Elizabeth Carpenter.Back to the portfolio

SELECTED WRITING / SEPTEMBER 2026 PORTFOLIO EDITIONS

Clarity that earns
the next decision.

Three examples of how I organize a complex update, write in an executive voice, and build a source-based review process.

Illustrative portfolio work. These refreshed samples are adapted from my earlier portfolio. Programs, organizations, people, measures, and decisions within the sample scenarios are fictional. They are not claims of client results.

01 / CHANGE COMMUNICATIONS

Weekly program highlights

Enterprise identity platform transition · Illustrative Week 11

Audience: Program leadership and change sponsors

Purpose: Interpret readiness and focus the next cycle

Format: Executive weekly and first-30-days plan

THE READ

Training is landing.
Application needs attention.

Knowledge has crossed the program’s 70% target at 71.6%. Ability remains at 51.8%, a gap of 19.8 percentage points. People increasingly understand the change; applying it in their daily work is the next barrier.

With the next cutover two weeks away, another broad awareness campaign is unlikely to address the immediate need. The next cycle should concentrate on guided practice, manager coaching, and task-level feedback for the teams moving first.

Recommendation: Keep preparation moving, but make the cutover decision conditional on evidence of task completion in the affected teams. Training attendance alone should not stand in for readiness.

Illustrative readiness measures · This sample’s reporting framework
ADKAR stage At or past stage Reading for leadership
Awareness 97.8% The case for change is reaching people.
Desire 84.3% Support is stronger than practical readiness.
Knowledge 71.6% Understanding has crossed the sample target.
Ability 51.8% Application is the priority for the next cycle.
Reinforcement 34.2% Follow-through needs to continue after cutover.

All figures are fictional and retained from the earlier illustrative sample. The 70% target belongs to this scenario; it is not a universal ADKAR benchmark. About the Prosci ADKAR model

THE WORK

Three decisions. Clear owners.

  1. Confirm the readiness evidence

    Agree which critical tasks teams must complete successfully before cutover. Use a short observed-practice check alongside training completion.

    Decision owner: Program lead, with the operational and change leads.

  2. Protect time for application

    Approve targeted manager clinics and practice sessions for the teams moving first. Give managers one place to report recurring barriers.

    Decision owner: Functional sponsors, supported by the change lead.

  3. Set the fallback before the gate

    Confirm how the team will respond if readiness evidence falls short. Name the decision maker, escalation route, and employee message before the go/no-go meeting.

    Decision owner: Executive steering committee.

THE FIRST THIRTY DAYS

Establish the rhythm before scaling it.

  1. Days 1–5

    Listen

    Read prior updates, attend leadership forums, and ask sponsors what they need to decide. Map the audiences and existing sources.

  2. Days 6–15

    Stabilize

    Agree definitions, owners, review deadlines, and the minimum useful set of measures. Draft alongside the existing reporting cycle.

  3. Days 16–25

    Calibrate

    Deliver the first independent weekly. Read it back with program leadership and refine the opening, recommendations, and evidence.

  4. Days 26–30

    Deliver

    Document the reporting standard and the next milestone-specific templates. Review whether the weekly is making decisions easier.

02 / EXECUTIVE VOICE & EMPLOYEE COMMUNICATIONS

All-hands announcement

Ridgeline Medical · Fictional organization

Audience: A distributed employee team

Purpose: Connect business priorities with participation

Format: CEO announcement excerpt

Subject: Our next all-hands: what we learned, where we go next

Team,

Thank you for the work you do for our patients and for one another. As our services grow, the connection between teams matters as much as the plans we make.

Our next all-hands will bring those plans into focus. We’ll review the quarter, discuss what is changing in our operations, and explain the priorities that will guide the next stage of our work.

What we’ll cover

  • Patient experience: What we are learning and where coordination needs to improve.
  • Operational priorities: The changes ahead, the teams involved, and the support they will need.
  • People and development: Opportunities to build skills, share knowledge, and take on new responsibilities.

Bring one question. Share one observation.

Before the meeting, review the quarterly summary and consider one thing your team needs leadership to understand. It may be a process that is working, a barrier we should remove, or a question about what comes next.

Send your questions through the employee Q&A channel. An anonymous option will also be available. We will reserve time for questions during the meeting and publish responses to any we cannot reach.

One conversation, wherever you work.

The calendar invitation will include the meeting time, room, virtual link, and pre-read. Live captions and a recording will support colleagues joining remotely or catching up afterward. Contact Employee Experience if you need an accommodation.

We will follow the meeting with a short recap of the decisions, priorities, and next steps. Thank you for bringing your questions and your perspective.

With appreciation,
The Chief Executive Officer

Rewritten from the earlier illustrative all-hands sample. The excerpt removes invented performance claims, names, contact addresses, and obsolete meeting logistics.

03 / CONTENT GOVERNANCE

From a claim to a release decision

Generalized review framework

Audience: Account, communications, and review teams

Purpose: Resolve questions before content moves forward

Format: Working checklist and handoff

Make the evidence and the open question visible.

A review checklist should tell the next person what needs attention. Each substantive claim needs a traceable source, a defined use, a current status, and an accountable reviewer.

Illustrative checklist structure · No client claims reproduced
Claim type Evidence to capture Release question
A performance figure Source of record, period, calculation, and exact wording Does the proposed wording match the approved evidence?
A description of the service Current product or service definition and intended audience Does the description accurately set expectations?
A partner reference Approved relationship language and any usage conditions Has the relevant owner cleared this use?
A next-action promise Destination, offer details, and applicable conditions Will the audience find what the message promises?

Close the loop.

  1. Mark each item verified, pending, or revise, with a clear explanation.
  2. Route the exact open question to the accountable reviewer.
  3. Record the decision and replace unsupported wording across every affected asset.
  4. Complete the designated approval process before release, then preserve the approved version and its sources.

The handoff: A short release note identifies the approved asset, the evidence location, the reviewer, and any limits on reuse. The next team should not have to reconstruct the decision.

Adapted from the review method in my earlier portfolio’s compliance checklist. This is a communications workflow example, not a legal determination or a claim that client materials received approval.

THE WORK BEHIND THE WORDS

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shape the message and carry it through?

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