Writing Internal Memos

“I have two people in similar roles. I give the same instructions. One delivers. The other needs reminders.” Here’s what comes to mind for me in situations like this. We call it a “lack of follow-through.” ...an employee problem. But often, it’s about communication. ...a leader problem. Under pressure, we use shorthand: “Take ownership.” “Run with it.” “Be proactive.” “Drive this forward.” Those phrases feel efficient. The efficiency also quietly limits clarity. Because “ownership” is not a universal concept. One person might hear ownership as: --Keep me posted weekly --Ask questions early --Flag obstacles fast Another might hear ownership as: --Don’t bother anyone --Figure it out alone --Report when it’s done Same instruction. Two reasonable interpretations. So the “high performer” might simply be the person whose definition accidentally matches yours. The fix is not more reminders. It’s creating a clear definition. Instead of “take ownership,” try: “I want you to own this. By owning, I mean: -->A short update every Friday -->Obstacles surfaced within 24 hours -->Stakeholder expectations confirmed by next week -->A draft shared before it’s ‘perfect’” Clarity isn’t micromanagement. Clarity is how you reduce rework, resentment, and performance gaps before they form. What's your perspective on the value of clear expectations?

Last week, I asked everyone at lemlist to always write a human-generated 1-pager with every internal note they share. We've seen huge AI adoption at lemlist in the past months, and I'm genuinely proud of how fast the team embraced it. I'm still bullish on AI and how it can impact productivity. But it's a threat too: the threat is that people stop thinking on their own, stop challenging what AI produces, and that their job becomes just orchestrating AI-generated intelligence. I've started to see internal notes that are obviously 100% AI-generated, with not enough actual thinking behind them, and sometimes even mistakes. AI has made it possible to produce 20 pages in 10 seconds, and you can literally bury anyone under content that says nothing. More output doesn't mean more clarity. It often means the opposite. So we're going back to basics: every internal note now needs a human-written 1-pager. Not AI-assisted, human-written. We want everyone to keep thinking and make sure they distill what actually matters.

The smartest person in the room rarely wins the room. The clearest does. Most leaders think more detail builds more trust. It usually does the opposite. Every extra word. Every extra slide. Every extra explanation. It makes the message harder to follow. When something feels hard to follow, people switch off. Here is how some of the best communicators, in history, business, and culture, won the room: ⭐ Jeff Bezos - banned PowerPoint at Amazon in 2004 and replaced it with six-page memos. Slides can hide weak thinking. Full sentences show the gaps. ⭐ Abraham Lincoln - gave the Gettysburg Address in 272 words, in under 3 minutes. Before him, Harvard's Edward Everett spoke for two hours. One speech is still quoted. The other is not. ⭐ Andy Jassy - wrote 30 drafts of his AWS vision memo before it reached Bezos. It was so clear, it became the blueprint for a business now doing $100 billion a year. ⭐ Winston Churchill - wrote a memo called "Brevity" to his War Cabinet in 1940, during the Battle of Britain. He knew unclear writing leads to unclear decisions. He could not afford either. ⭐ Blaise Pascal, in the 1600s, wrote: "I would have written a shorter letter, but I did not have the time." Simple is harder than long. ⭐ LinkedIn CPO Tomer Cohen runs his teams on one line: "We might be wrong, but we're not confused." People trust clear thinking, even when the answer is not certain. ⭐ Jack Dorsey built Twitter on a 140-character limit. Not because shorter is always better. Because limits force precision. The limit became the product. ⭐ Nancy Duarte, in MIT Sloan research from March 2026, showed something important: Leaders judge their communication by what they meant. Audiences judge it by how easy it is to follow. That gap is where deals get lost. ⭐ Warren Buffett writes his annual shareholder letters to his sister Doris. Not to the market. Not to analysts. One clear reader makes every sentence better. ................................................ Clarity is not just a writing skill. It is a thinking skill. If you do not understand something clearly, you will not explain it clearly. 3️⃣ things help force clarity: → Write it first. Before any meeting, pitch, or presentation, write what you want to say in one paragraph. If you cannot do that, you are not ready. → Name one reader. Buffett wrote to Doris. Write to one real person. The moment you write for everyone, you lose sharpness. → Cut the last 20%. Most messages are longer than they need to be. The clarity is already there. It is just buried. That is why brevity is hard. And why it stands out. The room does not reward the smartest idea. It rewards the one people can follow. Follow Charlie Platt for commercial clarity over noise.

I'm often asked what the secret is to effective frontline communication. My answer: ruthless clarity. So here's my checklist...works for office and personal communication too ;-) It’s not enough to send a message; you have to ensure it lands, is understood, and is acted upon. If the person operating heavy machinery has to stop and call a supervisor to clarify a confusing message, you are losing money and introducing risk. I encourage every executive to run their internal comms through this simple test. Before hitting 'send' on any critical communication, ask these 3 questions: 1. Could someone read this between tasks and know exactly what to do? Your message is competing with noise, stress, and split attention. Clarity isn't a bonus; it's a safety and efficiency mandate. 2. Is it relevant to the person receiving it? Mass messages feel like noise, they ignore the actual work happening. If you aren't targeting, you're eroding trust and wasting everyone's time. 3. Does it tell them what to do next? A message that leaves your employee confused about the next step creates friction, drives up HR support time (cost!), and guarantees inaction. When communication fails on the frontline check, the cost is immediately measurable: increased non-compliance risk, slower incident reporting, and hours of wasted management time spent clarifying confusion. Don't just send messages. Send meaning. If you want your operational costs to drop, your clarity must go up. Tip: Save this post for your next internal comms review. Would love to hear which of these three filters is the biggest communication obstacle in your business right now? #FrontlineComms #OperationalEfficiency #DigitalInclusion

The holiday season doesn’t just increase comms inside an organization, it increases it everywhere. That's an uptick in company updates, sales emails, “last chance” reminders (that somehow come like 12 times), more invites, logistics, travel plans, family threads… all happening at the exact same time. People are saturated before they even open their laptops. So inside an org, your messaging has to work *against* all that external noise too. Here's a few practical ways to keep internal comms clear when attention is stretched thin: ➡️ Let data guide your timing. "Peak engagement" looks different in November and December. Follow when people are actually opening and acting — not the cadence you set earlier in the year. ➡️ Lead with the essentials. A TL;DR (too long; didn't read) or high-level bullets at the top can help employees understand what’s important before the rest of the world starts competing for their attention again. ➡️ Reiterate across intentional channels. Use email for details, All Hands for context and leadership voice, Slack/Teams for nudges, etc. Meet your employees where they already are! ➡️ Bundle related updates. Instead of five separate pings throughout the week (frequency ≠ impact), create one stronger, structured message that honors people’s time and mental bandwidth. ➡️ Make action unmistakably clear. If something has a deadline, requirement, or next step, surface it. Buttons and on-brand, bolded callouts beat buried hyperlinks every time. Holiday season or not, people gravitate toward clarity. And clarity is one of the best gifts internal comms can give 😉 See what I did there?

Mastering specificity unlocks opportunity. In my first job, my manager gave me a piece of advice I think about often: “Don’t make people guess what you want.” I was exploring new roles internally and I told her I was open to “any new opportunity that seems interesting.” She challenged me to imagine going to a restaurant and asking the waiter for recommendations but not sharing any info about what you like. You put the cognitive burden on them, and their recommendation will be generic. Instead, imagine saying, “I love spicy dishes and anything with noodles.” Now, the waiter can offer you specific options. And most importantly, they feel empowered. You help them help you. The same thing happens on LinkedIn and at work. There’s a big difference between: “Can I pick your brain?” and “I’m open to whatever opportunities you think make sense” vs. “I’m two years into working in management consulting and exploring a pivot into operating roles at early-stage tech companies - could I ask how you framed your transferable skills when you made that move?” At work, the same clarity makes a huge difference: “Can you take a look at this?” → vague, creates extra work for the reviewer “Can you review slides 3-5 and check if the data supports the recommendation? I need feedback by 3 pm so I can send to the client at 4 pm” → specific, makes it easy to help I receive both types of messages. One type increases my cognitive load; the other helps me focus on adding value rather than reading someone’s mind. Being high-agency means reducing other people’s decision fatigue (and believing you’re worthy of what you desire). Clarity is kindness, to yourself and others.

Most internal memos don’t get read. Even fewer actually work. But every once in a while, you see one that checks almost every box, and it’s a great reminder of what effective executive communication looks like in a moment of uncertainty. I recently came across United CEO Scott Kirby's memo (link in comments) responding to geopolitical instability and a spike in fuel prices. High stakes, high anxiety, lots of noise: The kind of moment where internal comms either builds trust or erodes it. This one worked. Here’s why: 1. It leads with context, not spin Before jumping into reassurance, the memo grounds employees in the reality of what’s happening, why it matters, and how big the impact could be. No sugarcoating. No jargon. Just clarity. That’s critical. You can’t calm people down if they don’t trust what you’re saying. 2. It gives employees a simple strategic lens The strongest part of the memo was the framing of three priorities: increase cash, lead in margins, and strengthen the balance sheet. Easy to understand, easy to remember. Great internal comms doesn’t just inform; it helps people make sense of decisions. 3. It balances realism with confidence This is where most leaders miss. The memo acknowledges a massive cost increase (billions), explains the downside risk, and then reinforces why the company is positioned to handle it. Not “everything is fine.” Not “this is a disaster.” But we see it clearly, and we have a plan. That’s how you build credibility. 4. It clearly separates signal from noise One of the most effective sections: what the company is doing and what it’s not doing. In moments of uncertainty, employees fill gaps with worst-case assumptions. Great comms shuts that down proactively. 5. It sounds like a human wrote it There’s a quick personal moment at the end, nothing overdone, just enough to remind employees there’s a real person behind the message. It matters more than most comms teams think. 6. It reinforces stability without overpromising No guarantees. No false certainty. Just a clear message of, "We prepared for this, we’re acting deliberately, and we’re staying focused on the long term." That’s the sweet spot. For corporate communications leaders, this is the takeaway: In moments of volatility, your job isn’t to make people feel better. It’s to help them understand what’s happening, what it means, and what to do next in a way that builds trust. Do that well, and the reassurance takes care of itself.

Core Competencies You Should Not Overlook as an HR Newbie 📌 Episode 1: Mastering Written Communication HR is serious business. Apart from protecting your image and reputation as an HR professional, it is also your responsibility to protect the reputation of the company and the employees. One wrongly written email, mis-spelt word(s), abbreviation can affect your image, that of the company and the people you're managing. This is why mastering written communication is non-negotiable. As an HR Newbie stepping into roles where you’ll be drafting memos, building policy documents, sending emails to employees and stakeholders (both internal and external), your written communication skills will be under constant test and scrutiny. Here’s why this is a non‑negotiable skill: 👉 Every memo, email, document or policy you send is a reflection of you, the HR professional, the company and its employees. The clarity, tone, and accuracy impact how others perceive your competence. 👉 In HR, your writing isn’t just about grammar: it’s about transforming HR strategies into clear, actionable language that is easy to read and understand. 👉 In HR, you will deal with lots of written documents. If your messages are unclear, you risk confusion, misalignment, or disengagement. What you need to pay attention to: ➡️ Avoid abbreviations, slang, or jargon. I still see a lot of aspiring HR professionals send messages with lots of abbreviations. ➡️ Tailor your tone. A memo to senior management, will differ from a document to employees, line managers and stakeholders. ➡️ Be concise and structured. Use headings, sub-headings and bullet points. ➡️ Proof-read! Spelling, grammar, and punctuation mistakes undermine your credibility. Here are resources to help you strengthen and improve your written communication skills. 👉 The importance of written communication skills. https://lnkd.in/dhNXpVS2 👉 A complete guide to effective written communication. https://lnkd.in/dVnEd99z 👉 How HR can improve internal communication through better writing. https://lnkd.in/dHJcXJjJ 👉 Effective communication for HR professionals – Module 3 (Crafting HR documents, policies, emails).https://lnkd.in/dRBExCag 👉 Writing policies and procedures. https://lnkd.in/dNVyN_tN In building a solid HR career — especially as you aim for roles like HRBP, People and Culture Manager, etc., don't let writing be the missing link. 📌 What other resources on written communication can you share with the community? 📌 What core competency should I feature in next week's episode?

Fewer Emails, Fewer Errors - Lean Communication Reduces Chaos Organizations are world‑class at two things: Getting things done and sending far too many emails. Somewhere along the way, we decided that long emails and recurring meetings equal leadership. They don’t. They equal noise. Taiichi Ohno (the visionary of LEAN) would have a field day with a typical firm inbox. Overproduction (reply‑all chains), unnecessary motion (searching for the one useful sentence), excess inventory (eight versions of the same update)… it’s all there. Just in Outlook instead of on a factory floor. If you want a resilient culture, start treating communication like a process, not a personality trait. The "short attention span" version of Lean communication: Punch line first. Not "blah blah blah" but direct. “Decision needed: proceed with scope change for Client X. I recommend Option B because…” Right info, right time, right audience. Staff don’t need boss-to-boss politics in their inbox. Kill “non‑information” updates that don’t change anyone’s behavior. This is just applied critical thinking, applied to your messages. Before you hit send, ask a skeptical question: “Does this make the work clearer, or am I just narrating my day?” Try a 30‑day experiment, if you dare. Cut repetitive internal meetings by 25% of their length. Require that every agenda and email state the decision needed or urgency level in the Subject line. Ban reply‑all on anything that doesn’t impact the engagement or client. Resilient cultures protect people's attention spans because they know scattered attention leads to mistakes, rework, and late nights that could have been avoided. My mentors (back in the days of manual typewriters and rotary dial phones) did this without a label. They walked down the hall, had a concise conversation, and sent one clear memo. We added technology and somehow made it harder, and now we're getting ignored at the speed of light. You can fix that. And your people will thank you with fewer errors and fewer “I missed that” moments.

Why Leaders Ignore Long Memos — and What Effective Communicators Do Instead “The longer your memos, the less likely they are to be read by men who have the power to act on them.” — David Ogilvy, often called the father of modern advertising, understood something many professionals still overlook: clarity is a competitive advantage. In an era of digital overload, endless inboxes, and shrinking attention spans, long-winded communication isn’t just ineffective, it’s invisible. The Leadership Reality: Time Is Scarce, Attention Is Scarcer Senior leaders do not ignore long memos because they lack interest. They ignore them because they lack capacity. Decision-makers navigate dozens of meetings, strategic decisions, crises, and competing priorities daily. Research on cognitive load reinforces this point: the human brain naturally skims when overwhelmed by volume or complexity. Concise, structured information is far more likely to be absorbed and acted upon. In other words, if you want your message to be read, understood, and implemented — brevity is not optional. Why Long Memos Fail Long messages often fail for three reasons: 1- They confuse the core point. If your main idea is buried on page three, you don’t have a communication issue — you have a prioritization issue. 2- They transfer effort to the reader. A long memo forces the recipient to sift, interpret, and extract meaning. Busy leaders won’t do that work. 3- They signal unclear thinking. As Blaise Pascal famously said, “I didn’t have time to write a short letter, so I wrote a long one instead.” Conciseness reflects discipline and respect, both for the audience and for the decision at hand. The Power of Sharp, Simple, Actionable Communication High-impact communicators follow a simple principle: short sentences, strong structure, and clear action requests. They decide the one message that truly matters and build everything else around it. A well-crafted memo should answer three questions in the first 5–7 lines: 1- What do you want the decision-maker to know? 2- Why does it matter now? 3- What action do you need them to take? If the reader wants detail, they will ask for it. But without a clear, concise starting point, they may never get to the detail at all. A Simple Rule: If It Must Be Acted On, It Must Be Short In a world where information competes for attention like never before, brevity is not a style choice, it is a leadership tool. Ogilvy understood that a memo’s value is not in its length but in its impact. The professionals who master succinct communication rise faster, influence more deeply, and execute more effectively. Because ultimately, the memo that gets read is the memo that gets results.