CLAP - Keeping communications simple

“The secret of war lies in the communications”

Napoleon Bonaparte

I, like most people I suspect, have had to wade through my fair share of poorly written emails, trying to work out what is wanted of me (if anything), by when, and how. Too many emails are constructed by authors writing how they think, which is often non-linear and in a style that can only be described as ‘rambling like one of my wife’s stories’.

After leaving the military, a civilian colleague of mine pointed out my emails seemed very blunt. He was worried I may upset others with my style. Rather than be offended, I took it as a compliment.

They are not rude, I pointed out. Just direct. They lack the flowery waffle that often accompanies some of the emails we all receive.

I was using a methodology I had learnt in the military.

Communication is important in all walks of life. The ability to project into others, our thoughts and ideas, not just so they understand them, but in the way we intend.

On the battlefield communication is vitally important. The environment and conditions are often a perfect storm of elements trying to prevent good communication. Everyone involved is likely under stress, cold, wet, and tired. The information to be conveyed may be bad, or complex. There will be plenty of noise, running interference, making it hard to hear and think. But despite that, the military adopts a simple method of communicating that works just as well in the business environment, as on the battlefield.

And despite what some people might think, especially if they have seen a Guards’ Regimental Sergeant Major turned up to 11, it isn’t just a case of shouting very loudly!

As with all good systems in the military, it is simple, effective, and has an acronym to make it easy to remember:

CLAP

Clear

Loud

As an order

with Pauses

So how does using CLAP in emails make things easy for the sender, and easy for the reader to get the information required?

• Clear – Cut the waffle. Cut the flowery writing. Brevity is your friend. Get to the point. Just write down what it is you want to get across.

  Sir Winston Churchill sums this up with one of his many witticisms;

  “This report, by its very length, defends itself against the risk of being read.”

  It should also go without saying, don’t just hit reply to an old email with an unconnected subject heading when you are starting a new topic! The subject should reflect the email content!

• Loud – Most people skim read emails. I know you poured hours into writing your magnum opus, but the people you sent it to, more often than not, skim read it. Therefore, it is imperative that your key points stand out. Don’t be afraid to use BOLD to draw attention to a person or a time. Use bullet points to list a set of actions.

  Maybe even use the BLUF (Bottom Line Up Front) method, to summarise the email in one sentence, at the start of the email.

• As an order – This is not as contentious as people might think. Yes, the military is an organisation whose structure doesn’t get upset at being ‘ordered’ to do things, and I know that some businesses like to ‘ask’ people to do things. But that’s not the point here. The ‘order’ part means give people in your email a tone-appropriate ‘call to action’.

  Normally a case of what needs doing, by whom, by when, and what is to be done once complete. It can even be phrased as a request, if the idea of ‘orders’ is a bit too uncomfortable.

  “Mrs Jones, can you forward on the report, via email, to Mr Smith by close of play on the 23rd Jan, making sure finance are cc’ed?”

• with Pauses – In my opinion, when opening an email, there is nothing that makes the heart sink more than seeing one huge block of text fill the screen.

  Use white space.

  Use short paragraphs.

  Let your message breathe.

  Most people retain info in a visual way, recalling where the vital bit of info was in relation to shapes. If it was in the small, isolated sentence near the first paragraph, it sticks in the mind more than trawling through lines and lines of text.

Because emails are easy, there is a tendency for some people not to apply the same level of discipline to them as other forms of communication. The CLAP methodology works in battle, it works in business, and it works in normal day to day communication.

Anything that cuts down on waffle and word-salad is a good thing, right?