name: proof description: One of three transversal narrative axes — the evidence that makes a Claim survive scrutiny.
Proof
Proof is what makes a Claim survive a sceptic. It is the evidence load — data, source, comparison, demonstration, precedent — that converts an assertion into something an informed reader will accept.
Proof is not the same as decoration. A chart that does not change the reader's mind is not Proof; it is wallpaper. The test of Proof is "if I removed this, would the Claim weaken?". If not, it is ornamental.
Where it operates
- Arc / Deck: accumulated evidence across all blocks; the deck's overall credibility budget.
- Block / Pillar: the dataset, case study, or dossier that earns the pillar.
- Loop: the ordered set of slides whose components together close the loop's mini-thesis.
- Slide: the body — chart, table, quote, benchmark, source note.
- Component: the specific datum, citation, or visual that does the proving work.
- Beat: the signal or witness that makes the beat's so-what believable in context.
Forms of Proof
| Form | When to use | Strength |
|---|---|---|
| Quantitative data | Magnitude, trend, comparison | High when source is named and methodology is sound |
| Benchmark | Relative position vs peers | High when the peer set is defensible |
| Quote | Authority, witness, primary source | High when attribution is specific and non-self-referential |
| Case / precedent | Pattern in past behaviour | Medium — beware n=1 |
| Logical demonstration | When data is unavailable | Lower — convincing only if reasoning is tight |
Failure modes
- Naked Proof. A chart without an action title. The audience must do the inference work alone.
- Proof for a missing Claim. Beautiful evidence in service of nothing — common in data-rich but argument-poor decks.
- Self-referential Proof. Quoting the report you are writing. Attribution carries no outside weight.
- Surplus Proof. Three charts where one would do. Each extra chart dilutes the strong one.
Canonical phrasing
Proof you cannot lift out without weakening the Claim is load-bearing. Everything else is decoration — cut it.