Recipe: consultant-diplomatic-one-pager
A composition of Senior Consultant voice, Diplomatic tone, Executive Summary style, and One-Pager format. Used for advisory briefs that carry a firm recommendation to a decision-maker who may have conflicting interests at stake.
When to use
Section titled “When to use”You are advising a senior stakeholder on a binary or multi-option decision where the right call is not politically neutral. The reader has skin in the game, the recommendation may require them to abandon a position they have publicly held, and you need them to act rather than deliberate. This recipe is the right tool when the situation calls for a recommendation that is clear and firm but delivered in a way that gives the reader room to move without losing face. It fits make-or-buy decisions, consolidation proposals, vendor selections, and reorganization recommendations where the analysis is complete and the job of the document is to close the decision.
When to use something else
Section titled “When to use something else”If the decision is genuinely open and the reader needs to weigh in before a direction is chosen, use a Problem-Solution style in a less formal format - the executive summary structure presupposes a recommendation exists. If the audience is technical and the decision affects implementation more than strategy, Pragmatic Architect voice in Decision Log style will carry more credibility. If the relationship is close and the tone can be direct without diplomatic packaging, Candid tone in a short memo will read faster and land harder.
Composition
Section titled “Composition”| Axis | Entry | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Voice | Senior Consultant | Leads with diagnosis, names the framework in use, and treats the reader as a peer who can handle complexity. The voice that earns trust from a skeptical executive. |
| Tone | Diplomatic | The reader may have a prior position the recommendation contradicts. Diplomatic tone holds the recommendation firm while giving the reader a face-saving path forward. |
| Style | Executive Summary | Opens with the conclusion. Every paragraph after adds new information; nothing restates. A reader who stops after paragraph one still has what they need to act. |
| Format | One-Pager | Forces discipline. Situation, central point, implications, and a specific ask - no room for hedging through verbosity. Built for a decision-maker with limited time. |
Worked examples on this recipe
Section titled “Worked examples on this recipe”- Whether to build or buy a billing system
- Consolidating three regional support teams