Unclear Messaging

📥 Uma and I get over 20 DMs a day. Mentorship. Feedback. Advice. A call. A coffee. And we don’t reply… at least not to most of them. 🤯 Not because we don’t care. Because the message itself is already the answer. The way someone asks tells us everything about how they’ll show up in a room, in a negotiation, in a leadership role. 🧵 Most messages fall into three buckets: 👉 Too vague. 👉 Too self-indulgent. 👉 Too long without saying anything. If your message isn’t clear, it doesn’t just waste my time, it advertises that you don’t respect your own. ❌ “I’d love to pick your brain on an idea I have.” What idea? Why you? Why me? Why now? ❌ “Do you have time for a quick chat?” About what? What decision are we making? What are you actually asking for? ❌ “I really admire your work. Would love to connect.” Connect for what?What do you want to explore, decide, or move forward together? There’s no direction, so there’s nothing to say yes to. 🎯You've got to OWN your ASK: ✅ “I’m refining a pitch for women-led funding and would value your perspective on how to frame it for skeptical VCs. 15 mins next week. Can I send time options?” Same person. Same potential. Completely different signal: specific, time-bound, and respectful of everyone’s bandwidth. 🏛️ This isn’t just about DMs. Stakeholders are deciding if you’re strategic before the meeting even starts. Sponsors are evaluating how you think by how you ask. Decision-makers are already filtering: Is this a signal or a noise? ⚡Power responds to precision, relevance, and direction. If your message isn’t clear, they won’t say No. They’ll say nothing, and move on. 🧠 And if you’re not clear, it doesn’t matter how “confident” you sound. Unclear words can’t carry a clear career. When you show up fuzzy about your value, your direction, or your ask, you’re signalling: “My time is cheap.” And people will mirror that back to you, in delayed replies, vague opportunities, and recycled praise with no promotion. This becomes brutal in moments of career change: New role. Promotion. Region move. Industry switch. If you can’t clearly articulate what you want, why it matters to the business, and where you’re headed next… You don’t look “humble”. You look optional. 🎓 That’s why our last live workshop of the year is about exactly this: “𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗼 𝗕𝗲 𝗦𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗛𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗱 – 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗖𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗿 𝗠𝗼𝘃𝗲 𝗘𝗱𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻” For women planning a move in 2026, up, across, or out, who are done being the best-kept secret. 🌍 Designed for women across the globe 💻 Online and practical 📆 26 November, 7:30–9:00pm Singapore time 🎟️ Last live session of the year 👉 Join us here: https://lnkd.in/gp2qU5yD 👊 Because if your message isn’t clear, your work won’t be heard, your potential won’t be recognised, and the world will treat your career as a nice-to-have, not a must-keep.

I asked a $5M company's sales team one question: "What do you sell?"I got 12 different answers from the same company This isn't rare This is the norm When I audit struggling sales organizations, I find this pattern repeatedly: - Marketing says they sell one thing - Sales reps each pitch something slightly different - Customer success delivers yet another version - Leadership believes they're selling something else entirely No wonder conversion rates plateau No wonder deals stall Your prospects aren't confused about whether they need your solution They're confused about WHAT your solution actually is → Messaging misalignment is the silent revenue killer no one talks about Example: A SaaS client was stuck at $8M ARR for 18 months despite doubling their sales team We didn't change their product We didn't change their market We didn't even change their sales process We unified their messaging across ALL customer touchpoints Three months later: $370k in new deals closed The VP of Sales called it "the most profitable meeting we've ever had" All we did was get everyone in a room for 4 hours and answer three questions: - What specific problem do we solve? - For whom exactly? - How do we prove it immediately? Most companies spend thousands on sales training, CRM optimization, and lead generation while ignoring the foundation: clarity of message When everyone tells the same story, magic happens Want to know if your team has messaging alignment? Ask 5 random employees what your company sells If you get 5 different answers, we should talk P.S. If you need help with your sales, send me a message

