This week in the world’s #1 newsletter on leadership communication:

• The 3 Words That Make Meetings Work​
• On the Show: Speak 10X Clearer
• My Six Month Recap

The 3 Words That Make Meetings Work

Does this sound familiar?

Your meeting starts ok but loses focus along the way. People then rush to their next meeting, and the next day everyone wonders: what did we actually decide? So another meeting is scheduled.

This meeting mania is a gigantic waste of time and frustrating for everyone.

As a leader, it’s your job to prevent that.

Step 1 - Before the meeting

The simplest way to do it is to be clear on three things before the meeting even starts:

Topic. Goal. Outcome.

Use this when you send the invite.

Here’s an example:

“Topic: our marketing plan for the second half of the year.

Goal: agree on our priorities.

Outcome: by the end of the meeting we have decided on responsibilities and timeline to ensure the plan is done by July 1st.

Please come prepared with your top 3 priorities.”

That takes 30 seconds – but it changes the meeting.

Step 2 - During of the meeting

At the beginning, align on the goal. Make sure everyone buys into it. If there’s no shared goal, the discussion will drift.

And during the meeting, use that goal to steer the conversation.

If things go off track, bring it back: “Let’s come back to our goal – what are our top priorities?”

Five minutes before you close, make the outcome explicit:

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​“What did we decide?
Who owns what?
What happens next?”

Say it, write it, send it.

So next time you set up a meeting, don’t just send an invite.

Make a plan by sharing the topic, goal, and outcome. Align on it at the start and use it to guide the conversation.

That’s how you turn meetings into decisions, and decisions into results.

ON THE SHOW

On the Show: Speak 10X Clearer

▶️ Episode 330 on YouTube, Spotify or Apple.

In this week’s solo episode, I’m sharing with you the 5 techniques to become the clearest person in the room.

These have allowed me to go from rambler to effective communicator. And I've since used it to help over 300 CEOs to get their message across with next level clarity.

Clarity is huge. Because it's not how good your idea is, it's how clear your idea is. Humans like what they understand and they dislike what they don’t understand.

That's why I'll also share with you the 3 clarity killers you must avoid and my top test that tells you immediately if your message is clear.

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My Six Month Recap

Instead of my usual book recommendation, I’d like to know how your first six months of the year have gone.

Did you achieve everything you set out to, or, more likely, put some wins on the board but also feel that 2026 is a bit of a whirlwind? That's certainly how I feel.

Despite the challenges, I’ve been privileged to work with fantastic leaders from North America and Europe over the last six months, both 1:1 and in my Speak Like a CEO Academy.

Going to California earlier this month to record courses for LinkedIn Learning as well as an episode of the Think Fast, Talk Smart podcast at Stanford have been absolute highlights.

We're usually thinking about our highlights at the end of the year, but why not take five minutes now and think about your highlights of the first half of the year.

Hit reply and let me know, I’d love to hear from you.

On that note, have an inspired weekend,

Oliver

PS: Whenever you are ready, there are 3 ways I can help you: private coaching; my 10-person cohorts; transforming your organization’s communication.

Eo Ipso Communications GmbH

c/o Mindspace

Uhlandstraße 32, 10719 Berlin

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