Communication

Communication

Professional writing that gets results. Based on Harvard Business Review, Radical Candor (Kim Scott), Crucial Conversations (Patterson et al.), Amazon Working Backwards, and Google Project Aristotle.

Sub-Commands

| Command | Description | |---------|-------------| | draft | Draft an email, message, or document from context | | polish | Polish tone, cut filler, strengthen ask | | feedback | Draft feedback using SBI/BID model | | notes | Structure meeting notes from raw transcript or notes | | escalate | Draft escalation with clear facts, impact, and request | | reply | Reply to a message with appropriate tone |

Workflow

Step 1 — Identify audience & context

• Who is the recipient? What is your relationship?
• What is their communication style (direct/indirect, formal/casual)?
• What is the power dynamic (peer, manager, report, client, exec)?
• What has happened before this communication?

Step 2 — Choose tone from matrix

| Context | Tone | Salutation | Closing | |---------|------|------------|---------| | Internal peer | Casual-direct | "Hi [Name]" | "Thanks" | | Internal manager | Professional | "Hi [Name]" | "Thanks" | | Cross-team | Professional | "Hi [Name]" | "Best" | | Client (established) | Cordial | "Hi [Name]" | "Best regards" | | Client (new) | Formal-cordial | "Dear [Name]" | "Best regards" | | Executive / VP+ | Formal | "Dear [Title] [Last]" | "Sincerely" | | Escalation | Firm, respectful | "Hi [Name]" | "Regards" | | Complaint | Calm, professional | "Hi [Name]" | "Best regards" |

Step 3 — Select channel | Scenario | Channel | |----------|---------| | Simple question, needs quick answer | DM (Slack/Teams) | | Team-wide decision or update | Public channel | | Sensitive feedback | In-person or video call | | Complex explanation | Loom or shared doc | | Formal request or escalation | Email | | Needs paper trail | Email | | External client | Email |

Step 4 — Draft using structure

Email structure:

1. Subject: [Verb] + [Topic]. Max 50 chars. Prefix: [Request/Update/Follow-up/Escalation]
2. Context: reference previous communication in one sentence
3. Purpose: the ask or update in the FIRST paragraph
4. Detail: supporting info, bulleted if > 3 items
5. Next step: who does what by when
6. Closing: matched to relationship

Step 5 — Review checklist

• [ ] Subject ≤ 50 chars, prefixed with [Request/Update/Follow-up/Escalation]
• [ ] One explicit ask per message, with deadline
• [ ] Length ≤ 150 words internal, ≤ 200 client
• [ ] Tone matches recipient in matrix
• [ ] Zero filler: no "hope this finds you well", "just checking in", "I wanted to reach out"
• [ ] No passive-aggression: no "as per my last email", "per our conversation"
• [ ] Blame externalized: "The deployment failed" not "You failed"

Step 6 — Send at appropriate time

• During recipient's working hours (respect timezone)
• Avoid Friday afternoon (unless urgent)
• Avoid right before lunch or end of day

Step 7 — Follow up

• If no response in 48h, send ONE follow-up
• Format: same subject, first line = "Gentle ping on this — do you need anything from me to move forward?"

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Filler Phrases to Delete (exact replacements)

| Delete | Replace with | |--------|-------------| | "I hope this email finds you well" | Nothing. Start with the purpose. | | "I just wanted to reach out" | State the purpose directly. | | "Per my last email" | Restate the ask directly. | | "Just checking in" | "Following up on [specific thing] — do you have an ETA?" | | "Quick question" | Ask the question directly in the subject. | | "Sorry to bother you" | "When you have a moment, [ask]" | | "To be honest" | Everything you write should be honest. Drop the phrase. | | "I think" / "I feel" | "I recommend" / "The data shows" — be direct. |

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Feedback (SBI Model)

• Situation: when and where
• Behavior: what exactly was said/done (observable, not interpreted)
• Impact: what effect it had

Rules:

• Always in private for redirecting feedback
• As close to the event as possible
• Focus on actions, not personality
• End with a question: "Does that resonate?"
• Ask permission first: "Can I share some feedback?"
• One topic per session
• Never: "you always", "you never", comparison to others

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Meeting Notes Format

Every meeting produces exactly four things:

## [Topic] — [Date]

## Summary
One paragraph. A non-attendee should understand what happened.

## Decisions
- [DECIDED] We will use X instead of Y because Z

## Action Items
| Owner | Task | Due |
|-------|------|-----|
| @name | Specific task description | 2026-05-15 |

## Open Questions
- [QUESTION] ... → @owner to decide by Friday

## Risks
- Risk description → mitigation

Rules:

• Notes sent within 2 hours of meeting end
• Every action has a named owner + ISO date deadline
• No verbatim discussion. Strip to 4 sections.

