This immediately sets off a bad chain reaction of fear, panic, and uncertainty for the marketing manager.
How?
✦ Prepare - what format? Presentation, spreadsheet, document
✦ Quick summary - Quick? Does boss needs it today? It’s already 4:30 pm.
✦ Leads in Q1 2025 - Is this related to my performance?
Instead, if your boss had sent this message
“Hey, I’m preparing goals for the marketing team for the next quarter. Can you please send me a summary of number of leads we got in the last quarter in a spreadsheet? Separate the data by months, channels and lead score. You can prepare it by end of this week. Planning to deliver the goals in the next week.”
✦ Notice how the message gives clarity on
- Reason for the impromptu request
- Timeline for preparation
- Format of the output
Communication is often touted as the most essential soft skill.
But there are many facets to it.
One such aspect is ‘Clarity in communication’.
✦ If you are a managing a team, include context and clarity in your communication.
✦ If you are at the receiving end, then seek clarity before the cognitive load weighs you down.
What other aspects of communication do you think are important?
This post was originally shared by on Linkedin.