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8 Moves8 chapters · Practice

Async That Lands: Write Messages People Actually Act On

Framework: 8 Moves - a library of one named move per real situation

chapters
1.The Ask That Stalls2.The Message That Reads Angry3.The Thread That Never Ends4.The "Quick Question" That Isn't5.The Update Nobody Reads6.The Disagreement in Writing7.The Handoff That Loses Information8.The Message That Should Have Been a Call★ Practice
chapters (8)
1.The Ask That Stalls2.The Message That Reads Angry3.The Thread That Never Ends4.The "Quick Question" That Isn't5.The Update Nobody Reads6.The Disagreement in Writing7.The Handoff That Loses Information8.The Message That Should Have Been a Call★ Practice
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Chapter 1Free preview

The Ask That Stalls

The moment. You need something from a colleague. You send it. Two days pass. Nothing. You're now the person who has to follow up on your own request.

What most people write

Hey! Hope you're well. We're putting together the Q3 deck and there's a section on retention that touches your area - no rush, but if you have any thoughts or numbers that might be useful, that'd be great. Let me know!

Why it misfires. There is no ask in that message. There's a topic, a mood, and a hedge. The reader scans it, finds nothing they must do, and files it under "later" - which is a folder with no bottom. "No rush" is read as "no deadline," and a request with no deadline competes with every request that has one.

The rewrite

Hey - can you send me the Q3 retention numbers (D7 and D30) by Thursday? They're the last gap in the deck. If Thursday's tight, tell me and I'll use last quarter's.

The move: one ask, one deadline, one owner. Every request message should contain exactly one thing to do, one date, and one person responsible. If your message has three asks, it has zero.

Your turn

Can you [one specific thing] by [day]? It's needed for [why it matters]. If that doesn't work, [fallback].

Edge cases. For a genuinely open question ("any thoughts?"), say so explicitly and give it a deadline anyway: "Reactions by Friday, or I'll assume it's fine." Silence is only agreement if you said it would be.

This week. Rewrite your next three requests so each contains exactly one ask, one date, one owner. Count how many get answered on the first send.