How to Communicate Effectively at Work: The Essentialist Approach

Does your team spend more time decoding your messages than doing the work? You're not alone. Long, fuzzy messages create short, confused work. Clear, targeted messages create confident action. The Essentialist way is simple: speak plainly, send only what matters, and time it so people can actually use it. Let's explore how to shift from workplace chaos to crystal-clear communication that gets results.

Recognise the Problem: Confusing Messages

When communication is too general or constantly changing, people waste energy decoding instead of doing. Think of it like traffic signs—if they're wordy or unclear, drivers hesitate. The same happens in your workplace.

Common signs of confusing messages include:

• Dense blocks of text filled with jargon
• Vague instructions that leave team members guessing
• Mixed signals that create hesitation rather than action
• Updates that require a second message to clarify the first

If your update needs a decoder ring, it's not an update—it's a mystery novel. The first step to better workplace communication is recognising when you're creating confusion instead of clarity.

Find Your Core Message

Before you hit send, pause. What is the one thing you need them to know or do? Not five things, not a background story—just the essential point that matters right now.

Use simple words and be specific about what matters today. Strip away the jargon, the context that can wait, and the nice-to-know details. Your core message should be so clear that someone could repeat it back to you in one sentence.

This is the lightbulb moment: transforming jumbled thoughts into a single, focused point. Essentialist leaders keep messages short and share the right information at the right time so the team stays focused and can act.

Target the Right People

Who actually needs this information now? Not everyone on your team needs to be copied on every update. Over-sharing creates noise, and noise drowns out important signals.

Ask yourself:

• Who will take action on this information?
• Who makes decisions based on this update?
• Who is waiting for this specific piece to move forward?

When is the best time for them to receive it? Sending a Monday morning task brief at 5pm Friday ensures it gets buried. Timing matters as much as the message itself. Send it when people can actually use it.

Create Actionable Results

Apply this three-step filter every time: What is the one thing? Who needs it? When should they get it? Write it in one or two sentences. If it takes a paragraph, you're probably saying too much or sending to the wrong group.

The result is fewer messages, faster decisions, and less rework. Your team will move from confusion to confident action because they know exactly what to do and when to do it.

Say less, say it simply, and send it wisely—your team will thank you with better results. Clear communication isn't about saying everything; it's about saying the right things to the right people at the right time.

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