Make a request with a clear owner and deadline

‘Can someone look at this?’ leaves several questions unanswered. Who is being asked? What does looking mean? Is a reply needed today or whenever there is time? A clear request reduces the work the recipient must do before they can begin the actual task.

Ask for an observable output

Use a verb that describes the result: confirm the figures, choose one option, check the three names or approve the final draft. ‘Review’ can be useful, but qualify it. A factual check is not the same as a rewrite, and an invitation for comments is not necessarily a request for approval.

Point to the current version and the exact area needing attention. If a document contains twenty pages but the request concerns one table, say so. Include enough context to explain the purpose without forcing the recipient to read a long history of the project.

A hypothetical request might be: ‘Jordan, please confirm the three service names in section two by Wednesday at 14:00. We need the approved names before the designer sets the page. Please add any corrections as comments rather than editing the layout.’ This identifies the person, output, deadline, reason and method.

Make the timing credible

Use an actual date when ‘tomorrow’ or ‘end of week’ could become ambiguous in a forwarded message. Add a time zone if the team works across regions. Explain the dependency behind the deadline, particularly when the request is short notice. Urgency is easier to assess when it is attached to a consequence rather than an adjective.

Check whether the person can accept the task. A deadline typed into an email does not create capacity. Where the work is substantial, ask for confirmation of availability or offer a choice between scope and timing. If someone else must authorise the request, follow that route instead of relying on a public mention to assign responsibility.

Keep separate requests visibly separate. A person asked to confirm a figure should not discover a hidden request to rewrite the entire section in the final paragraph. If several people contribute, state which part belongs to each and who will combine the responses.

When the answer arrives, acknowledge the result and record it where the work continues. If the request changes, tell the recipient before they finish the old version. Clear communication includes withdrawing or revising a request, not just writing a good first message.