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You Need To Understand This

Be understood the first time

Communication

Most people are not held back at work by what they know. They are held back because the message did not land — the ask was buried, the email was ignored, the objection was never raised, the explanation went over someone's head. This module fixes that in order: write so people act, learn the handful of email types that cover almost everything, say the things that are hard to say, explain complicated work to people who do not share your background, and make meetings and presentations produce decisions instead of hours.

6 lessons1 hr 58 min

Lessons

  1. 01

    Write so people act

    Put the ask first, make the deadline explicit, and cut the words that carry no information.

    You keep: Can write a message that gets the reader to do the right thing without a follow-up conversation.

    18 min
  2. 02

    The emails you will actually have to write

    The fourteen email types that cover almost every message you will send at work, with a real example of each.

    You keep: Can recognise which type of email a situation calls for and write it without staring at a blank screen.

    24 min
  3. 03

    Saying the hard thing

    Disagree, refuse, admit a mistake or push back on a deadline without damaging the relationship or your reputation.

    You keep: Can raise a problem with someone more senior in a way that gets a decision instead of a defence.

    20 min
  4. 04

    Explaining something complicated to someone who is not you

    Get a technical idea across to a person who does not share your background, without oversimplifying or talking down.

    You keep: Can explain a complex thing to a non-expert so that they can make a decision about it.

    18 min
  5. 05

    Meetings that are not a waste

    Decide whether a meeting is needed, contribute in it without dread, and leave with decisions and owners written down.

    You keep: Can run or survive a meeting so that something is actually decided and recorded.

    18 min
  6. 06

    Presenting without dying

    Build a talk from its argument rather than its slides, present numbers honestly, and answer questions you cannot answer.

    You keep: Can stand up, make one point land, and handle the questions afterwards.

    20 min