Communication — Free Sample

1. A customer emails asking about a product feature you're shipping next quarter. The feature isn't ready and pricing isn't finalized. Which reply best balances helpfulness with avoiding overcommitment?

"Thanks for reaching out. We're targeting Q3 for the feature but can't share specific dates or pricing yet — want me to add you to the early-access list so you'll hear first?" "Great question! The feature is on our roadmap for later this year. Stay tuned for updates." "We're working on it and will update you when it's available." "The feature launches in three months at $50 per month — sign up now to lock in the early-bird rate!"

2. Your engineering team disagrees about which architecture to use for a new service. The director needs a recommendation in your hands by tomorrow morning. Which structure for the recommendation email is most effective?

Recommendation up front in one sentence; three reasons supporting it; one credible reason against; explicit request to confirm or push back. Background context first, then the options compared side-by-side, then your recommendation at the end. All the technical details first, then your personal preference at the end as a brief P.S. List of every disagreement the team had, no synthesis, with a closing "happy to discuss" — let the director pick.

3. You need to explain a missed deadline to a customer. Which approach lands best?

Lead with the new committed delivery date. Acknowledge the slip briefly. Explain root cause without making excuses. Name the specific change you've made to prevent recurrence. Apology first. Then explanation of what happened. Then commit to a new date. Long apology paragraph; thorough explanation of what happened; new date only if asked. Wait for the customer to ask; respond only to specific questions they raise.

4. You're presenting a complex technical analysis to a non-technical executive who has 5 minutes. What structure serves them best?

One-sentence answer. Three numbers that support it. Decision request. Stop talking. Brief context, then your analysis walked through at moderate depth, then conclusion. Walk through your methodology so they understand how you arrived at the conclusion. Show all the data; let the executive draw their own conclusions from it.

5. A junior team member's writing is verbose. You want to give actionable feedback. Which is most useful to them?

Cut every sentence by 30%. Read it aloud — if you hesitate, the sentence is too long. Aim for one idea per sentence. Try to be more concise. Pay attention to how senior people in the org write. It's too long. Make it shorter. Their voice is fine — don't suggest changes; let them develop their style on their own.

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