March 9: Getting a senior leader to take action
Address these 4 points in an email for effective internal communication.
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Source: Allie Miller
Published: February 2022
Getting a senior leader to take action
Need to ask a VP (or someone senior) to take action?
Include the following in an email for effective internal communication:
1) SITUATION - summarize the situation
2) RETURN/RISK - outline the ROI of taking action and/or the risk of NOT taking action. Be specific and quantitative (e.g., customer names, count, size, cost, competition)
3) ACTION - offer a clear next step the VP can take to capture the return or eliminate the risk, ex: approve new $15K budget
4) TIMELINE - state when a resolution is needed by
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I've been informed that it may be best to state the ask or recommendation and deadline up front and then go into the details, in a similar way that docs try not to bury the lede. This helps make the action clear and avoids issue if the recipient skims over the message and misses the action being requested.