george-rd Executive Writing
Turn a correct factual kernel into writing a manager can skim, hear and repeat.
0. Resolve the writing-core companion
writing-core is a hard dependency because this skill adapts meaning; it should not invent the underlying meaning itself. At first use, resolve writing-core by skill name and read it.
If it is unavailable:
- explain that the meaning-first generation layer is missing;
- show
npx skills add George-RD/growth-arsenal --skill writing-core; - pause the prose-generation path until it is available.
Do not recreate writing-core locally. A user can still use this file as reference when editing already-approved prose, but do not claim the full workflow ran.
1. Define the decision surface
State:
- who reads or hears it;
- what they already know;
- what decision, action or understanding is needed;
- whether the text must stand alone or accompanies a presenter.
Done when: the writing has one practical job.
2. Put the answer where the reader looks first
For a decision, lead with the recommendation or current conclusion. For an update, lead with what changed. For an exploratory session, lead with the question worth discussing.
Do not add an executive-sounding slogan in place of the answer.
Done when: the first one or two lines let the reader predict the rest.
3. Spend words on evidence and mechanism
Prefer:
- a number with a unit;
- a named operational example;
- a causal mechanism;
- a trade-off;
- a clear owner, date or next action.
Cut sentences whose main job is to sound strategic, balanced, reassuring or complete.
Done when: the reader can explain why the conclusion follows.
4. Match the surface
Presentation
The slide is evidence for the speaker, not a transcript.
- Title: direct takeaway or question. Full sentence when natural; a short label is fine when the visual carries the claim.
- Body: the minimum evidence needed to understand or remember the point.
- Decision-changing caveats stay visible. If a caveat changes the recommendation, applicability, confidence level or decision threshold, put it on the slide beside the claim or number it qualifies.
- Speaker notes: method, source detail and secondary caveats that do not change the decision.
- Keep one main visual or calculation when it can replace prose.
- If the audience must read a paragraph, stop speaking until they have read it.
Memo or report
Make the argument stand alone. Use short sections organised by reader questions, not decorative symmetry.
Stakeholder update
Use outcome, current state, blocker or decision, then next action. Do not narrate all activity.
Done when: the information density fits how the surface is consumed and no decision-changing qualification is hidden from the reader.
5. Preserve natural corporate language
Use words a capable colleague would say in a meeting. Technical or commercial terms are fine when they are the shared language of the room.
Readability is a direction, not a universal threshold. Reduce unnecessary clause depth and formal vocabulary. Keep precise technical terms. For deterministic lint, use thresholds chosen for the audience rather than a single global grade target.
Common failure patterns:
- abstract nouns replacing actors and actions;
- symmetrical
X, not Yconclusions; - three-item lists created for rhythm;
- repeated status labels that turn every slide into a template;
- secondary caveats pulled onto the slide merely to sound careful;
- decision-changing caveats hidden in notes to keep the slide tidy;
- headlines that describe the page instead of making the point.
Done when: the copy can be spoken without translating it back into ordinary English.
6. Final review
For high-stakes or externally judged text, resolve business-copy-style by skill name as a quality dependency.
If it is unavailable:
- explain that the final de-slop/copy-quality gate cannot be verified;
- show
npx skills add George-RD/growth-arsenal --skill business-copy-style; - ask whether to install it or continue degraded;
- if the user continues degraded, deliver the executive draft labelled degraded/unverified and do not imitate the missing skill's method.
When available, use its structural review and an audience-appropriate readability threshold rather than forcing consumer-grade vocabulary.
A good executive draft is allowed to be plain, slightly uneven and specific. It does not need a polished takeaway on every section.