Let’s have fun with the previous blog post — by taking the idea to its logical conclusion.
Best Update Sound Like Caveman Write It
Update fail before reader read.
Writer write for writer. Reader have six tab open. Reader need decide. Fast.
Caveman update fix this.
Problem With “Professional” Update
Long update hide the point.
Writer feel good. Reader feel nothing.
You put context first — reader must work. You explain before conclude — reader give up. Reader skim. Miss the ask. You write again tomorrow.
What Caveman Update Is
Cut sentence to bone.
Not this: “Following delayed delivery from hardware vendor, which impacted downstream testing cycles, we are now two weeks behind original timeline projections.”
This: Hardware late. Testing delayed. Two weeks behind.
Same information. No noise. Faster decide.
Format: Problem. Status. Impact. Ask. Nothing else. Everything else — autobiography.
Why Operator Resist
Feel underdressed. Leader worry it look lazy.
So they pad. Add context nobody ask for. Soften risk. Explain delay before naming it.
Irony: caveman update need more think, not less.
Can’t compress what you not understand. Vagueness hide in length.
If you cannot shrink update to four line — you not done thinking.
How To Do
Write normal update. Cut half. Cut half again. What remain — that what reader need.
Status first. Impact next. Ask last. Risk — name it. Don’t build to it.
One pass. No hedge. No decoration.
The Scale: 1 to 10
| Level | Shape | When |
|---|---|---|
| 1–2 | Full paragraph | Formal memo |
| 5–6 | Bold + one sentence | Exec sync |
| 9–10 | Fragment only | Slack at 11pm |
Level 5 example:
- Hardware late two week — Vendor miss. Testing pushed. Risk flagged.
- Budget up — 15% more. CFO know. No blocker.
- Two hire gone — Repost Monday. Q2 fine.
Level 10 example:
- Hardware late. Two week.
- Budget up. CFO know.
- Two hire gone. Repost.
Same update. Different density. Both correct.
Most people write Level 2. Audience need Level 6. That gap — where decision slow, follow-up pile, reader stop reading.
Two Levers
| Lever | Cut what | Fail without |
|---|---|---|
| Simple | Hard word | “Timeline variance” → “Late” |
| Parsimonious | Too many word | Three sentence say one thing → one sentence |
Simple but not parsimonious — children book. Clear word, too many.
Parsimonious but not simple — jargon bullet. Short, still opaque.
Best caveman update: both lever. Plain word. Minimum count.
Format also compression.
Bold + one sentence — eye land fast. Bold only — heading carry full weight. One sentence per idea — no build-up, no conclusion.
Wrong format add load content cannot fix.
Leader who speak compressed train team to think compressed.
Caveman update not writing trick. Operating norm.