Updates that Stick:Think Tweet Not TED Talk
Kate walked into the weekly leadership meeting and launched into a ten‑minute saga of numbers, side quests, and “one more quick thing.” By minute four, notebooks were shut, eyes on phones, minds elsewhere. The message? Lost in the weeds.
Long updates drain attention and hide the headline. Your job is to give the room a clear snapshot, not the director’s cut. Try the three‑line C‑P‑O frame - short enough to text, strong enough to guide action:
Context - one line of background.
Purpose - one line that matters now.
Outcome: one line of next step plus deadline.
Example for the meeting:
“There’s a gap in how we billed Client X last month (Context). We need to find out if it’s a wider system glitch or a one‑off (Purpose). Each team, check your data and send results by 5 p.m. Thursday (Outcome).”
Same idea in email:
Subject: Review by April 5th, 5pm CDT
Body: “We’re losing ground to a competitor (Context). I’ve drafted a plan to win those customers back (Purpose). Read the proposal and bring feedback to Friday’s meeting (Outcome).”
Trim the fluff, hit send, and hand people a clear target. When you speak in tweets, the room listens and invites you back for more.