Bring Solutions, Not Problems. Communication is a transaction. Your audience give you their attention and in return you give them something valuable. So when framing problems, think about how you can deliver the most value in the least amount of time.

Begin by describing your situation in three sentences:

1. What’s happening to the thing your audience cares about?
2. Why?
3. What are you already doing about it?

Then present at least two good options, with the costs and benefits of each. Finally, make a recommendation and ask whether your audience agrees.

You can get in to see the President, but you're not walking in with a problem. You're not allowed to dump your problem on the President. I want to see your solutions, two or three, nothing less. And you can't have a phony one, a pig in a poke, and then the one you want but you're scared of the politics. You've got to have real, viable options. The other thing is, you've got to help the President evaluate all the options. - Rahm Emanuel