If you’re here, you’ve probably got a team that’s smart, doing good work—but when it comes time to share that work, things get muddy. The thinking’s solid, but the communication? Feels scattered. Maybe someone mentioned the SCR framework—Situation, Complication, Resolution—and you’re wondering: Is this just another overhyped communication model, or is it actually useful?
SCR stands for Situation, Complication, Resolution. It’s a simple structure for making information easier to understand—especially when you're summarizing something or making a recommendation.
The Situation is the context or background—what’s happening today.
The Complication is what’s changed or why the current state isn’t working.
The Resolution is what you’re proposing or what needs to happen.
It’s useful when you need to help people process something quickly without losing the reasoning behind it. You’re not just jumping to a conclusion—you’re showing the logic in a way that’s linear and easy to follow.
People use it for all kinds of things: status updates, investment cases, internal pitches, exec summaries. It’s not a silver bullet, but it helps cut the clutter and forces clarity.
SCR is not magic. It’s just a shape.
It gives structure to something you already sort of know how to do: Set the stage, raise the stakes, show the shift. But what makes it useful isn’t the format—it’s the discipline it forces.
If you lead teams that struggle to get to the point, or tend to start with background and never quite explain why it matters now, SCR gives you a way to fix that.
Here’s the structure
1. Situation: What’s true today, that your audience would nod along with?
This is where people usually overexplain or throw in everything they’ve got. Don’t do that. Use this to anchor the conversation. Just enough to establish: “Here’s where we’re starting. You’re going to recognize this.”
That might be:
- “Utilization of EAPs has historically been under 5%.”
- “We launched the pilot in Q1 across three mid-size clients.”
- “We’re seeing increased demand for subclinical support among managers.”
Short. Grounded. Familiar.
2. Complication: What’s changing—or not changing—that raises the stakes?
This is where most updates fall apart. People describe what’s happening, but don’t articulate why it matters. A good Complication makes your audience stop and think: “Ah. So this isn’t just business as usual.”
That might sound like:
- “Even with expanded access, engagement in care is stalling among hourly workers.”
- “The initial metrics look strong, but early feedback from managers shows gaps in cultural alignment.”
- “If we scale now, we risk repeating a flaw that’s already showing up at pilot level.”
This is the “why now.” The friction. The tension.
3. Resolution: What shift becomes possible—and what will it take?
This is not “we built a new program.” This is the outcome. The new shape of the problem, once your idea is in place.
You’re pointing to the change:
- “We can integrate cultural matching without delaying care.”
- “This unlocks a playbook we can bring to other enterprise partners.”
- “If we course-correct now, we protect the integrity of our outcomes at scale.”
It’s where you bring the energy back up—not with hype, but with clarity about what’s next.
When to use it
SCR gives you a way to frame your thinking fast—so you’re not just listing facts, you’re telling people what they need to know and what you want them to do. Use SCR when you’re focus is on:
- A recommendation
- A risk that needs escalation
- A decision that needs explanation
- A summary of something complex
It’s not for every conversation. But when clarity matters, and decisions are on the line—it’s one of the fastest ways to get there.
