Rewrite of Rambling Ralph’s First Email
Remember Rambling Ralph’s first email?
See how that may have been written if Ralph had clarified his thoughts (particularly his list of key points) before writing.
I have made notes of improvements to your proxy statement, and I look forward to discussing them with you.
Here is a summary of my recommended changes:
- Eliminate the numbering of the various sections of the proxy statements. (This format is archaic and legalistic.)
- Provide a separate table for Item 6. I’ve attached a draft for this table.
- Eliminate the word “executive” as it appears before “officer” under Item 9. There is no distinction between “officer” and “executive officer.”
- Describe the executive bonus plan.
- Separate the options which relate to the one-year period from those that relate to the five-year period.
- Send search cards out no later than 20 calendar days prior to the record date.
Please call me in the next couple of weeks so we can discuss. This will ensure that we have a revised proxy statement ready for next month’s review committee.
Paula Plan
The Method You Use is Your Choice
Finding your list of key points is the first step in clarifying your thoughts, whether you use the Paula Plan or the Rambling Ralph method:
In the Paula Plan method, you outline your list of key points.
In the Rambling Ralph method, you uncover your list of key points.
If you don’t know what you want to get done at the start, you’ll know it when you finish your list.
When you clarify your list, it becomes paragraph two in our Three-Paragraph Model.