Communicate at work: writing, speaking and meetings

Learn to write messages people act on, keep your manager informed, speak up in meetings and give useful feedback, whether you work in the office or remotely.

Much of how people judge your work depends on how clearly it reaches them. If your main finding is in the fourth paragraph of an email, many readers will miss it. If you disagree but say nothing in the meeting, the decision goes ahead without your view. If your manager hears about a problem on the due date and you knew the week before, they will trust your updates less. This course covers the everyday parts of communicating at work: putting the point first, writing messages that get a reply, updating your manager, asking questions, speaking up, running meetings and giving feedback. The examples come from 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 is in the first two lines
• Write emails and chat messages with one clear request, a deadline and the context the reader needs to act
• Send a weekly status update that raises risks and decisions before your manager has to ask
• Ask questions that show what you have already tried, so you 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 listen to criticism without getting defensive
• Adjust how direct you are with colleagues from different cultures and generations

Syllabus

Module 1: Put the point first

Readers skim, so this module covers why that happens, 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 start writing.

• 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 emails with a clear subject line and one ask, and chat messages on Teams, Slack or WhatsApp that need no follow-up. Get your tone to read the way 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

You will write status updates that give a manager what they need, raise bad news early with options, and agree with your manager how and when to 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 in a way that respects the other person's time, check what a task needs before you start it, and follow up afterwards so people are glad to help you 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

You will prepare something to say, find a way into a fast conversation, make a point in under a minute, disagree with someone senior without causing a scene, and get 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

You'll learn to decide whether you need a meeting at all, write an agenda with outcomes, chair the discussion with remote attendees included, 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

Give specific feedback with the situation, behaviour, impact model. Praise in a way people can repeat, give feedback to your manager and peers, and take criticism without getting defensive.

• 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

You will learn to read how cultures differ on directness, hierarchy and feedback, stop relying on 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?

It takes about eight and a half hours across eight modules, including the exercises. Most people spend two to three hours a week and finish in about a month. You can apply each module at work in the same week.

Is this a course on English grammar?

No, it assumes you already write and speak English at work. The course covers structure, timing and tone: what to say first, how to say it and when to say it. If grammar is your main concern, take a writing class alongside this course.

How is this different from Presenting and public speaking?

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

Does it cover difficult conversations and conflict?

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

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