is making the case for narrative in law with his articles. Links in the replies.
We’re live in 10 minutes – join us! www.youtube.com/watch?v=amzt...
Narrative is Leadership w/ John Roome - ABT Kindred Spirits Group #21
YouTube video by ABT Agenda
www.youtube.com
June 11, 2025 at 4:48 PM
We’re live in 10 minutes – join us! www.youtube.com/watch?v=amzt...
Join us live in 1 hour (10:00 am Pacific | 1:00 pm Eastern) for our Kindred Spirits discussion on “Narrative is Leadership” with John Roome! www.youtube.com/@ABTAgenda
ABT Agenda
www.youtube.com
June 11, 2025 at 4:05 PM
Join us live in 1 hour (10:00 am Pacific | 1:00 pm Eastern) for our Kindred Spirits discussion on “Narrative is Leadership” with John Roome! www.youtube.com/@ABTAgenda