Workplace Communication: Boss, Coworkers, Clients

One piece of news, three audiences

A supplier delay pushes a launch back a week. Here is how to tell each person what they need to know.

Up · your manager Heads-up: the supplier has slipped, so launch moves from 5 to 12 June. Marketing is already adjusting. Can you confirm we keep the 12th rather than splitting the release? Headline firstShows what is already handledEnds with the one decision you need

Across · a coworker Hi Sam, launch is now 12 June because of a supplier delay. Could you move the training session to the 10th? Thanks for adjusting at short notice. The reason in one clauseA specific request with a dateThanks for the extra effort

Out · a client Dear Ms Reid, your new site will now go live on 12 June, a week later than planned, due to a supplier delay. Everything else stays as agreed. I’ll confirm the final time on 10 June. What changes for themWhat doesn’t changeWhen they’ll hear next

Choosing the channel

The more complex or sensitive the message, the richer the channel should be. Use writing for anything people need to find again.

Channel	Best for	Choose something else for	Expected reply
Chat message	Quick questions, short updates, coordination	Bad news, feedback, anything long	Within hours
Email	Decisions, requests with detail, anything to keep on record	Urgent issues, emotional topics	Within a working day
Phone or video call	Sensitive news, untangling confusion fast	Detail people need to refer back to	Now; follow up in writing
Meeting	Decisions that need discussion among several people	Status updates that could be an email	At the meeting
Shared document	Plans, proposals, anything several people edit	Quick back-and-forth	By the review date

Requests that get a yes

A request is easy to accept when the other person can see what you need, by when, and why it matters, all in the first few lines.

1 Context One sentence on what you are working on and why.

2 The ask Exactly what you need, phrased as a question.

3 The deadline When you need it, and the real reason for that date.

4 An easy out What to do if they can’t, so a no doesn’t stall the work.

Message to a colleague

1I’m finalising the Q3 board report.2Could you send me the updated sales figures for July and August?3I need them by Wednesday noon so finance can check them before Friday.4If they aren’t ready, the June figures will do and I’ll note it in the report.

Each sentence does one of the four jobs. The deadline sits next to the ask, where it can’t be missed.

Five conversations with your manager

Managing up means making it easy for your manager to support you: early news, clear options and a specific ask. Choose a situation for a script.

What to say “I want to flag something early. The supplier has slipped a week, so the launch moves from the 5th to the 12th. I’ve two options to recover some time, and I’d like your view on which to take.”

Why it works

✓The news comes first, before they hear it elsewhere✓Gives the exact impact in dates✓Arrives with options, not just a problem

Effective communication with your boss: the full guide →

Five ways to handle a disagreement

The Thomas-Kilmann model describes five conflict styles, set by how much you push for your own goal and how much you support the other person’s. Each one is right in some situations.