Your team isn't confused because they're slow. They're confused because you're unclear. And that costs you hours every single week. In BigLaw, I watched brilliant partners articulate their strategy poorly. In coaching, I see the same pattern: Smart leaders. Unclear communication. The result? ↳ Repeated meetings to clarify the same decision ↳ Teams spinning their wheels guessing what you meant ↳ Decision fatigue from constant back-and-forth ↳ Burnout from wasted energy But the best leaders I know? They use simple storytelling frameworks. Not to sound smarter. To be clearer. 👉 Take ABT (And, But, Therefore): Instead of: "We need to improve our Q2 numbers. Sales are down. Marketing needs more budget. Let's discuss options." Try this: "And we hit 95% of Q1 targets. But enterprise deals are taking 30% longer to close. Therefore we're reallocating $50K from events to sales enablement this quarter." Same information. Zero confusion. One clear path forward. Here are 4 more frameworks that eliminate the fog: 2️⃣ STARR Method Show impact, not just activity. Situation → Task → Action → Result → Reflection 3️⃣ Golden Circle (Why → How → What) Start with purpose before tactics. People follow the why, not the what. 4️⃣ Monroe's Motivated Sequence Drive action through structure: Attention → Need → Solution → Visualization → Action 5️⃣ SCQA Perfect for complex updates: Situation → Complication → Question → Answer 💡 Remember: Clear communication does not impress. It's about reducing friction. When your people understand you the first time: - They waste less energy - They make faster decisions - They stay engaged instead of exhausted 👉 Clarity prevents burnout. 📥 Want daily rituals that help you train? Daily Routines Stack Workbook: https://lnkd.in/dQDiQz5y Follow me (Dr. Angela Kerek MBA) for more on sustainable leadership and team performance. Image inspired by Lise Kuecker

This message ruined 7 hours of someone’s workday. “I need to talk to you.” It came in at 10:12am. The conversation didn’t happen until 4:57 pm. In those 7 hours, she: - Replayed every recent mistake - Checked her calendar for clues - Mentally rehearsed conversations that never happened The actual topic? A small, non-urgent question. This happens every day at work. Because vague messaging has been normalized. We send things like: “Can we talk?” “Quick chat?” “Got a sec?” And forget what it feels like on the other side. For some people, uncertainty spirals fast. The brain fills the gap with worst-case scenarios. One message can derail an entire day. Clear communication isn’t just professional. It’s accessible. Here’s the framework I use: CLEAR Context Before you send a message: 1. C - Context What is this about? -  “About the Q3 deck” 2. L - Level Is it urgent? - “Nothing urgent” 3. E - Expectation What do you need? - Input, decision, quick reply 4. A - Affect What’s the tone? - “All good on my end.” 5. R - Request What happens next? - “Can we chat tomorrow?” Example - Before: “Hey, can we talk?” - After: “Hey, quick question about onboarding (nothing urgent). Just need your input. All good on my end. Can we chat tomorrow?” Same message. Completely different experience. Clear communication is inclusive design. It takes 10 seconds. It can save someone hours of stress. Most people underestimate how much this matters. 👇🏽What would you add to this list? 🔖 Save this for reference ♻️ Share it with your team ---- ✉️ Subscribe for more accessibility and design insights: https://lnkd.in/gZpAzWSu ---- Accessibility note: This infographic, titled Unclear context framework, has the same content as the post. It also includes alt text.

