If you've never heard of the 4A Framework by Dickie Bush, well, keep on reading because you gon' learn today! Almost all writing can be put into one of these four categories.
You don't need to be a writer for this to be useful. However, being aware of this technique will allow you to interface with content differently.
The 4 A's are:
Actionable: here's how to do something
Analytical: here's why something is the way it is with data/research
Aspirational: here's why you can do something
Anthropological: here's why, according to psychology/human nature
The next time you read something, try to see if it falls into one of these four buckets ;)
Having an awareness of this framework enables two primary things:
Reading with a better understanding of the essence that the author is trying to communicate.
Write with more intent, thus communicating your thoughts more effectively to your readers.
This framework may seem evident when presented, but generally, these types of ideas are the best.
While we may have implicit knowledge (intuition) in many areas, exposing them in a more explicit nature often grants you full agency to take advantage of the tool.
The art of finding an idea that exists in many people’s minds and expressing it in a way that makes them go, “A-ha, I've always thought this, but just didn't know how to put it in words" is extremely valuable.
Entire careers have been built on this; see Tim Ferriss, Mark Manson, Greg McKeown, James Clear, etc.
They curate and distill the essence of ideas in a way that is immediately reachable to a broad audience.
So, which of the 4A's is this piece?
Vincent Chee
