Be Truthful, Be Concise, Be Relevant, Be Clear

Teresa Torres argues that communication is a core product skill and adapts Paul Grice's conversational maxims into four guidelines for product managers: be truthful, be concise, be relevant, and be clear. She urges PMs to test their underlying assumptions rather than rely on generalizations, to cut unnecessary words through deliberate editing, and to start from what the audience needs rather than from what the speaker wants to say. The piece matters because weak communication leads to flawed decisions, misaligned teams, and products built on unverified beliefs.

01Key takeaways

• Identify the assumptions behind your arguments and verify them in your own product context.
• Edit your writing deliberately: cut unnecessary words, then repeat the process.
• Start communication with what your audience needs to know, not with what you want to say.
• Set context before diving into details so others can follow your logic.
• Outline before writing to ensure logical structure.
• When a teammate says something is impossible, ask why to surface the real constraint.

02Key sections

Be Truthful

PMs should avoid claims they cannot back with evidence, especially common-wisdom generalizations about users or markets. Verifying assumptions in your own context keeps product decisions grounded.

Be Concise

Say what needs saying and nothing more, which requires empathy and patience since teams do not think about the product as much as the PM does. Repeated trimming of drafts is a valuable habit.

Be Relevant

Before writing, ask whether the message fits the situation and begin with what the audience needs. Depending on context, that may mean full reasoning or just the outcome.

Be Clear

Use plain words, avoid ambiguity, make pronoun references explicit, and set context before details so listeners can see both the big picture and the specifics.

Put It Into Practice

Noticing when an engineer says something cannot be done and asking why is a practical way to see what happens when these maxims are ignored. Outlining is recommended for sound structure.

03From the post

“Whether it's dashing off a quick email or laboring over user stories, how you communicate can have a big impact on the outcomes you drive. Writing well is a critical product skill that you should deliberately practice. As an undergraduate, I learned about Paul Grice's maxims for effective”

04Frameworks mentioned

Summary and takeaways written by PM Atlas; quotes are short excerpts. © the original author.