Professional Communication Starter
Email, meetings, feedback, status updates — everyday communication that defines your reputation.
The 3-sentence email
Most professional emails should be three sentences or fewer. Subject, request, context, action.
Examples
Clear subject, one ask, one sentence of context, one sentence on the expected response form.
Subject lines that get opened
Key Points
- Lead with the action required: 'Approval needed,' 'FYI,' 'For your eyes,' 'Action by [date]'.
- Deadlines in the subject: 'Approval by Fri'.
- Avoid empty subjects like 'Quick question' — specific wins.
Professional email norms
Key Points
- Respond within 24 hours even if the response is 'will get back to you Thursday.'
- Use 'Reply All' sparingly. Default to 'Reply' unless the whole list needs the update.
- BCC for confidential loops; don't use BCC to surveil.
- Email signatures: name, title, one contact method. Skip the inspirational quote.
Meetings
Should this meeting exist?
The best meeting is often no meeting. Before scheduling, ask: can this be async? Is there a decision to make or information to share that requires live exchange?
Key Points
- Async alternatives: Slack thread, written doc + comments, Loom video.
- Meetings are worth it for: decisions with conflict, relationship-building, complex brainstorming, crisis response.
The agenda
If you call the meeting, you owe an agenda. Send it 24 hours before.
Key Points
- Purpose: one sentence on what success looks like.
- Decisions needed: explicit, not implied.
- Pre-read: any materials attendees should review first.
- Time allocation per item.
Running the meeting
Key Points
- Start with the purpose. Every time.
- Name decision moments: 'We need to decide X now.'
- Park tangents in a visible 'parking lot' list.
- End with: decisions made + owners + deadlines.
Feedback
Giving feedback
Kim Scott's 'Radical Candor' framework: care personally + challenge directly. Either alone fails — caring without challenging is ruinous empathy; challenging without caring is obnoxious aggression.
Situation
Describe the specific context — when/where/what happened.
Behavior
Describe what the person did, observably. Not 'you were rude' but 'you interrupted Priya four times.'
Impact
Explain the consequence. 'That meant her point on budgeting never got heard.'
Receiving feedback
Key Points
- Thank the giver — you want them to keep doing it.
- Ask clarifying questions before defending.
- Sleep on it before responding to anything that stings.
- Take action visibly — next feedback is more likely when the first one was applied.
Status Updates
The G/H/P update
Green / Health / Progress. A three-bucket status update that leaders love because it's scannable.
Key Points
- Green: what's going well (wins, green metrics).
- Health: risks, blockers, things that aren't red yet but could be.
- Progress: what shipped since the last update.
Weekly note format
Key Points
- 1-2 sentence headline: the single most important thing this week.
- 3-5 bullets: wins, metrics, risks.
- One number: north-star metric with direction indicator.
- Ask: one thing you need from the reader.
FAQ
When should I pick up the phone?
When there's emotion involved, when you need fast iteration, or when you've exchanged 3+ messages without converging. Async is default; voice is the escalation.
How long should my emails be?
As short as you can make them while still covering the requested action and minimal context. Complex decisions sometimes need a page — but should lead with a BLUF paragraph.
Continue learning
Explore related MUN guides to deepen your skills.