Audience Types

Use this reference to adapt message structure by reader profile.

Executive Audience

• Decision-focused, short attention window.
• Prefer recommendation first, impact second, risk third.
• Keep to one page when possible.

Suggested structure:

1. Recommendation
2. Business impact
3. Risks and mitigations
4. Decision needed and deadline

Manager Audience

• Needs plan, ownership, and timeline.
• Expects tradeoffs and resource implications.

Suggested structure:

1. Objective
2. Current state and impact
3. Options/tradeoffs
4. Action plan with owners

Compliance/Legal Audience

• Needs obligations, evidence, and exposure.
• Prefers precise language and traceable facts.

Suggested structure:

1. Requirement or risk statement
2. Evidence/status
3. Gap and remediation steps
4. Reporting timeline

Cross-Functional Audience

• Needs context across teams and dependencies.
• Prefers concise shared vocabulary and explicit interfaces.

Suggested structure:

1. Summary of change
2. Team impacts
3. Dependencies and blockers
4. Actions by team