I recently stumbled upon the “brevity” memo written by Winston Churchill in the middle of WWII. It has a great message and it’s still applicable today. You can read this memo in about a minute (< 300 words) and its format makes it easy to follow.
It has a clear title and starts by stating the problem statement in a few sentences. Then it proposes the action items supported by reasoning and suggestions. In conclusion, he shows empathy and emphasizes the benefits.
This is something we can do in our daily job while sending a slack message or an email or running a meeting:
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In the meeting invite, state a clear agenda and what you are hoping to get out of the meeting (I recently asked my team to make it a goal to reject any meeting invite without an agenda).
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On slack or teams, don’t just say “Hi!” and but say something like “Hi,
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In emails, be clear on your ask and avoid using jargon.
Enjoy reading this memo:
