3 ideas
Kelly catalogs about two dozen discrete influence 'plays' grouped into subclasses, treating persuasion as a finite set of nameable moves. Naming a maneuver (co-opt, discredit, flank) lets practitioners select and counter tactics deliberately rather than improvise.
He argues that influence, like chess or military strategy, has an underlying grammar that can be codified and taught. The claim is that reputation, brand, and buzz are outcomes of repeatable stratagems, not luck.
The Standard splits into three systems: a table of strategies, a process for choosing among them, and situational variables that shape which play fits. This separates the vocabulary of moves from the method of deciding which to run.