Did you know that one of the biggest areas of waste in organizations are ineffective requests?  It seems simple enough; after all, a request is just asking for people’s support and cooperation.  But there are actually 12 parts to making an effective request that maximizes the chance that the request is understood.  

The request is a powerful language act.  Acting on requests brings new things into being which probably would not have occurred, or at least in a less timely manner.  Further, having an unspoken request or not making effective requests, can be a great source of suffering for us.   

One major pitfall of requests can be not getting a commitment.  If the other person does not respond or doesn’t give you a clear answer, you don’t know how to proceed and you’re left with uncertainty.  Gaining a clear response that indicates the person’s definite willingness to act on the request is a pivotal issue that can be easily overlooked.  There is a major risk in the workplace and the culture of an organization of “sloppy requests” and “slippery promises.”  The parts of a request and the gaining of a commitment are very powerful in language and is no trivial matter.

Think you communicated a request clearly and then things go awry? Consider some of the following aspects:  

1. Did you have a committed speaker and listener?
2. Were you clear about what you wanted to meet the standards that you expected?
3. Did someone actually make an agreement with you?
4. Did you set a time frame?
5. What mood or emotional state were you in?  How were you holding your body?

Being aware of these components can help you be more effective at communicating in your life.