Decorum Assessment

---
name: decorum-assessment
description: Evaluate and calibrate the fit between speaker, message, audience, and occasion to determine the appropriate style, tone, and approach for maximum effectiveness.
license: MIT
metadata:
  version: 1.0.3795
  author: sethmblack
repository: https://github.com/sethmblack/paks-skills
keywords:
- comedy
- decorum-assessment
- writing
---

# Decorum Assessment

Evaluate and calibrate the fit between speaker, message, audience, and occasion to determine the appropriate style, tone, and approach for maximum effectiveness.

---

## When to Use

- User says "What's the right tone?" or "How formal should this be?"
- Uncertain about formality, style, or approach
- Entering unfamiliar communication context
- Risk of being too casual, too formal, or miscalibrated
- Cross-cultural or cross-context communication

---

## Inputs

| Input | Required | Description |
|-------|----------|-------------|
| context | Yes | The situation, occasion, or setting |
| audience | Yes | Who will receive this communication |
| message | Yes | What you need to communicate |
| speaker_role | No | Your position relative to audience |
| medium | No | How the message will be delivered |

---

## The Four Elements of Decorum

### 1. The Speaker
**Who are you in this context?**

**Questions:**
- What is your role relative to the audience? (Authority, peer, supplicant)
- What persona serves your purpose? (Expert, colleague, leader, student)
- What do they expect from someone in your position?
- What would feel authentic vs. performative?

**Considerations:**
- Speaking up (subordinate to senior): Defer more, ask more, recommend carefully
- Speaking down (senior to junior): Be direct but not dismissive
- Speaking across (peer to peer): Collegial, collaborative
- Speaking out (expert to public): Accessible but authoritative

---

### 2. The Audience
**Who are they and what do they expect?**

**Questions:**
- What is their relationship to you? (Boss, client, team, public)
- What is their expertise level? (Expert, informed, general)
- What is their emotional state? (Skeptical, eager, anxious, neutral)
- What cultural context shapes expectations? (Industry, geography, generation)
- What do they consider respectful? Off-putting?

**Key variables:**
- Formality preferences (varies by generation, industry, culture)
- Directness preferences (some want the bottom line first; others need buildup)
- Emotional tolerance (some contexts welcome passion; others expect reserve)
- Time expectations (executives want brevity; academics tolerate length)

---

### 3. The Message
**What is the content demanding?**

**Questions:**
- Is this good news, bad news, or neutral information?
- How high are the stakes?
- Does the topic require gravity or permit lightness?
- Is this routine or exceptional?

**Content calibration:**
- Serious topics (layoffs, safety, crisis): Grave tone, careful wording, no jokes
- Celebratory topics: Warmth, enthusiasm, levity appropriate
- Technical topics: Precision, clarity, restraint
- Persuasive topics: Adapt to resistance level

---

### 4. The Occasion
**What does the setting demand?**

**Questions:**
- Is this formal or informal?
- Is this public or private?
- Is this documented or ephemeral?
- Are there traditions or expectations for this occasion?

**Occasion calibration:**
- Board meeting: Formal, concise, prepared
- Team brainstorm: Casual, collaborative, open
- Crisis response: Serious, clear, action-oriented
- Celebration: Warm, personal, appreciative
- Written vs. spoken: Written tolerates more formality and precision

---

## The Three Levels of Style (Classical)

### Plain Style (Docere - Teaching)
**Purpose:** Clarity, instruction, information transfer

**Characteristics:**
- Simple, direct language
- Short sentences
- Minimal figurative language
- Low emotional intensity
- Focus on accuracy

**When to use:**
- Technical documentation
- Instructions
- Routine communication
- Audiences who want facts, not flair

---

### Middle Style (Delectare - Pleasing)
**Purpose:** Engagement, credibility, connection

**Characteristics:**
- Balanced formality
- Some personality and warmth
- Appropriate humor when fitting
- Clear but not clinical
- Professional but human

**When to use:**
- Most business communication
- Relationship building
- When both information and connection matter
- Default for uncertainty

---

### Grand Style (Movere - Moving)
**Purpose:** Emotion, inspiration, motivation

**Characteristics:**
- Elevated language
- Rhythm and rhetorical figures
- Emotional intensity
- Vivid imagery
- Stakes and values invoked

**When to use:**
- Calls to action
- Celebrations and honors
- Addressing crisis or high-stakes moments
- When the occasion demands gravity

---

## Red Flags: Miscalibration Signs

### Too Formal
- Sounding cold, distant, or bureaucratic
- Using jargon that excludes or confuses
- Missing opportunities for human connection
- Being perceived as pompous or out of touch

### Too Casual
- Undermining authority or expertise
- Seeming unprepared or unserious
- Missing the gravity of the situation
- Offending those who expect respect

### Wrong Audience
- Using inside references outsiders don't get
- Assuming knowledge they don't have
- Triggering unintended emotional responses
- Failing to account for cultural differences

---

## Workflow

### Step 1: Gather and Review Inputs

Collect all relevant information:
- Review the provided data and context
- Identify key parameters and constraints
- Clarify any ambiguities or missing information
- Establish success criteria

