tl;dr:Two simple questions to ask yourself: (1) What’s most likely to go wrong? (2) What can I do to prevent this from happening? Wes also covers principles to help derisk work: (A) Embrace a healthy sense of paranoia. (B) Pattern match to remember what happened in similar situations. (C) If you foresee a misunderstanding, speak up and clarify. (D) Risk isn’t binary, it’s on a spectrum.
tl;dr:(1) Figure out your main point. (2) Try to state your main point in 2-3 sentences. (3) Avoid explaining events chronologically. (4) Constantly remind yourself to shorten your delivery. (5) Exercise situational awareness. (6) Don’t be too concise. (7) For written communication, use “main point above, context below.” (8) For longer verbal communication, use signposting. (9) Offer to elaborate.
tl;dr:Wes discusses each of the following considerations when being explicit about what you need from your team: (1) Don't dive straight into details. (2) Share the overarching goal. (3) Signpost by using keywords that help your team easily make sense of what you’re saying. (4) Use an analogy. (5) Explain your thought process. (6) Reinforce that they are the project owners. (7) Be more specific than you think you have to be.
tl;dr:“You’ll learn how to respond when stakeholders question your decisions or misunderstand you. We’ll cover: (1) Defending your thinking is normal. Embrace it. (2) Your response will either diminish or build your credibility. (3) Case study #1: A colleague from another team questions your decision. (4) Case study #2: Your CEO questions your strategy.”
tl;dr:I’ll share an advanced technique for getting your feedback recipient to perk up and take action. (1) The OARB framework (Observation, Assertion, Repercussion, Benefit). (2) Make feedback feel visceral by using good logic. (3) Adopt a neutral posture & comment on the behavior, not the person.
tl;dr:“Giving the right amount of context helps teams move faster. Too much context? Your manager can’t tell what’s important. They’ll need to wade through details, trying to sort information into a pile of what’s important vs what to ignore. Too little context? Your manager has to follow up and pull information out of you that you should have mentioned proactively. There is such a thing as being too concise.”
tl;dr:“Signposting is using key words, phrases, or an overall structure in your writing to signal what the rest of your post is about. This helps your reader quickly get grounded, so their brain doesn’t waste cycles wondering where you’re taking them.” Wes shares how to implement this when writing about complex ideas.
tl;dr:“If you share information that’s not obviously positive or negative, you must proactively tell people how they should feel. Give context to the information, data, or fact. If there’s even a slight chance your audience might benefit from the extra clues, I would consider using signposting. It’s super fast for you, and super helpful for them.” Wes shares examples.
tl;dr:Wes developed the framework below when explaining projects to direct reports, dotted-line reports, vendors, agencies, contractors, recruiters, and anyone she’s managing formally or informally. Here are five areas to cover: (1) Increase comprehension: Am I explaining in a way that’s easy to understand? (2) Increase buy-in: Am I getting the person excited? (3) Derisk: Am I addressing obvious risks? (4) Confirm alignment: Am I giving them a chance to speak up? (5) Feedback loop: Am I creating the shortest feedback loop possible?
tl;dr:Wes developed the framework below when explaining projects to direct reports, dotted-line reports, vendors, agencies, contractors, recruiters, and anyone she’s managing formally or informally. Here are five areas to cover: (1) Increase comprehension: Am I explaining in a way that’s easy to understand? (2) Increase buy-in: Am I getting the person excited? (3) Derisk: Am I addressing obvious risks? (4) Confirm alignment: Am I giving them a chance to speak up? (5) Feedback loop: Am I creating the shortest feedback loop possible?