The Smallest Meaningful Unit

A revolutionary approach to preserving authentic narratives through their fundamental building blocks

What is an SMU?

The Smallest Meaningful Unit is a discrete fragment of authentic speech or memory that preserves the raw, unfiltered quality of how stories are actually told.

SMUs maintain the interviewee's authentic linguistic fingerprint, including idiosyncratic phrases and emotional immediacy, while eliminating the interpretive layer between raw experience and final narrative.

Memory
Voice
Detail
Emotion
Context
SMU

Key Principles

1

Preserved Authenticity

Maintains the raw, unfiltered quality of how stories are actually told, including idiosyncratic phrases and emotional immediacy.

2

Narrative DNA

Breaks experiences down to their fundamental components—speech fragments that contain complete emotional or informational beats.

3

Bottom-Up Construction

Assembles narratives from authentic fragments rather than imposing structure, allowing patterns to emerge organically.

Paradigm Shift

SMU Method

Preserve Authentic Speech Fragments

Maintain raw speech patterns and linguistic fingerprints exactly as spoken

Allow Natural Patterns to Emerge

Let the structure form organically from the authentic fragments

Assemble from Genuine Moments

Build narratives from real experiences without forced transitions

Preserve Cognitive Fingerprints

Maintain how people actually process and make meaning of experiences

"Authenticity is not achieved by crafting better narratives about our lives, but by more faithfully preserving how we actually experience them."

The SMU Philosophy

Defining the Smallest Meaningful Unit

An SMU is a discrete fragment of authentic speech or memory that:

  • Contains a complete emotional or informational beat
  • Preserves specific language patterns and voice characteristics
  • Includes concrete details that anchor it to lived experience
  • Can stand independently while maintaining connection to larger narratives
  • Cannot be further divided without losing essential meaning

Framework Components

F

Fragment Engine

Extracts and processes raw interview snippets, preserving their authentic qualities while removing tangents.

S

Speech Trace

Maintains linguistic fingerprints and speech patterns that reveal how individuals actually process experiences.

M

Moment Library

Organizes and stores SMUs with minimal contextual metadata for powerful retrieval and organization.

A

Atomic Canvas

Provides an assembly environment where narrative can emerge organically from authentic components.

Transform Your Narrative Approach

Experience the power of authentic narrative construction that preserves the specific texture of lived experience.

Smallest Meaningful Unit

Authentic narrative construction

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