Workplace communication fails in predictable ways: people bury asks in backstory, send messages that require three follow-ups to clarify, and have meetings that could've been emails. Most of it comes down to structure and habits.
Default to Writing
Anything important should be in writing. Verbal agreements are not agreements — they're intentions. If it's not written, treat it as not communicated.
This protects you, protects others, and reduces the number of "I thought you said..." conversations.
The Pyramid Principle
Developed at McKinsey: start with the answer, then support it.
- State your conclusion first
- Group your supporting arguments
- Provide details and evidence under each
This is the opposite of building up to a reveal. In professional contexts, people are time-constrained and need the bottom line immediately. They'll ask for more detail if they need it.
Practical form: write your main point in the first sentence of every email, message, or document. If you can't, you haven't figured out your main point yet.
The PREP Method
For verbal communication — presenting a recommendation, making a case, answering a question:
- Point — your main claim, upfront
- Reason — why you believe it
- Example — a concrete case that supports it
- Point — restate the conclusion
Practice this until it's natural. It works in meetings, 1:1s, and any situation where you need to be persuasive fast.
Writing Messages That Actually Work
- Lead with what you need, not the context
- Keep it to 3–4 bullets for anything complex — no paragraph-length messages
- State what you're asking for explicitly — don't imply it
- For scheduling: propose a specific time. "Let me know when you're free" just creates another round-trip
If you've written more than 200 words, ask yourself if the reader actually needs all of it. Usually they don't.
Meetings
Before a meeting: know your 2–3 points. Write them down.
In a meeting:
- Think first, then speak. Pausing to think signals confidence, not confusion
- Get others' perspective before stating yours — "I'd love to hear what everyone else thinks first"
- Cut short topics that are going in circles and push for a decision
- Once a decision is made, move on — relitigating resolved points wastes everyone's time
After a meeting: send your notes. The person who summarizes the meeting owns its outcome.
Build Relationships Across the Organization
Have working relationships in every department — HR, finance, adjacent teams. Know what's happening in other parts of the organization. Not as gossip, but as context.
Practically:
- Regular 1:1s with peers and stakeholders on anything you're working together on
- Ask people what's broken in their world. Fix the small things. Trust compounds.
- Create visibility for your team's work — communicate your roadmap quarterly to the people who depend on it
A skip-level relationship (with your manager's manager) matters more than most people realize. Build it early.
Strategic Communication
Before any communication, know:
- What — what are you trying to achieve?
- Who — what does this specific audience care about?
- Why — why should they care about your ask?
- How — what do you need from them?
Communicating the value before making the ask changes how it lands. People move faster on things they understand the reason for.
Awareness
If you're a lead or manager: the organization doesn't automatically know what your team is working on. Make it known. Monthly updates, shared roadmaps, brief summaries — whatever fits the culture. Visibility is not self-promotion. It's operational clarity.