That one critique from my boss about being too vague in emails

My manager told me I wrote like I was hiding something after I sent a 3 sentence update on a project at my marketing job in Austin. I started adding specific numbers and deadlines to every message, and it cut down on follow up questions by a ton. Has anyone else had to totally change their communication style based on feedback like that?

2 comments

2 Comments

harris.uma1mo ago

And what @finley_harris5 said about adding specifics is so spot on. Like actually my friend Sarah got the exact same feedback from her boss at a nonprofit here, and she was so frustrated because she thought she was being clear. She started putting a single sentence at the top of every email. Like "Main goal: finish Q3 report by Friday with 90% approval from stakeholders." Suddenly her manager stopped asking her for updates every single day. It's like people just need that one concrete thing to latch onto or they automatically assume you're being shady. It's kind of exhausting to have to spell everything out like that but it really does stop all the annoying follow up questions.

finley_harris51mo ago

Oh yeah, totally been there. Adding hard numbers and deadlines changes the whole tone... makes it feel way more concrete instead of like you're dodging something. I found that even just throwing in a specific date or a percentage actually stops that paranoid feeling from the other person. It's wild how something that simple can save you from five follow up emails asking what you really meant.