Most “knowledge work” involves coordinating with and working around other stakeholders. Group projects, complex initiatives, project management – all tasks that involve integrating with other like-minded and diligent professionals. Some of the best work is work done with the input, guidance, and shaping of multiple hands.

But what do you do when your emails or texts go unresponded? Too many professionals have lost all momentum on a great project when one or two people bottleneck their work. They aren’t necessarily bad people. Some of my favorite people have been difficult to collaborate with because their services were in such high demand.

Let me guess, most of your emails that go unanswered look something like this:

“Hey Tom, trying to find a time for the next meeting, what’s a good day in the next few weeks?”

Or maybe this:

“Beth, I’d love your input on the draft proposal that I’ve attached. Any concerns?”

These emails subtly derail too many productive projects by putting the other person in the driver’s seat. By asking a “will you do this for me” question, you’re giving the other person the choice of when to respond to you (and often of whether to respond to you), allowing them to fit you into their schedule at their leisure.

Try making a subtle change to these communications.

“Hey Tom, we’ve scheduled our next meeting for this upcoming Thursday. Let me know if you can make it. No worries if you can’t be there, I’ll be sure we keep you up to speed.”

“Beth, I’d love your input on the draft proposal I’ve attached. I’m going to go ahead and post it on Friday, so let me know if you see anything you want changed before Thursday.”

The tone and demeanor of the emails is exactly the same as before, what’s different is setting clearer guidelines for the other person to work with. This ensures that you’re on the same page and prioritizes the outcome you’re looking for.

Even if you don’t have strong feelings on the deadline, sometimes it’s good to throw a date out there just to get a conversation started. If they feel the ask is too aggressive, at least it gets a conversation going.

By making this simple change, you’ll feel less frustrated and more in control of how your projects move along. You’ll even find that your collaborators appreciate that you gave them a clearer sense of boundaries and deadlines, so they know how to prioritize what you’re asking for. Again, I operate from the assumption that the core problem is a communication issue, not a “I don’t want to help you because I’m a jerk” issue.

Try making this change next time you send out an email on a key project. Let me know how it works. Message me on Twitter or email me. Seeing results? Consider sharing this post with someone who could benefit. Good luck out there.

-Patrick

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