executive attention is scarce. i’ve tested different formats and learned from peers: strip updates to the problem, decision needed, one-line context, and the next step. veterans told me to lead with the ask and keep backups for later. i now send a two-line headline, a single decision option with trade-offs, and a short risk note. it takes discipline to cut the rest, but execs reply faster. what’s your go-to structure for sponsor updates that prompts an actual decision?
lead with the decision and a single recommended option. execs don’t want a buffet of choices — they want the cover to say yes or no. include one short risk and one mitigation. if you give them six options you get seven questions. brevity forces clarity and saves everyone’s time. and please, for the love of god, stop burying the ask in the last paragraph.
i once sent a 2-line ask and got ‘approved’ within an hour. later i learned the exec forwarded it to someone else who made the call. lesson: include a proposed owner for execution or you’ll get a polite pass-the-buck.
headline: decision requested then 1 sentence why. keeps it short and people reply quicker. still nervous sending to execs tho.
ask: approve x by friday i add 1 sentence of context and that works most times. learning to be bold.
i coach teams to adopt a compact template: headline (one sentence), decision requested (explicit), backing evidence (one concise datapoint or user quote), proposal (the recommended option and why), and immediate next step (owner and timeline). limit the body to 120–200 words. reserve appendices for data and detail. before sending, ask: does this message enable a yes/no decision? if not, refine. the discipline to write crisply is the difference between debated action and actual movement.
short + clear = magic! lead with the ask and you’ll see faster replies. try it tomorrow and report back 
i used to write long updates until an exec replied with ‘too long, tl;dr — what’s the ask?’ that stung. after that i tried a 3-line format: context, ask, consequence. the first time i used it, an exec approved on the same day. the trick is trusting that brevity doesn’t mean lack of thought — it often forces better thinking.
once i added ‘why now’ as a single sentence and it prevented a lot of late questions. people want to know urgency and impact. that tiny line changed the tone of replies from vague to decisive.
i tested two formats across similar updates: a full narrative (avg 450 words) and a decision-first template (avg 120 words). decision-first updates received responses within 18 hours on average, while narratives averaged 3.6 days. include one metric that matters (cost, revenue, or user impact) and a clear owner. data shows the format reduces turnaround time and increases actionable outcomes; consider A/B testing it with your stakeholders to validate locally.