# Executive Writing

> Business and executive prose for managers, stakeholders, presentations, decision memos, proposals and internal reports. Use after writing-core when the reader is busy, senior or making a decision. Keeps the answer early, copy sparse, evidence concrete and wording natural enough to say aloud.

- Skill: `george-rd/executive-writing` (Agent Skill, multi-file: 2 files)
- Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add george-rd/executive-writing`
- Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/george-rd/executive-writing/raw
- Safety review: pending
- Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex
- Category: Coding & Dev Tools
- Author: george-rd (https://skillmd.com/u/george-rd)
- Updated: 2026-09-17
- Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/george-rd/executive-writing

---


# 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:

1. explain that the meaning-first generation layer is missing;
2. show `npx skills add George-RD/growth-arsenal --skill writing-core`;
3. 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 Y` conclusions;
- 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:

1. explain that the final de-slop/copy-quality gate cannot be verified;
2. show `npx skills add George-RD/growth-arsenal --skill business-copy-style`;
3. ask whether to install it or continue degraded;
4. 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.