### Step 2: Analyze the Situation

Perform systematic analysis:
- Identify patterns and relationships
- Evaluate against established frameworks
- Consider multiple perspectives
- Document key findings

### Step 3: Generate Recommendations

Create actionable outputs:
- Synthesize insights from analysis
- Prioritize recommendations by impact
- Ensure recommendations are specific and measurable
- Consider implementation feasibility

## Output Format

```markdown
## Decorum Assessment: [Context]

### Situation Analysis

| Element | Assessment |
|---------|------------|
| Speaker Role | [Your position and how it should inform style] |
| Audience | [Who they are and what they expect] |
| Message | [What the content demands] |
| Occasion | [What the setting requires] |

---

### Recommended Style Level
**[Plain / Middle / Grand]**

Rationale: [Why this level fits]

### Specific Calibrations

**Formality:** [High / Medium / Low]
- [What this means specifically]

**Directness:** [Direct / Moderate / Indirect]
- [What this means specifically]

**Emotional Register:** [Reserved / Warm / Passionate]
- [What this means specifically]

**Length:** [Brief / Moderate / Extended]
- [What this means specifically]

---

### Language Guidance

**Do:**
- [Specific language choices that fit]
- [Phrases that work in this context]

**Don't:**
- [Language to avoid]
- [Tones that would misfire]

### Adjustment from Your Instinct
[If the user shared a draft or instinct, note what to adjust]
```

---

## Constraints

- Provide specific, actionable guidance rather than general principles
- Acknowledge when decorum is genuinely ambiguous
- Note when breaking decorum might be strategic
- Consider multiple audiences if they exist (e.g., email that might be forwarded)
- Cultural sensitivity: note when your assessment may need local adaptation

---

## Outputs

**Primary Output:** A structured analysis document that identifies and articulates patterns, insights, and actionable recommendations based on the input data.

**Format:**
```markdown
## Analysis: [Topic]

### Key Findings
- [Finding 1]
- [Finding 2]
- [Finding 3]

### Recommendations
1. [Action 1]
2. [Action 2]
3. [Action 3]
```

**Example output:** See the Example section below for a complete demonstration.

## Example

**Input:** "I need to email the CEO of my company (3,000 employees) about a product idea. I'm a mid-level engineer. We've never met."

**Output:**



**Why this works:**

This example demonstrates the key principles of the skill in action. The approach is effective because:
- It follows the systematic workflow outlined above
- It shows concrete application of the framework
- It produces actionable, specific outputs rather than vague generalizations
- The analysis is grounded in observable details
- The recommendations are prioritized and implementable

**Alternative applications:**

This same approach can be applied to:
- Different contexts within the same domain
- Related but distinct problem types
- Scaled up or down depending on scope
- Combined with complementary analytical frameworks


## Decorum Assessment: Engineer to CEO Email

### Situation Analysis

| Element | Assessment |
|---------|------------|
| Speaker Role | Mid-level engineer - several levels removed from CEO. Must balance confidence in your idea with respect for hierarchy and their time. |
| Audience | CEO of 3,000-person company. Extremely limited time. Prefers bottom-line communication. May be skeptical of unsolicited ideas from people they don't know. |
| Message | Product idea - potentially valuable but unproven. Needs to intrigue, not fully sell. |
| Occasion | Cold email to top executive. High stakes, low probability of attention. Must earn every second of reading. |

---

### Recommended Style Level
**Plain to Middle**

Rationale: CEOs prefer direct, clear, brief communication. You don't have the relationship for warmth (middle) and the stakes don't call for elevation (grand). Lead with value, not personality.

### Specific Calibrations

**Formality:** Medium
- Professional but not stuffy
- "Dear [Name]" not "Hi [Name]"
- Sign off with your title and full name

**Directness:** Very Direct
- State purpose in first sentence
- Lead with the value proposition, not the backstory
- Save details for follow-up if they bite

**Emotional Register:** Reserved
- Enthusiasm about your idea should be stated, not performed
- "I'm excited about this" not "This is AMAZING!!"
- Confidence without arrogance

**Length:** Very Brief
- Under 150 words
- CEO attention span for cold email: <30 seconds
- If they're interested, they'll ask for more

---

### Language Guidance

**Do:**
- "I have an idea that could [specific benefit] and would take [timeframe] to pilot."
- "I'd welcome 5 minutes to share the concept."
- Reference a specific strategic priority of theirs if you know one

**Don't:**
- Long backstory about how you came up with the idea
- Technical details they don't need to evaluate interest
- Apologies for reaching out ("I know you're busy...")
- Excessive praise ("You're such an inspiring leader...")

### Sample Opening
"Dear [CEO Name],

I'm [Name], an engineer on the [Team] team. I have an idea that could reduce customer churn by 15%+ based on patterns I've observed in our data.

The pilot would require three weeks and two engineers. If you're interested, I'd welcome five minutes to walk you through it.

[Full Name]
[Title]"

### Key Risk to Avoid
The biggest mistake would be writing a long, technical email that buries the value proposition. They won't read it. Get to the point in sentence one.

---

## Integration

This skill is part of the **Cicero** expert persona and helps calibrate all other rhetorical decisions. Use Decorum Assessment early in preparation to guide Five Canons Analysis, style choices, and emotional calibration.