The Risk in the Fourth Paragraph

Every Friday the Broadcaster sends his boss a full update. Wins, metrics, team news, a vendor change, the offsite agenda. Somewhere in the fourth paragraph sits one line: the launch date is at risk.

His boss skimmed it, the way she skims all of them. 3 weeks later the date slipped, and she asked why she was only hearing about it now. He pointed her to the email. Technically, he had told her.

Technically told is not told. When every update weighs the same, the one that matters sinks. The move: put the risk in the first line, and keep the rest short enough that she reads all of it.

Tomorrow: the Broadcaster from another angle.

The Right Altitude. Available now. www.therightaltitudebook.com