By name: communication-profiles description: > Build and maintain communication profiles for key stakeholders on any project. Use when drafting emails, follow-ups, or any outbound communication to ensure tone matching. Also use when onboarding a new project to capture stakeholder communication styles from existing email chains. Trigger when the user mentions "communication profile," "tone profile," "how does [person] communicate," "draft an email to [person]," "match their tone," or "build a profile for." model: sonnet user-invokable: true
Communication Profiles
Build structured profiles of how key stakeholders communicate so that every outbound message matches their expected tone and style.
Intent
- Tone mismatch kills trust -- Sending a formal email to someone who writes casual two-liners signals you're not paying attention. Matching someone's communication style is the fastest way to build rapport.
- Profiles are evidence-based -- Never guess at someone's style. Build profiles from real emails, messages, and meeting notes. Minimum 2-3 samples before creating a profile.
- One profile per person -- Each stakeholder gets their own file. Profiles are referenced by any skill that drafts outbound communication (client-follow-up, cover-letter-writer, etc.).
- Profiles evolve -- Update profiles as you accumulate more communication samples. People's tone may shift as relationships deepen.
- Include anti-patterns -- Knowing what NOT to do is as valuable as knowing what to do. Every profile should list things that would land wrong.
When to Use
- Onboarding a new project with existing email chains
- Before drafting any email, message, or follow-up to a profiled stakeholder
- When the user says "draft an email to [person]" -- check for their profile first
- When new communication samples arrive (emails, meeting transcripts)
- When a tone mismatch is flagged ("that doesn't sound like something Jackie would appreciate")
Process
Step 1: Gather Samples
Collect 2-3+ real communication samples from the person. Sources:
- Email chains in
communications/ - Meeting notes or transcripts
- Slack/Teams messages
- LinkedIn messages
Read each sample carefully. Do NOT proceed to profile creation with fewer than 2 samples.
Step 2: Analyze Patterns
For each sample, note:
| Dimension | What to Look For |
|---|---|
| Greeting | "Hi Jimmy" vs "Hey!" vs jumping straight in |
| Length | Word count, sentence count. Do they write 2 lines or 2 paragraphs? |
| Structure | Paragraphs vs bullets vs stream-of-consciousness |
| Formality | Full name sign-off vs first name vs no sign-off |
| Punctuation | Exclamation marks, ellipses, emojis, ALL CAPS |
| Warmth | Personal touches, humor, compliments, small talk |
| Directness | Do they get to the point or build up to it? |
| Delegation | Do they hand off to others? Who? |
| Response time | Fast responder? Batches replies? |
| Signature | Full block, first name only, none |
Step 3: Create the Profile
Use the template at references/profile-template.md. Store profiles in the project's communications/profiles/ directory:
project/
communications/
profiles/
firstname-lastname.md # One file per person
Step 4: Extract Good/Bad Examples
From the real samples, create:
- Mirror examples -- "If they write X, respond with Y"
- Anti-patterns -- "Never do Z with this person"
These go in the ## Tone Examples section of each profile.
Step 5: Cross-Reference
After creating profiles, check for relationship dynamics:
- Who defers to whom?
- Who should be CC'd vs TO?
- Who is the decision maker vs the operator?
- What is the communication chain? (e.g., "Always email Erin directly, CC Jackie")
Document these in a _dynamics.md file in the profiles directory.
Integration with Other Skills
Communication profiles are consumed by:
- client-follow-up -- Reads profile before drafting any follow-up
- cover-letter-writer -- Adapts tone for the target reader
- Any skill that drafts outbound communication -- Should check
communications/profiles/first
When drafting a message to a profiled person:
- Read their profile
- Match greeting, length, formality, and structure
- Check anti-patterns before sending
- If the profile doesn't exist yet, flag it: "No profile found for [person]. Want me to build one from available communications?"
Rules
- Never create a profile from fewer than 2 real samples
- Never guess at communication style -- always base on evidence
- Update profiles when new samples contradict existing patterns
- Profiles contain NO confidential content -- only style observations
- Always get user approval before using a profile to draft communication
- Store profiles in the project, not in the DSF framework (they're project-specific data)