The SCQA model was introduced by McKinsey consultant Barbara Minto in The Pyramid Principle.
S stands for Situation, C for Complication, Q for Question, and A for Answer.
The situation is the background to what is happening. It draws listeners in and helps them relate.
The complication naturally introduces the difficulty or conflict you want to express within that situation.
The question is raised based on the complication, prompting the other person to think it through with you.
The answer is the solution to the question and the central idea you want to express.
Compared with arguments, people prefer listening to stories. Gossip is human nature: even the smallest story is always more engaging than a brilliant argument, and people are more likely to gain insight from a story than from being told what to think and having to make the connections themselves. SCQA is a logic of story plus insight: the situation and complication form a little story, while the question and answer offer a little insight. When you hear someone give a presentation, a speech, or a report—or even chat with someone—and they start with a story or a small anecdote, then use it to convey what they want to say, they are using the SCQA model to communicate.
If you’re presenting your own views in an article or speech, or have time to speak on your own in a meeting, you can make it easier for people to listen and agree with you by first setting the scene. The downside is that it can drag on. If it’s a two-way conversation where you already understand each other, or a negotiation or debate focused on efficiency and results, then skip the fluff. What exactly do you mean? Just get to the point. There are parts I didn’t understand. Then explain them—that’s it. So it all depends on what we choose to use.