Giving clear instructions

Why instructions go wrong

A lot of what gets labelled as a performance problem is really a communication problem. The manager knew what they meant. The person heard something different, or heard it and could not hold on to it, or understood it and did not know where to start. Weeks later there is a missed deadline and a difficult conversation, and nobody goes back to the instruction.

People differ in how they take in information. Some need to hear it, some need to see it written down, some need to know why before they can act, and some need the first step spelled out. An instruction that works for you is not necessarily an instruction that works.

What a clear instruction contains

• The outcome. What does done look like? Be concrete.
• The deadline. A date and a time, not “as soon as you can”.
• The priority. Where this sits against everything else on their list.
• The reason. Why it matters and who it is for. Many people cannot prioritise without this.
• The first step. Especially for large or vague tasks, say where to start.
• The boundaries. What is not included, and what decisions are theirs to make.

Say it and write it

Give the instruction in conversation so questions can be asked, then confirm it in writing so it can be checked. A three-line email after a conversation is the single most useful management habit for anyone who struggles with working memory, and it protects everyone when memories differ later.

Check it landed

Ask people to play back what they are going to do. Not “does that make sense?”, which nearly always gets a yes, but “talk me through how you’ll approach it”. If the playback is wrong, the instruction was not clear enough. Fix the instruction, not the person.

Fit the format to the person

Ask each person in your team how they prefer to receive instructions, and note the answer. Some will want a written brief. Some will want a quick call. Some will want a diagram or an example of a finished piece. Giving people the format that works for them costs nothing and removes a great deal of friction.

What should you never assume?

• That someone who nodded understood.
• That a missed deadline means the person did not care.
• That everyone can hold five verbal instructions in their head at once.
• That “obvious” means the same thing to everybody.

What can managers do?

Before your next difficult conversation about performance, look at the last instruction you gave. Did it contain the outcome, the deadline, the priority and the reason? Was it written down? Was it played back? If not, start there. Being clearer is not lowering the standard. It is the standard.