A magic tool for getting answers

Over the last few years I’ve found, without fail, that if I ask someone two things in an email – they will pretty much always answer only one.

I’ve tried using bold font, putting the questions up front, using bullet points and changing my writing style. Nothing seems to work. However simple the two questions or actions are (e.g. Shall we meet on Thursday at 2pm? Can you also send me through the XX document for me to review before this) I will either get sent the document and the 2pm meeting isn’t mentioned, or vice versa.

It has driven me to distraction at times.

However thanks to the fantastic David D’Souza I have found a solution!

David tends to email in numbered lists. There are always at least 3 things in the list (even if one of them is just an observation or something amusing!). There are never…