An AI almost always agrees with you. An Arena does the opposite: it convenes profiles who have no interest in pleasing you, and each one has to quote the exact sentence it’s criticizing. Tap “Copy,” paste into your AI assistant, then replace [PASTE HERE] with your text.
Open a new conversation for each Arena.
Never say the text or project is yours, and remove real names.
Before you believe a criticism, check that the quoted sentence actually appears in your text (Ctrl+F, or Cmd+F on a Mac).
End with three questions to ask real people—and go ask them.
The Arena proposes. You decide.
This page is taken from the book The Arenas of Truth.
You need a text of one page at most, a new conversation, and this Arena prompt.
Your First Arena
Chapter 6 · Copy this
Submit this text to a Market Arena of 10 potential customers from its target audience, one third of them skeptics.
I want to know what would hook them, lose them, make them hesitate, or make them say no, quoting the exact sentence from the text each time.
Add a Defender who flags exaggerated criticism. Present the points of agreement, the points of disagreement, and suggestions for improvement, then three questions to ask real customers. Give me reasons rather than percentages.
Here is the text: [PASTE HERE]
The Basic Formula
The Arena prompt above follows a formula, the same for every Arena:
Submit this [ITEM] to a [NAME] Arena of [NUMBER] [PROFILES] to assess [WHAT I WANT TO KNOW].
The formula alone convenes a crowd. The rules are what turn it into an Arena: the six Arenas, their profiles, and their full rules are in the book.
Follow-up
Chapter 6 · If your Arena seems too nice
Your customers are too nice. Start over: the skeptics say what would make them say no.
A Second Arena: Fire
Chapter 6 · For a project rather than a text
Submit this project to a Fire Arena of 10 profiles, including people who have already failed at a similar project.
Imagine it’s six months from now and the project has failed: each one describes the cause they saw coming.
Add a Defender who flags exaggerated causes. Present the most frequent causes, and a countermeasure for each.
Here is the project: [DESCRIBE HERE, for example launching a coaching business]
What Now?
You’ve just run your first Arena. The book gives you six.
One Arena for each question a project raises: what already exists, should you go for it, how to organize, why it could fail, who could attack you, does it speak to your customers. Plus the rules that keep the AI from flattering you or making things up, and how to read what it tells you.
The two Arena prompts that illustrate Part 1: the calibrated Arena from Chapter 3, and the subscription from Chapter 5.
Prompt C — The Calibrated Arena
Chapter 3 · Why AI Goes Easy on You
Submit this text to a Market Arena of 10 readers from its target audience,
to assess what would make them lose interest or have doubts.
At least one third are skeptical or in a hurry.
Rules:
1. Each reader quotes the exact sentence that bothers them.
Any criticism without an exact quote is discarded.
2. Each criticism is rated: BLOCKER, MAJOR, or MINOR.
3. Add a Defender who flags exaggerated or unfair criticism.
4. No percentages, no scores: reasons.
5. Mark every fact you state with [TO VERIFY].
Report:
1. AGREEMENT — blocking criticisms raised by several readers
2. DISAGREEMENT — what divides the readers, and why
3. WHAT HOLDS UP — 2 passages to leave untouched
4. IMPROVEMENTS — one rewrite per blocking criticism, offered as an option
5. REALITY CHECK — 3 questions to ask real readers
Here is the text: [PASTE HERE]
Switching to a Subscription
Chapter 5 · What the Arenas of Truth Are Not
Submit this project to a Market Arena of 12 clients of an independent coach—different profiles, ages, and budgets, one third of them hesitant or opposed. The project: replacing pay-per-session pricing with a monthly subscription. Assess what could win them over or drive them away. Each client gives their reasons, in their own words. Add a Defender who flags caricatures. No percentages, no predictions. End with three questions to ask real clients.
The Rest Is in the Book
The six Arenas of the project cycle, from idea to launch, the two backup Arenas, the prompt that turns a session into hypotheses to test, and ready-to-use Arenas by profession: author, coach, consultant, trainer, entrepreneur, small-business owner. Plus a toolkit reserved for readers.
