Being clear is a kindness. Being vague makes other people do the work of guessing what you meant.

GRATITUDE

WHAT THIS MEANS

Vagueness transfers work rather than avoiding it. Every unclear sentence leaves someone else to reconstruct what you probably meant, and they will get it wrong some of the time, which costs you both more than the extra sentence would have. It often comes from not wanting to seem demanding. The demand arrives anyway, just disguised as a puzzle.

Before sending anything, check that the who, the what, and the when are all present. Say the direct version and soften the wording rather than the substance. Ask whether a stranger could act on it without coming back with a question.

A QUESTION TO SIT WITH

Where do you go vague to avoid saying something plainly?

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