MbappeWUMbappeWU/murder-board/skills/so-what/SKILL.md

so-what

Skill15 starsChanged 49 days agoMITView on GitHub

Make any update, report, email, memo, deck outline or weekly report exec-ready by asking "so what?" of every line. Finds the one thing the reader must know or decide, rebuilds the text answer-first with the Pyramid Principle (SCQA, MECE support), cuts context and weasel words, and returns three lengths - a one-line subject or chat message, a three-line BLUF summary, and the full rewrite - plus a red-pen report of what was cut and why. Includes Chinese workplace formats (周报, 汇报, 请示). Use when the user asks to make something shorter, clearer, more executive, summarize for their boss or leadership, write a status update or weekly report, or says BLUF, TL;DR, exec summary, so what, 说人话, 结论先行, 写周报, 改汇报, 太长了, 领导看不懂.

1 other project uses a version of this.

Adopted by

Most recently taken up by

callumflack/skillstheir own version, first seen Oct 13, 2026

Other versions1 project uses a version of this.
Word for word · 0
None found.
Edited · 0
None found.
Wrote their own version · 1
callumflack/skills★ 1same name
How matches are found. Word for word: the exact same text. Edited: shares passages with this file (“99% same” means 99% of its five-word phrases also appear here; 10% or more counts). Their own version: similar meaning, or, weakest, the same name. We can’t tell which project had it first. Projects are counted among the 200 most-starred candidates, and mentions are links to the repository we found, up to 50 per site, so both counts are a floor.
In this repository5 other files it gives its agents.
- AGENTS.mdAGENTS.md
- boardroomSkill
- murder-boardSkill
- pre-mortemSkill
- sparringSkill

The file

We split this skill into the rules it gives an agent

3 rules. About 0 are common, 3 are distinctive, and 0 are very specific to this project.

≈0
Common · estimate
Many files like this have a rule of this kind.
≈3
Distinctive · estimate
This author's own choices. Worth a look.
0
Very specific
Tied to their project's names, files or tools. Probably skip.

Common
Distinctive
Very specific

Distinctive:
Every senior reader asks the same silent question after each sentence: *so what?* If the text doesn't answer it, they stop reading.
line 12
Distinctive:
If the reader needs orientation, open with SCQA: Situation (one line) → Complication → Question → Answer.
line 35
Distinctive:
No clear point in the original: don't fake one. Say so, and offer the two or three candidate "one things" for the user to choose.
line 92

≈ “Common” is an estimate: at least 1 in 5 of the 350,495 skill files we read have a rule of the same kind, not the same words. “Very specific” is our guess from the words: it names a file, a command, a setting or the project itself.

Keep what fits and drop the rest. Your version, ready for your agents.

Files

SKILL.md

So What?

Every senior reader asks the same silent question after each sentence: so what? If the text doesn't answer it, they stop reading. Your job: make every line survive that question, and put the answer where they'll see it: first.

Rules

The reader decides the shape. Who is reading, what they must decide or do, and how much time they'll give it. A CEO reading on a phone gets three lines.
Answer first. The first sentence carries the conclusion, the decision needed, or the key number. Background goes last or goes away.
Keep the user's facts; never add facts. You may restructure, cut and sharpen. You may not invent numbers, dates, owners or outcomes. Where a fact is missing, insert [?? what's the number] so the user can fill it in.
Specific beats impressive. Replace every vague word with the specific it's hiding, or flag it.
Keep their voice. Rewrite in a register that sounds like the user on a good day, not like a consultant or a chatbot. No "I hope this finds you well", no "delve", no "in today's fast-paced world".
Mirror the language. 中文输入，中文输出；保留原文的行业术语，去掉空话。

Workflow

1. Diagnose (show this, briefly)

Reader: who, and what they need to decide or do. If unknown, ask one question, or assume "a busy senior leader" and say so.
The one thing: the single sentence the reader must take away. If you can't find it, the text has no point yet; ask the user which of the two or three candidates it is.
Line audit: tag each paragraph or bullet as Answer, Support, Context or Noise. Report the ratio ("12 lines: 1 answer, 3 support, 5 context, 3 noise").

2. Rebuild with the Pyramid Principle

Governing thought: the answer, the recommendation or the status, in one sentence.
2–4 supports: reasons, evidence or workstreams; mutually exclusive, collectively exhaustive; each one a full claim, not a label ("Costs fell 12% because we renegotiated the cloud contract", not "Costs").
Evidence under each support, only as much as the reader needs.
The ask: what you need from the reader, with a date.
If the reader needs orientation, open with SCQA: Situation (one line) → Complication → Question → Answer.

3. Deliver three lengths

One line. For a subject line, a chat message, or the first line of a meeting.
Three lines (BLUF). Line 1: the answer or status. Line 2: why, or the key evidence. Line 3: the ask or next step.
The full rewrite. Structured, scannable, answer-first, with bold lead-ins, ideally half the original length or less.

4. Red-pen report

A short table of the changes that matter:

Original	Problem	Now
"Significant progress on the migration"	Vague: how much?	"Migration 70% done (14 of 20 services)"
"We had some challenges"	Hides the bad news	"We're 2 weeks late because the vendor API changed"

Then list: missing facts the reader will ask for, and risks buried in the original that should be surfaced.

Weasel words to hunt

English: significant, substantial, soon, various, leverage, synergy, robust, seamless, strategic, alignment, going forward, circle back, basically, very, really, just, "we're working on it".

中文：赋能、抓手、闭环、打通、拉通、对齐、颗粒度、沉淀、链路、全面推进、稳步提升、取得积极进展、进一步加强、基本完成、持续优化、高度重视、有序推进。

Each one is replaced with the specific (a number, a date, an owner, an outcome) or flagged [?? specific].

Formats

Status update / weekly report (English)

Status: 🟢 on track | 🟡 at risk | 🔴 off track (one line why)
Done this week: 2–4 outcomes, not activities
Next week: 2–3 commitments with owners
Risks / blockers: what, impact, what I need from you
Decision needed: (if any) by [date]

周报

本周结论：一句话（进度正常/有风险/已延期 + 原因）
关键进展：2–4 条，写结果不写过程（"完成 X，指标从 A 到 B"，而不是"推进了 X"）
风险与求助：什么风险、影响多大、需要谁在什么时候支持什么
下周计划：2–3 条，每条有交付物和时间点

汇报 / 请示（向领导）

一、结论/请示事项：一句话说清要领导知道什么、决策什么
二、依据：2–3 条关键理由，每条带数据
三、风险与应对：最大的 1–2 个风险及预案
四、需要领导支持：具体到人、资源、时间

Decision email

Subject line = the decision needed and the deadline. First line = your recommendation. Then options (2–3, one line each, with the trade-off), then the reason for the recommendation, then the deadline and the cost of no decision.

Edge cases

Bad news: it goes first, with the plan. Never bury it; the reader will find it and trust the rest less.
No clear point in the original: don't fake one. Say so, and offer the two or three candidate "one things" for the user to choose.
Very short input (a Slack message): just return the improved version plus a one-line note on what changed.

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