March

“Then you should say what you mean,” the March Hare went on.
“ I do,” Alice hastily replied; “at least—at least I mean what I say—that’s the same thing, you know.” “Not the same thing a bit!” said the Hatter. “Why you might just as well say that ‘I see what I eat’ is the same thing as ‘I eat what I see’!” Lewis Carroll, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.

Say what you mean in language that is specific and concise for the listener. It’s not enough to tell (A) your boss, “The report’s not done,” or (B) your partner, client, board, “This strategy won’t work,” or (C) your employee, “Your performance has been slipping.” Consider the audience for your message—how much do they know; how well do they know it; how much do they need to know to be able to do whatever it is that you want them to do.

The specific is terrific. For example: (A) “The Mischievous Miscreant report that is due by close of business today is not finished because my computer imploded for the third time this week; I can finish it by Friday if I can use one of the company laptops since I backed everything up on a CD.” (B) “The plan to expand our operations into the northern sector within the next 24 months is not likely to succeed because: 1. We haven’t laid sufficient groundwork to distinguish our product/services as unique among those already existing there; (2) We don’t have the resources to rent space in the region.” (C) “In the last 10 days, I have received three messages from your assigned clients that you have not returned their phone calls. Tell me why this is happening and what you intend to do about it.”