Communication is eighty percent listening and twenty percent talking.

In writing, ask clear, concise questions, so they know they'll be heard.

Nobody wants to read anything you write at work. It's not personal though. We just happen to live in a world where there is so much information asking for our attention.

We can take action and make it easy for our colleagues to read our emails, messages, texts, and memos.

Put yourself in the other person’s shoes and ask, “What’s in it for them?”

When we seek assistance or buy-in, asking for an opinion produces a critic. Asking for advice provides a partner.

Pay attention to your pronouns as well: "You" is selfish. "Them " is...

Tell your recipients from the start what you expect.

If they need to read and comment on it before a Tuesday afternoon meeting, instead of "Agenda for Tuesday," use "PLEASE COMMENT: Agenda for Tuesday."

Because most of us start rambling with our insecurities - don't try to write a final draft on the first try. Allow yourself a few first drafts, then flip it.

Take the final sentence, the conclusion, and move it to the top. This inversion forces you to lead with the need. Then, you'll find ...

When you discover problems, don't compose an email with a long explanation, opinion or instruction as this will make co-workers less inclined to take ownership.

Instead, use one or two sentences to describe the situation, then ask a single question and let the team contribute.

We long for clarity and for other people to say what they mean in as few words as possible.

Making wordy sentences that lose their fluency due to needless complexity in a text negatively affects the receiver of your message. In short: big is bad.