Communicate at work: writing, speaking and meetings

Write messages people act on, keep your manager informed, speak up in meetings and give feedback that lands, in the office or remote.

A lot of how you are judged at work comes down to how your work reaches other people. A good analysis buried in paragraph four of an email gets missed. An opinion you never said in the meeting does not count. A manager who hears about a problem on the due date stops trusting the person who knew last week. This course fixes the everyday parts: putting the point first, writing messages that get a reply, updating your manager, asking questions, speaking up, running meetings and giving feedback. It is built for Singapore workplaces, where one team can span four languages, three generations and two office days a week.

What you'll be able to do

• Rewrite any message so the request or conclusion sits in the first two lines
• Write emails and chat messages with one clear ask, a deadline and the context needed to act
• Send a weekly status update that flags risks and decisions before your manager has to ask
• Ask questions that show what you have already tried and get a specific answer
• Make a point or disagree in a meeting, including a hybrid one, in under a minute
• Run a 30-minute meeting that ends with written decisions, owners and dates
• Give feedback using situation, behaviour and impact, and take criticism without defending
• Adjust how direct you are for colleagues from different cultures and generations

Syllabus

Module 1: Put the point first

Why readers skim, how bottom line up front and the pyramid principle put your conclusion where it gets seen, and how to work out what your reader needs before you write.

• 1.1 Say the point first, then explain it
• 1.2 Build longer messages as a pyramid: point, reasons, detail
• 1.3 Know what your reader needs before you write
• 1.4 Rewrite three of your own messages point first

Module 2: Write emails and chat messages that get a reply

Write subject lines and one-ask emails, chat messages on Teams, Slack or WhatsApp that need no follow-up, a tone that reads as you meant it, and know when to stop typing and call.

• 2.1 Emails with one ask, a deadline and a useful subject line
• 2.2 Chat messages that do not need a second message
• 2.3 Why your message sounded ruder than you meant
• 2.4 Know when to stop typing and talk
• 2.5 Build your own email and chat templates

Module 3: Keep your manager informed before they ask

Write status updates that cover what a manager needs, raise bad news early with options, and agree with your manager how and when you will update them.

• 3.1 What your manager actually wants from an update
• 3.2 Raise bad news early and bring options
• 3.3 Agree how and when you update your manager
• 3.4 Set up a weekly update you can send in ten minutes

Module 4: Ask questions that get useful answers

Ask for help without wasting the other person's time, clarify a task before you start it, and close the loop so people are happy to help again.

• 4.1 Try for a set time yourself, then ask
• 4.2 Ask with context: goal, what you tried, where you are stuck
• 4.3 Clarify the task before you start
• 4.4 Ask for help on a real problem and review it

Module 5: Speak up in meetings, even as the most junior person

Prepare a contribution, get into a fast conversation, make a point in under a minute, disagree with someone senior without causing a scene, and be heard when you join remotely.

• 5.1 Why staying quiet costs more than speaking imperfectly
• 5.2 Make your point in under a minute
• 5.3 Disagree without making it personal
• 5.4 Get heard when you are remote and others are in the room
• 5.5 Record yourself making three contributions

Module 6: Run a meeting that ends with decisions

Decide whether you need a meeting at all, write an agenda with outcomes, chair the discussion including remote attendees, and send notes with owners and dates the same day.

• 6.1 Decide if this needs to be a meeting at all
• 6.2 Write an agenda people can prepare for
• 6.3 Chair the room and the screen
• 6.4 Close with actions, owners and dates
• 6.5 Plan, run and document one real meeting

Module 7: Give and receive feedback that changes something

Use the situation, behaviour, impact model to give specific feedback, praise in a way people can repeat, give feedback upward and across, and take criticism without defending.

• 7.1 Describe the behaviour, not the person
• 7.2 Praise that tells people what to repeat
• 7.3 Give feedback to your peers and your manager
• 7.4 Take criticism without defending yourself
• 7.5 Practise a feedback conversation in pairs

Module 8: Work across cultures, generations and distance

Read differences in directness, hierarchy and feedback across cultures, drop lazy generational labels, and set clear communication norms for a remote or hybrid team.

• 8.1 Low-context and high-context communication
• 8.2 Hierarchy, face and hearing an indirect no
• 8.3 Generations at work without the stereotypes
• 8.4 Set team norms for remote and hybrid work
• 8.5 Write a team communication charter

Frequently asked questions

How long does the course take?

About eight and a half hours across eight modules, including the exercises. At two to three hours a week most people finish in about a month, and you can use each module at work the same week.

Is this a course on English grammar?

No. It assumes you already write and speak workplace English. It is about structure, timing and tone: what to say first, how to say it, and when. If grammar is your main worry, pair this course with a writing class.

How is this different from Presenting and public speaking?

This course covers everyday communication: messages, updates, meetings and feedback. Presenting and public speaking covers prepared talks to a room or a camera. If you are early in your career, take this one first.

Does it cover difficult conversations and conflict?

It covers everyday feedback. Conversations with strong emotions, conflict or performance problems are taught in Emotional intelligence and difficult conversations.

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