"We need to be everywhere!" my client insisted, juggling social platforms like hot potatoes while her marketing budget burned. Six months later: "Nobody knows who we are. We've spent $50,000, and I can't tell you what message actually landed." THIS is the invisible tax businesses pay when they don't have a messaging strategy. You may be pouring time, energy, and money into your marketing, but without a solid messaging strategy, it's like throwing spaghetti at the wall. Here's what's actually happening when your messaging is all over the place: Your customers are confused. And confused customers don't buy. They're thinking: "Wait, I thought you were all about sustainability last week, but now you're talking about luxury?" or "Didn't your Instagram say something completely different from what your website claims?" The real cost isn't just the wasted ad spend (though that stings too). It's the erosion of trust. We can all relate to having that one friend who keeps changing their story. After a while, you stop believing anything they say. Your business works the same way. Every time your messaging zigzags, you're chipping away at your credibility. And rebuilding that is WAY harder than getting it right the first time. The good news: This is totally fixable. You don't need a complicated 50-page brand bible. You just need clarity on: —Who you're really talking to (NOT everyone—get specific) —What problem you solve for them (that keeps them up at night) —How you solve it differently (your secret sauce) —Why they should believe you (show, don't just tell) When you nail this down and make sure everyone in your company is singing from the same sheet, magic happens. Your marketing gets easier. Your team gets more confident. And your customers start to really trust you. What's one place where your messaging feels disconnected right now? That might be the perfect place to start.

If your company’s messaging makes people say, “Wait… so what do you actually do?”—we have a problem. I’ve seen it happen too many times. A B2B SaaS company builds a great product, hires a rockstar team, and starts selling… but the messaging? It’s vague, jargon-heavy, or—worst of all—indistinguishable from everyone else in the market. Messaging and positioning are the foundation of how your entire company communicates its value. From sales conversations to investor pitches to customer onboarding—if your messaging is unclear, everything else suffers. Good messaging attracts the right audience. If you’re trying to sell to “everyone,” you’re selling to no one. It sets you apart from competitors. If your pitch could be swapped with another company’s and still make sense, you’re missing your unique value. It makes marketing and sales go faster. A documented messaging and positioning framework is like a cheat code for your marketing team. No more starting from scratch on every campaign—just pull from the guidebook and go. More speed, more consistency, better results. It strengthens your brand and builds trust. When everyone in the company—from the CEO to customer support—describes the business the same way, it reinforces credibility. Prospects hear the same value prop everywhere they turn, which builds confidence and trust. So, how do you get it right? → Talk to your customers—constantly. Your messaging shouldn’t be based on internal brainstorming alone. Interview and survey your customers to understand what they see as the real value of your product and how they naturally describe it. Then, validate your messaging with them to ensure it actually resonates. → Be painfully clear. If a stranger outside your industry can’t understand what you do, refine it. Read it out loud. Is it something you would say in an actual conversation? Would your grandmother get it? → Lead with the problem. No one wakes up thinking, “I need AI-powered, next-gen, cloud-based synergy software.” They think, “I need to close my books faster” or “I need to stop drowning in spreadsheets.” → Document it and make it accessible. Messaging isn’t a set-it-and-forget-it exercise. It should be a living, breathing resource that every team can use and refine over time. The best messaging evolves as your company grows and as you continue learning from your customers. If your messaging is solid, everything else—marketing, sales, product adoption—works better. If it’s not? Well, you’ll keep hearing, “Wait… so what do you actually do?” What’s the best (or worst) messaging you’ve ever seen? Drop it in the comments! 👇

Your audience is ignoring you because they have no idea what you actually do. Not because your offer is weak [although..maybe] Not because the timing is off [that's just an excuse]. But because your message is muddled. I've watched dozens of leadership coaches burn through ad budgets, hire funnel experts, post daily for six months straight, and get zero traction. Then they blame the platform. The algorithm. Their niche. But here's what actually happened: They skipped the foundation and went straight to tactics. Fact: You can't scale what you can't say clearly. And unclear messaging doesn't just hurt your marketing; it kills it before it even starts. I see this pattern everywhere. Smart people with deep expertise who sound like everyone else. Or worse, they sound like no one [not even themselves] because they're buried under jargon and borrowed language. The problem isn't complexity. It's a lack of distillation. Most leaders are too close to their own brilliance. They try to say everything and end up saying nothing that sticks. Here's what changes the game: Before you build another funnel, write another post, or launch another program, STOP. And get ruthless about these things first. 1 Who you serve. 2 The problem you solve. 3 How you solve that problem. 4 Why you solve it differently than your competitors. Strip out the fluff. Ditch the clever metaphors until you understand how they enhance or align your brand, so you can say it like you're two drinks in on a Friday night. Because when your message is clear, everything clicks. Your content converts. Your audience grows. Your offers sell. I built The Brand Messaging System™ around this truth: messaging isn't a step in your marketing. It's THE thing that connects all aspects of your business and makes everything else work. If you've been throwing tactics at the wall hoping something sticks, pause. Your next move isn't another tactic. It's clarity.

