Episode 52: Your emails aren’t enough: lessons from neurodiversity and universal design
Published on 30 September 2025 • Hosted by Dr Lisa Colledge
👉 On 9 October, I’m hosting a free 30-minute session for leaders who want to cut hidden energy drains, and unlock team impact, by making changes in how they communicate. I’ll share case studies and introduce my FIT Framework - practical guardrails for designing communication that works across diverse neurostyles.
Register here: https://www.crowdcast.io/@neuro-inspired.
Sometimes an unexpected comment to make you stop and reflect. Years ago, someone told me I was “very literal.” More recently, a respected leader asked me, “When you send an email, do you assume people have read it?”
Both observations surprised me, but they opened my eyes to how much unseen waste we create when we stick rigidly to our own communication style.
When I assumed everyone had read my emails, I unknowingly created churn in meetings. When I relied only on my preferred communication format, I almost certainly missed out on valuable engagement, and left impact on the table.
The truth is: rigid communication isn’t just inefficient. It drains energy, slows execution, and reduces impact. And under today’s pressures - AI disruption, restructures, “do more with less” - those drains are no longer affordable.
Three practical lessons for leaders:
Assume best intent. People may not have read, but it doesn’t mean they don’t care.
Don’t assume your style works for everyone. Adapt to how others best consume information.
Provide multiple entry points. Email, recap in meetings, recordings, and even quick voice notes.
These are examples of shifts that reduce wasted energy and redirect it into impact. That’s why I built my FIT Framework: simple guardrails to help leaders design communication that works across diverse neurostyles - autistic, ADHD, dyslexic, or simply overloaded and tired.
Join my free 30-minute presentation (9 October) to see more case studies and my FIT Framework in action. Register here: https://www.crowdcast.io/@neuro-inspired.
