Writing Effective Company-wide Emails

Every time I write up an org-wide communication related to major changes, I consistently apply the lessons that I learned from Annie Christiansen and Kathy Gowell during my time working with them at MuleSoft/Salesforce. Spending most of my early and middle career in more technical roles, my communication style had a tendency lean towards the technical (and wordy). Annie and Kathy did an amazing job helping me step back and reframe my communications to be focused, prioritize the crucial information first, and apply empathy (we're not all engineers in the tech world). I've templated, to a large degree, the key messaging points I picked up from them • What's happening? (𝘥𝘰𝘯'𝘵 𝘣𝘶𝘳𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘥, 𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘪𝘵) • What does this mean for me? (𝘢𝘮 𝘐 𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘦𝘥? 𝘪𝘧 𝘴𝘰 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘥𝘰 𝘐 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘥𝘰?)  • Why is this happening? (𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘹𝘵!) • I still have questions, where should I bring them to? (𝘚𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘬, 𝘰𝘧𝘧𝘪𝘤𝘦 𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘴, 𝘸𝘪𝘬𝘪𝘴, 𝘦𝘵𝘤) These four stanzas are present in nearly 99% of my major comms. They work when updating the staff about major security threats (such as vishing/smishing campaigns), changes to org-wide systems (such SSO/MFA improvements), and so much more. Most importantly, bring empathy to all comms. Try, as best as you can, to put yourself on the receiving end of the communication you're sending and challenge yourself with the question "is the information framed in a way that I and my peers would feel informed & engaged if we were the recipients"

What makes an effective organizational announcement? What leads to a lousy one? We’ve all been on the receiving end of a company-wide email or sat in a town hall where leadership shares significant news. Some of us have delivered these messages ourselves. These moments are pivotal for an organization. When done well, they mark a turning point that aligns the team and propels the company forward. When mishandled, they create confusion, frustration, and unnecessary complications as everyone struggles to adapt to the newly announced changes. Whether you're communicating a simple transition (e.g., a CEO retiring and a new leader stepping in) or a complex restructuring, how you communicate matters deeply. Here are a few key principles to help with your next announcement: 1. 𝐂𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐬𝐞: What’s the critical information your team needs? What is changing? How can you deliver the message as succinctly as possible? Every person in the organization should walk away able to summarize the key points.  In Jassy’s recent Amazon memo, the main takeaways were clear in news coverage: increasing the ratio of individual contributors to managers by 15% and requiring a five-day return to the office. But if you read the 1,400-word memo itself, these points didn’t appear until halfway through. Let’s be real: Employees are likely skimming, asking themselves, “What is this 𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒚 about?” Make it easy for them. 2. 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐯𝐢𝐝𝐞 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐱𝐭: Being concise doesn’t mean sacrificing context. People need to know why changes are happening. Whether the change is solving a pain point or capitalizing on a new opportunity, explain the rationale behind it. Without this context, you risk resistance. Help them understand how the changes benefit the organization and, ultimately, them. 3. 𝐂𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐖𝐢𝐧𝐬: If the announcement includes promotions or expanded responsibilities, take a moment to celebrate. Org announcements are a chance to not only recognize key individuals but also reinforce the values and behaviors your company prioritizes. Be specific about what attributes or achievements led to the recognition, as this can signal to the broader team what success looks like. 4. 𝐂𝐥𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐟𝐲 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐞𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐬: Let’s face it—we’re all the stars of our own stories. People naturally want to know, “How does this affect me?” As a leader, it’s your job to address this head-on. What changes will people experience in their roles, responsibilities, or reporting structures? What shifts in decision-making or core processes should they expect? You may need your direct reports to have more in-depth conversations with their teams, but ensure everyone understands what’s expected of them moving forward. 💁♀️ What have I missed? What’s your experience with organizational announcements—both good and bad? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments! (Bonus: your tip doesn’t have to start with a ‘C’ 😉) #thoughtfulthursdays #executivecommunication

Stop saying “Hi!” Effective communication is essential to building a strong company culture. At Proletariat Inc., our Cultural Communication Guide (https://lnkd.in/ecFxFjVe) included specific guidelines for email that helped improve clarity and efficiency—especially as we scaled and remote work increased during the 2020 lockdowns. For a long time, we didn’t have a formal email structure, but as our team and volume of emails grew, it became challenging to separate important messages from the noise. This led us to establish an email protocol that was direct, purpose-driven, and clear. How to Write Better Emails Our approach was inspired by the Harvard Business Review (https://lnkd.in/euhyKbmd) and adapted to fit our needs. 1. Bottom Line Up Front (BLUF) Start with the main point. Summarize the purpose of your email in one concise sentence at the very top. Avoid lengthy introductions—get straight to the important details to respect the reader’s time. 2. Subject Line Keywords Use subject line keywords to categorize each email’s purpose, ensuring the reader immediately understands the intent. Only use one keyword per email thread; if you need more than one, consider splitting the message into separate emails. Here’s the breakdown: - [Feedback]: You’re seeking feedback, and it’s optional. Specify the response deadline to avoid late feedback impacting decisions. - [Action]: You’re requesting action from the reader. This usually involves a specific deadline and is often time-sensitive. - [Info]: You’re sharing information that doesn’t require a response—purely informational. - [Request]: You’re requesting a decision or permission. Be sure to specify the date by which you need a response. 3. Set a Clear Timeframe Indicate any deadlines directly in the email. If it’s urgent, add “URGENT” to the subject line and follow up with a direct message or in-person check-in for prompt action. 4. Structure and Tools Keep it organized and concise. Use bullet points, lists, and concise sentences instead of long paragraphs to improve readability. Direct action with @mentions: Tag individuals with the “@” symbol to clarify what each person needs to do in response, making it easier for everyone to see their responsibilities. How to Respond to Emails If you need more than a day to respond, acknowledge the email and provide an estimated response time. This helps maintain clear communication and sets expectations for follow-up. Create a culture around the expected response time to emails. If you are on a email thread with multiple people but follow up and close the loop through a different channel (chat, meeting, etc) be sure to respond back to the group and explain that this is resolved. Final Thoughts While this email structure worked well for us, each company may need to tailor it to fit its unique culture. Defining and training your team on an effective email style is worthwhile to improve communication, ensure clarity, and save time across the board.