Canon glossary

One of three transversal narrative axes — the thesis being advanced. What the audience should believe or do.

Sense / Claim / Proof — the three transversal axes that cut across every level of the storymaking hierarchy (arc, beat, loop, slide, component).

Coherence check that runs at every level — every Claim must resolve into Proof at the next-finer level, every Proof must serve a Claim.

One of three transversal narrative axes — the evidence that makes a Claim survive scrutiny.

One of three transversal narrative axes — direction, tension, and cohesion. Why the audience stays with us.

The full-story-shape level of the storymaking hierarchy. The total narrative form a deck takes from open to close.

A major narrative moment within an arc — a stretch of the deck with a single function (setup, complication, evidence, turn, resolution).

A major act of the deck — the structural unit between arc and loop. Each block carries one pillar of the Big Idea.

A concrete piece inside a slide — title, chart, table, quote, benchmark, source note. The atomic unit of storymaking.

A mini-argument inside a beat — a sequence of 3–10 slides that defends one defensible point.

The smallest autonomous unit of communication in a deck — a single frame with one Claim and the Proof for it.

The first variable in any storymaking decision — who, what they accept, what they fear, what they can decide, and what state they should be in after.

The single-sentence thesis a deck advances. The Answer in SCQA. Under 20 words, memorable, actionable.

The final beat of a deck — the specific action, decision, or commitment requested. The deck's reason for existing, made explicit.

Five temperatures a deck can run at — Inform, Align, Recommend, Persuade, Inspire — each with different rhythm, evidence, and emotional load.

The first 30 seconds of a deck — where the audience decides whether to engage. Carries SCQA in compressed form.

Situation, Complication, Question, Answer — the four-step backbone that frames any persuasive deck.

A slide title that asserts the insight rather than describing the topic. The slide-level Claim.

The earned reveal in a deck or loop — the moment disparate facts resolve into a single understanding.

Mutually Exclusive, Collectively Exhaustive — the structural test for whether a set of pillars or options covers the space without overlap.

Two ways a loop or deck can reason — deductive (premise → conclusion) or inductive (evidence → pattern).

Three options for where a Claim lands within a loop — headline-first, progressive, or dramatic.

The question every beat, slide, and component must answer. The shortest test for whether a unit earns its place.

The pacing engine of any narrative — alternating moments that raise stakes with moments that resolve them.