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Do you number tasks/questions?
  v15.0 Posted at 18/02/2021 6:33 AM by Tiago Araujo

It is good practice to be clear on what you want. One way you can make things clearer is to number tasks or questions.

Note: Receiving an email with just numbered items is cold - An email with a paragraph of context, then numbers is much nicer

Hi Bob,
We’ll commence the meeting at our office where we can provide you with an overview of the SSW operation, and then discuss in more detail the Northwind solution and how we can partner to make it a success.

How many attendees from will be attending on the meeting day? Are you able to stay for dinner or lunch with our team? Either option would be great but we’ll need to book in advance. Please let me know if your team have any specific meeting requirements.
Would you like to see some sights while you’re in town? For example, we often take clients to visit the World Heritage listed West Lake region. It’s beautiful to see, and it can be very productive to walk around and take in the sights while discussing business matters.

Bad example - the different tasks/questions​ may be skipped if the reader does not read carefully

Hi Bob,
We’ll commence the meeting at our office where we can provide you with an overview of the SSW operation, and then discuss in more detail the Northwind solution and how we can partner to make it a success.

I have a few more questions about the day to help me and the team prepare:

1. How many attendees from will be attending on the meeting day?
2. Are you able to stay for dinner or lunch with our team?
Either option would be great but we’ll need to book in advance. Please let me know if your team have any specific meeting requirements.
3. Would you like to see some sights while you’re in town?
For example, we often take clients to visit the World Heritage listed West Lake region. It’s beautiful to see, and it can be very productive to walk around and take in the sights while discussing business matters.
​

Good example - the different tasks/questions are clear

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VIDEO - Top 10+ Rules to Better Email Communication with Ulysses Maclaren

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