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Cross-Cultural Communication

| Culture | Directness | Formality | Time | Feedback | |---------|-----------|-----------|------|----------| | US | Direct | Informal | Strict deadlines | Direct + positive | | Japan | Indirect | Formal | Punctual | Indirect, private | | Germany | Direct | Formal | Strict | Direct, factual | | Brazil | Indirect | Relationship-first | Flexible | Indirect, relationship | | India | Context-dependent | Formal with seniors | Flexible | Indirect, hierarchical |

Async Communication Protocols

1. Default to async: assume response within 24h (not instant)
2. No "hi" messages: include context + question in first message
3. Status updates: visible in project tool, not via DM
4. Meeting notes: posted within 1h. Action items with owners + deadlines.
5. Decision log: key decisions documented with rationale + date + decider.

Meeting Facilitation

• Agenda sent 24h before. Start with purpose + desired outcome.
• Timebox: 15min (standup), 30min (decision), 60min max (workshop)
• Parking lot: off-topic items written down for later
• Round-robin: every voice heard before discussion

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Error Handling

| Cause | Fix | |-------|-----| | Recipient didn't respond in 48 hours | Send one follow-up with same subject. First line: "Gentle ping on this — do you need anything from me to move forward?" | | Email draft is too long (>200 words client, >150 internal) | Cut to essentials. Move details to bullet points. Complex topics → Loom video or shared doc. | | Tone feels passive-aggressive on re-read | Replace "per my last email" with direct restatement. Remove "as I mentioned." Check for blame language. | | Cross-cultural miscommunication risk | Check culture table. Japanese: add polite preamble, drop subject pronouns. German: complete information, use Sie. French: context before ask. | | Emotional reaction while drafting | Save draft. Wait 1 hour minimum. Revise before sending. Remove all loaded language. | | Vague action items after meeting | Every action item must have: named owner + ISO date deadline + specific verb. No "we should think about." | | Feedback received negatively | Check SBI structure: Situation (when/where) + Behavior (observable) + Impact (effect). End with "Does that resonate?" Never "you always/never." | | Escalation email ignored by leadership | Structure: clear facts first, business impact second, specific request third. Keep under 150 words. No blame. Include deadline. |

Anti-Patterns

| Anti-Pattern | Why It Fails | Fix | |--------------|--------------|-----| | No clear ask | Reader doesn't know what to do | State CTA explicitly in first paragraph | | Reply-all for 1:1 matters | Noise for others, exposes private context | DM or email only relevant person | | Wall of text | Nobody reads it | Max 2 paragraphs. Bullets for > 3 items. Loom for complex. | | Sending when emotional | Regret within the hour | Draft, wait 1h, revise, send | | CC'ing manager unnecessarily | Political escalation | Only CC when they need to know | | False urgency ("URGENT" / "ASAP") | Boy who cried wolf | Reserve for actual outages. Use specific deadline otherwise. | | Over-apologizing | Undermines confidence | Apologize once sincerely, pivot to solution | | Vague follow-ups ("Checking in") | No context, no action | "Following up on X — ETA for Y?" |

Constraints

• Max 150 words internal, 200 for client emails
• No passive-aggressive language
• No assigning blame to a person
• Signature: Name, Title, Company, Phone. No quotes. No ASCII art.

Checklist

• [ ] Audience identified (executive, peer, client, direct report)
• [ ] Purpose clear: inform, persuade, align, or escalate
• [ ] Tone matched to relationship and context
• [ ] Key action item or ask stated explicitly near the top
• [ ] Proofread for ambiguity and unnecessary jargon

Sources

• Radical Candor — Kim Scott
• Crucial Conversations — Patterson, Grenny, McMillan, Switzler
• Harvard Business Review — Communication guides
• Center for Creative Leadership — SBI model
• Amazon Working Backwards methodology
• Google Project Aristotle — Psychological safety
• Thanks for the Feedback — Stone & Heen

Source & license

This open-source skill is cataloged on AgentStack and links to its original source — we do not rehost the code.

• Author: EliasOulkadi
• Source: EliasOulkadi/shokunin
• License: MIT
• Homepage: https://eliasoulkadi.github.io/shokunin/

Install and usage instructions live in the source repository linked above.