Most founders don’t have a marketing problem. They have a message that can’t carry the business. I’ve seen this pattern in every company I’ve built and almost every client we work with at Right Angle. When the message isn’t clear,  the entire business starts compensating for it. Here’s what that looks like in real life: • The founder becomes the only one who can explain what the company actually does. • The team “gets it,” but everyone uses different language. • Marketing activity increases, but results don’t compound. It’s not incompetence. It’s not lack of effort. It’s friction created by misalignment. And that friction is expensive both financially and emotionally. It slows growth,  stalls delegation,  and makes every decision heavier than it needs to be. The fix isn’t “more marketing.” It’s building a Message Architecture. A simple communication system that aligns how the business speaks. A strong Message Architecture gives your team three forms of clarity: ✔ Who you serve and what problem they’re truly trying to solve. ✔ The promise your business can stand behind, backed with proof. ✔ How all your channels connect, so marketing stops acting like separate rooms. Once the message is aligned: Marketing sharpens.  Sales conversations get easier. Your website finally says what you’ve been trying to articulate for years. Clarity becomes a multiplier. If your marketing feels loud but ineffective, it might not be the engine. It might be the fuel. Not sure where your message feels unclear right? Let’s fix that. We’ll build the Messaging Architecture that creates meaningful engagement. B Randall Willis Right Angle

“Can you take a look?” is not communication. It’s confusion in disguise. 😶🌫️  You send the message: “Hey, can you take a look at this and let me know your thoughts?”  Then wonder why: → It takes 3 days to get a response → The answer doesn’t help → You end up scheduling a meeting anyway Here’s the truth 👇🏻 You didn’t communicate. You delegated uncertainty. In distributed teams, every unclear message creates ripple effects - delays, rework, frustration, and eventually… more meetings. So before you hit send, run a simple test: → Context. Decision. Deadline. 🧩 Context: Why does this matter? “We’re deciding on Q1 budget allocation. This impacts whether we can hire the designer we need.” 🎯 Decision: What exactly do you need? “Do you approve of this approach?” “Which option would you choose and why?” ⏰ Deadline: When do you need it? “Please review by EOD Thursday so we can finalize Friday.” Example: “Can you review this deck?”  ❌ “We’re pitching to the board Monday. Please review slides 8–12 for technical accuracy and share feedback by Wednesday 5pm.”  ✅ What changed? Clear async communication isn’t about being formal. It’s about being respectful. Of people’s time. Energy. Focus. 👩🏻💻 When leaders write with clarity, teams move with confidence. When they don’t - chaos fills the gaps. So, what’s the vaguest async message you’ve seen (or sent)? 👇 -- Photo Credit: Bénédicte Lassalle

Vague LinkedIn messages I keep getting: “Hi, can you help me get into optimization?” “Any advice for someone breaking into data science?” “Can you tell me about supply chain?” I get it, you want help, you’re reaching out, and that’s awesome. Networking is powerful! But here’s the thing: vague messages = vague results. If you’re DMing someone: ✅ Be specific. What exactly do you want help with? ✅ Do your homework first. A quick Google search or a scroll through my posts can answer a lot of generic questions. ✅ Show effort. If you’re asking for advice, let me know what you’ve tried or learned so far. Networking isn’t about dropping a line and hoping for magic. It’s about being intentional, clear, and prepared. So, if you’re sliding into someone’s DMs today, try this instead: “Hi [Name], I’ve been following your posts on optimization and am struggling with [specific problem]. I’ve tried [solution/approach] but could use some guidance. Do you have any advice?” Boom. Now you’re someone I want to help. Remember: clarity isn’t just polite, it’s productive.