What? When? How?

Bird by Bird is one of the great books on the craft of writing. The title comes from a story Anne Lamott tells about her little brother, who had an assignment to write a school report on birds. He procrastinated until he was so overwhelmed he just hid under the table. That’s when his dad gave him the excellent advice above.

When I feel overwhelmed, I list everything I have to do and everything I’m worried about. I look at external requirements and dependencies. Then I look at where I have some control or influence and where I don’t. And then, finally, I can decide what to do and what to say.

Let’s say your CFO just resigned. You need to privately and publicly announce the news, reassure investors, distribute her duties among her team, and start the search for her replacement. You’re worried about how her departure will be perceived, about the impact on your plans to go public, about how the rest of your leadership team may be destabilized, about whether there’s something going on in finance that escaped your notice.

First you gather facts. Then you make a plan to communicate, bearing in mind that clear and neutral communication is best when you don’t know what you don’t know. It’s essential to create a partition in your head. You can’t and shouldn’t try to get your communications team to draft a long statement that addresses all of your worries. Deliver facts first. Position and persuade later. Bird by bird. One message, one audience at a time.