What do you want from me?
You've gotten these emails. You read it, stare at the screen and think, "What do you want from me?" You pick up the phone or walk over to the person's desk and say, "What are you asking?" You read the email and can't figure out just what they are wanting you to do. You may have someone else read it and you both say, "Huh? I don't know how to respond...."
Lets try an example. I use work so much, lets try a possible message from my wife:
Hey, our friends have a party at 7 tonight. Melissa
I look at that email and think. Good to know. I don't respond. It was purely informative. I don't know what she wants. Invariable, I get home and she says, "why didn't you respond to my question?" and I say "you didn't ask a question!" and she says, "Oh well, it's too late. They had to know by 6 and it's 6:05."
What am I going for? I'd like to know what you want from me :)
Hey, our friends have a party at 7 tonight. I'd like to go. Would you like to go? I need to tell them yes/no by 6. Melissa
Beautiful. There's a question in there. I know what decision you need by what time. I know what you want and I can get it. Knowing what you want from me gives me the ability to respond in a timely manner without needless back and forth.
