WiserHours
Menu

Follow your curiosity

Getting understood · Lesson 5 of 10

Make It Easy to Reply: Ask Clearly and Follow Up

Learn to ask in a way that gets a quick reply, with one ask per email, easy answers and a friendly follow-up when nothing comes back.

FREE LESSON
Cover picture for lesson 5: Make It Easy to Reply: Ask Clearly and Follow UpVideo coming soon
The video is not out yet. The written lesson below has the same content.
THE WRITTEN LESSONFollow along at your pace

You have put your point first. Now make it easy to answer. In this lesson you will learn how to ask in a way that gets a quick reply, and how to follow up when it does not come.

One ask per email

Start with one ask per email. When a message holds three requests, people tend to answer the easiest one and forget the rest. If you need three things from three people, send three short emails.

Three separate emails, each with its own person icon and green check: Sales report to Ana Ruiz, Meeting room to Ben Cole, and Lunch order to Cara Diaz. Each one holds a single short request.(opens the full-size picture)
Three people, three short emails, one ask each.

Make the answer easy

Then make the answer easy to give. Ask a yes or no question, or offer two choices: “Tuesday at ten, or Wednesday at two?” Attach the file they will need. And say when you need the answer by.

Four numbered steps: One quick question, shown as a card reading Yes or no; Two choices, Tue 10:00 and Wed 14:00; The file, a paperclip on a document marked File attached; and A deadline, a calendar page reading Thursday marked Reply by Thursday.(opens the full-size picture)
A quick question, two choices, the file and a deadline.

Shorter asks get answered

Short requests get more replies. In one large field test, a short request of about fifty words got almost twice as many responses as a longer version of the same request. That test is reported by its authors rather than published in a peer-reviewed journal, so treat it as a useful sign, not a promise.

Two emails titled Quick favour, one short at about 50 words and one long at about 130 words. A bar chart called Replies shows a tall green bar for the short request and a shorter grey bar for the long one, labeled Almost twice as many.(opens the full-size picture)
The short version of the same request got almost twice as many replies.

Make it stand alone

Write each request so it works on its own. Say what you need, by when, and what happens if nobody answers. For example: “If I don’t hear back by Friday, I’ll go ahead with the blue design.” Then nothing gets stuck waiting.

An email to Sam Lee called Venue for Friday with three highlighted parts: What I need, Please confirm the venue; By when, Friday; and If no reply, If I don't hear back by Friday, I'll go ahead with the blue design. A calendar page reads Friday.(opens the full-size picture)
What you need, by when, and what happens if nobody answers.

Follow up without guilt

Most replies come within a day, and people answer less on busy days. So if nothing comes after a couple of working days, send a short, friendly follow-up. Restate the ask in one line. No apology and no guilt. The couple of working days is a sensible rule of thumb, not a tested number.

A stopwatch with the notes Most replies within a day and Fewer on busy days, a week calendar with Sent on Monday and Follow up on Wednesday, and a short follow-up email asking could you confirm the venue by Friday. The phrase Sorry to bother you again is crossed out.(opens the full-size picture)
A short, friendly follow-up, with no apology.

YOUR TURN

Read more

Read the full lesson script

Welcome back. You've put your point first. Now make it easy to answer. In this lesson, you'll learn how to ask in a way that gets a quick reply, and how to follow up when it doesn't come.

Start with one ask per email. When a message holds three requests, people answer the easiest one and forget the rest. If you need three things from three people, send three short emails.

Then make the answer easy to give. Ask a yes or no question, or offer two choices: Tuesday at ten, or Wednesday at two? Attach the file they'll need. And say when you need the answer by.

Short requests get more replies. In one large field test, a short request of about fifty words got almost twice as many responses as a longer version of the same request.

Write each request so it works on its own. Say what you need, by when, and what happens if nobody answers. "If I don't hear back by Friday, I'll go ahead with the blue design." Then nothing gets stuck waiting.

Most replies come within a day, and people answer less on busy days. So if nothing comes after a couple of working days, send a short, friendly follow-up. Restate the ask in one line. No apology, and no guilt.

So remember: one ask per email, and make the answer easy with a yes or no, two options, the file, and a date. Short requests get more replies. And follow up after a couple of working days, without guilt. Before the next lesson, end your next request with a yes or no question, or two options, and a date. Next, you'll choose between email, chat and a call.