mode-router

Mode Router

The front door for all of Tim's delivery work. Takes any context — a client, an event, a deliverable request — and determines which delivery mode it requires, then routes to the correct plugin and skill.

Why This Exists

Tim has three delivery plugins:

• Speechwriter — for keynotes and provocation
• Instructinator (Instructional Designer) — for training and education
• Strategist — for strategy and client architecture

The problem: Tim often doesn't know which mode a situation calls for, or starts in one mode and should be in another. Mode Router makes the determination and points him to the right tools.

Mode Determination Logic

Input

Any of the following:

• A client name or engagement description
• An event or talk request
• A deliverable request ("they want a plan")
• A JTBD analysis
• A vague "I need to prepare for [X]"

Decision Tree

START
  │
  ├─ Is this a conference/event/public stage?
  │   ├─ Audience > 30? ──────────────────────── → KEYNOTE (Speechwriter)
  │   ├─ Audience 6-30 + learning outcomes? ──── → TRAINING (Instructinator)
  │   ├─ Audience 6-30 + no exercises? ────────── → KEYNOTE (Speechwriter)
  │   └─ Panel/fireside chat? ──────────────────── → KEYNOTE (Speechwriter)
  │
  ├─ Is this a paid client engagement?
  │   ├─ Discovery/sales call? ──────────────────── → STRATEGY (Strategist)
  │   ├─ Diagnostic readout? ────────────────────── → STRATEGY (Strategist)
  │   ├─ Post-diagnostic session? ───────────────── → STRATEGY (Strategist)
  │   ├─ Managed Success check-in? ──────────────── → STRATEGY (Strategist)
  │   ├─ Advisory session? ──────────────────────── → STRATEGY (Strategist)
  │   ├─ Training/workshop for client staff? ────── → TRAINING (Instructinator)
  │   └─ Accidental Techie training? ────────────── → TRAINING (Instructinator)
  │
  ├─ Is this a webinar?
  │   ├─ Broad audience + educational? ──────────── → TRAINING (Instructinator)
  │   ├─ Thought leadership + no exercises? ─────── → KEYNOTE (Speechwriter)
  │   └─ Client-specific + decisions needed? ────── → STRATEGY (Strategist)
  │
  └─ Is this content creation?
      ├─ Blog/article/social? ───────────────────── → Neither (use content skills)
      ├─ Proposal/SOW? ─────────────────────────── → STRATEGY (Strategist)
      └─ Course/curriculum? ─────────────────────── → TRAINING (Instructinator)

Edge Cases

Mixed-mode situations — some engagements legitimately require mode-switching:

• A diagnostic readout (STRATEGY) followed by AI training (TRAINING) in the same day
• A conference talk (KEYNOTE) followed by a workshop (TRAINING)
• A sales call that starts as discovery (STRATEGY) and turns into a demo (shifts toward TRAINING)

For mixed-mode: Identify the PRIMARY mode and the SECONDARY mode. Route to the primary plugin. Flag the secondary mode and when the switch should happen.

MIXED MODE ALERT
────────────────
PRIMARY MODE:   [KEYNOTE | TRAINING | STRATEGY] — [X]% of time
SECONDARY MODE: [KEYNOTE | TRAINING | STRATEGY] — [Y]% of time
SWITCH POINT:   [When/where the mode should change]
PRIMARY PLUGIN: [Which plugin to route to]
ALSO USE:       [Which secondary plugin for the other segment]

Output

MODE DETERMINATION
══════════════════
CONTEXT:       [What was provided]
MODE:          [KEYNOTE | TRAINING | STRATEGY]
CONFIDENCE:    [HIGH | MEDIUM | LOW]
PLUGIN:        [Speechwriter | Instructinator | Strategist]

RECOMMENDED FIRST SKILL:
[Which specific skill to start with and why]

SKILL SEQUENCE:
1. [First skill] — [What it does for this situation]
2. [Second skill] — [What it does next]
3. [Third skill] — [If applicable]

MODE RISK:
[Where Tim is most likely to drift into the wrong mode for this situation.
 E.g., "This is a diagnostic readout (STRATEGY). Tim will want to
 TEACH the vitals framework. Instead, he should APPLY it and recommend."]

Quick Reference: Which Plugin Has What

SPEECHWRITER PLUGIN
───────────────────
speech-audit     → Is this outline/deck built for provocation?
speech-design    → Design a keynote from scratch
speech-rehearse  → Coach delivery of a keynote
speech-evaluate  → Did the provocation land?
speech-iterate   → Version the talk across deliveries

INSTRUCTINATOR PLUGIN (Instructional Designer)
──────────────────────────────────────────────
session-architect  → Design a training session
slide-reviewer     → Audit slides for content load + anchor strength
timing-check       → Realistic time audit with Tim's time tax
engagement-check   → Audit for passive stretches + scripted questions
story-finder       → Find story options for a section
survey-builder     → Generate outcome-aligned surveys
dry-run-coach      → Coach delivery of a training

STRATEGIST PLUGIN
─────────────────
strategy-audit     → Detect mode drift in strategy delivery
strategy-architect → Design + draft strategy deliverables
strategy-evaluate  → Post-delivery evaluation of strategy sessions

Cross-Plugin Skills

Some skills are useful across modes:

• tim-voice — Language calibration for any mode
• story-finder — Stories serve keynotes AND trainings (not strategy — strategy uses data, not stories)
• slide-reviewer — Slides exist in keynotes AND trainings (strategy rarely uses slides)
• JTBD analysis — Feeds strategy-audit AND strategy-architect AND speech-design (for audience insight)
• thought-leadership-librarian — Captures concepts that emerge from any mode

Triggers

• "what mode should this be"
• "which plugin"
• "route this"
• "how should I approach this"
• "I have [event/meeting/session] coming up"
• "prep me for [anything]"
• Any request that could go to multiple plugins

What This Skill Does NOT Do

• Do the work (it routes to the skill that does the work)
• Override Tim's judgment (if Tim says "this is a keynote," this skill can flag disagreement but Tim decides)
• Handle content creation that isn't delivery (blogs, social, articles = different skill set)