The First Minute: How to Start Conversations That Get Results (Business Communication Skills Books Book 1)

by Chris Fenning

“We were finishing the BAC-15 production run when the sheet-metal roller jammed. We found and fixed the cause of the jam and had everything up and running again in twenty-four hours. We’ve already made changes to the production layout and are updating the process documents to make sure this doesn’t happen again.”

If you need to give a status update, especially about an issue, focus on the steps already taken to fix the problem.

Context: I’ve just spoken to the Davison Group. Intent: Can you help me with a problem? Key Message: They didn’t get the last shipment and want a refund. Goal: The Davison Group prepaid for a large shipment last month that didn’t arrive. We need to fix this. Problem: I can’t find the shipment, and the refund is above the limit I can approve. Solution: Can you authorize the refund and help me find the missing shipment?

Context: I reviewed the new information security policy. Intent: We need to take action. Key message: Our firewall is not compliant anymore. Goal: The new industry regulations require us to have a level-five firewall for all ecommerce transactions to keep payment data secure. Problem: Our current software will only allow us to support up to level four. Solution: We need to come up with the plan for upgrading the software and present it to the leadership team for approval.

Framing: Context: Intent: Key Message: Structured Summary: Goal: Problem: Solution:

There are two key steps to take in the first minute to ensure you start the conversation well. Step #1: Time check: This sets expectations for how much time you need. Step #2: Validation checkpoint: This step clarifies if your audience can talk now.

Step 1: Ask for the amount of time you actually need

Step 2: Get to the point quickly

After the time check, deliver your framing and structured summary. This will give your audience a great introduction to the conversation you want to have. Even though they have already agreed to talk to you as part of the time-check step, you should verify that your audience is able to engage in the conversation after they have heard the additional information.

Ability – the knowledge, access, or authority to help with your request Availability – the time and the desire to help

You can interrupt and let the person know you can’t help. This is presumptuous because you may have misinterpreted their intentions, which would have been clearer had they got to the end of their long description. It may also be seen as impolite. You can wait for them to complete their description and then tell them you aren’t the right person to answer the question. This is more polite, but it costs you and your colleague time that could be better spent finding the right person to help solve their problem.

Context goes in the subject line. Intent can go in the subject line or in the first line of the email. Your key message should be stated in the first line of the email. The goal, problem, and solution are labeled bullet points or separate short paragraphs in the main message.

Example: To: Diane@work.com Subject: Website updates – priority decision needed Hi Diane, Can you help me with a priority order decision for the website development team? Goal: The product team has asked us to fix a problem with the login screen on the website. This is an urgent request because customers are calling and complaining they can’t access their accounts. Problem: We have limited resources on our team, and another piece of work would have to move to a later delivery date for this change to occur. Solution/Request: Can you help me understand the priority for the following items? Which one can be delayed? Item #1: Layout changes for sidebar menus on the homepage Item #2: Automate the generation of the PDFs Item #3: Add a question form to the contact page We have until Friday to decide on what to delay, so you have a couple of days. Please call me if you have any questions. Thanks, Chris

Context: Include it in the subject line. Intent: Include it in the subject line. Key Message is replaced by two new items: Meeting purpose: One line describing what the meeting is for. Meeting output: One line stating the expected outcome or output of the meeting.

Example #1 To: colleagues@work.com Subject: New project kick-off – need to identify people to work on it (The text below goes into the body of the invitation) Meeting Purpose: To kick off a new software upgrade project and identify resources to work on it. Meeting Output: A short list of the people needed to work on the project. Additional Information: Structured summary should be included here

Example #2 To: colleagues@work.com Subject: Health-and-safety rule change – we need to prepare for the changes (The text below goes into the body of the invitation) Meeting Purpose: To review the health-and-safety guideline changes and create a plan to implement them in our department Meeting output: A list of actions for us to implement the new health-and-safety guidelines. Key Message/Summary: The company HQ has sent out new health-and-safety guidelines. We have one month to prepare before the new rules are enforced. The changes are not significant, but we need to make sure we are ready.

Conventional advice says all meetings should have an agenda. If a meeting has one purpose, and that purpose is to solve a specific problem, an invitation that includes the meeting purpose and the meeting output is the agenda. Adding a formal agenda only creates more work for the person setting up the meeting and is another document that invitees need to read.

Tip: Make meeting introductions easier for yourself by creating a well-structured invitation.

“If this isn’t something you need to be involved in, please feel free to leave.”

When giving status updates to people above you in the organization, it is easy to give a long description of the problems. Try to avoid that. While the audience might appreciate the efforts you and your team have put in to overcome the problems, they probably care more about whether the problem is fixed.

By repeating the question, you have not only confirmed that you heard it, you have also provided the context and intent for your answer.

You get to the point faster. Framing and structured summaries are fact-based. This reduces the chance of using emotion and giving excuses, which makes it easier for the person receiving the escalation to assess the situation. Structured summaries focus on solving the problem. This ensures the escalation isn’t just a complaint about something that isn’t good but actually lays out a plan that focuses the attention on what to do about the problem.

our work is about overcoming challenges and resolving problems.

Example Interview Question #2: Describe a time you went out of your way to help somebody. Context: I was on a deadline to submit the monthly account reports. Intent: I planned to complete them that afternoon. Key Message: A new member of my team, Kerry, asked for some help, and I had to choose between completing my reports or helping her. Goal: Kerry was to give her first presentation to the managers the next day. All the department heads would be there, and Kerry knew this was an opportunity to stand out. Problem: Unfortunately, Kerry had only recently taken over the work. It wasn’t going well before she came onboard, and she was nervous about speaking to a room of senior leaders with only bad news to share. I knew it would take most of the day to help Kerry prepare, and that put my own deadline at risk. Solution: I moved a lower-priority meeting to a different day and cleared my schedule for the afternoon, so I could work with Kerry to help her prepare for the presentation. She practiced presenting to me, we revised the slides based on some information I had on the project, and we prepared answers to the most likely questions. After she was comfortable, I went back and finished my report. It took a few hours of work that evening to complete, but it was worth it because Kerry aced the presentation.

Unless you are giving an entertaining or suspenseful speech, your topic should always be summarized in a few lines at the start. This