Working effectively  is heavily connected with how well you can get others to do things for you. You might think you are clear in your requests, so why is it that you can be disappointed with what your workmates deliver?

Here’s your check list for making effective requests. Ensure you include all these vital elements when you make requests – and check them before you start pointing fingers when things don’t work out as you wanted.

1 What and Why

You might be clear on what you want to get done but perhaps not always share why that task is important to the team’s priorities, or why you are asking a specific person to do the work. You need to make it crystal clear why their involvement is important – and more so rewarding to them individually. Answer their biggest question – “What’s in it for me?” How will they apply their strengths? Learn new skills or knowledge? Or get exposure?

2 How

If you have a specific approach in mind to get the job done then say so. If you know you need a document versus a presentation deck or a brainstorming session versus an alignment meeting, then explain this. There is nothing more demotivating than working on something only to find it’s not what was expected. Be clear on the outcome expected and how it connects to other tasks, as this impacts how the work gets done and how much effort goes into it.

3 When

Be warned that ASAP, “by the end of the day” and “as soon as you can” are not deadlines. Everyone has a different scale of time and being less than specific is an easy way to cause conflict. State the date and time when you wish for the work to be completed (eg Friday before 3pm). Also be clear about any expectations you have for status updates or check-ins along the way.

Once you’ve covered these key elements of making an effective request, have your workmate summarise the deliverables to ensure you are both on the same page. Then get out of the way and let your workmates get on with it.

Use these simple tips to gets things done and makes things happen.