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“What do you think?” can invite a rich discussion. It can also be a frustrating ending to a message that really needs approval for one specific next step. The recipient may offer general feedback while the sender waits for permission. A better decision request makes the choice visible without pretending the answer is predetermined.
Find the decision inside the story
Fictional example: A team is making a notice for an imaginary neighborhood exhibition. A draft contains two different opening times. The sender writes four paragraphs about the design, then asks whether it looks good. A reader comments on the font. The time conflict remains untouched because the message did not identify it as the decision needed.
Start again with the choice: “The draft shows 10 a.m. in one place and 11 a.m. in another. Which approved opening time should appear?” This does not ask the reader to invent a new event schedule. It asks the appropriate owner to resolve a conflict against an existing decision.
Show only the context that changes the answer
Useful context might include where the conflicting times appear, which public event version each came from and when printing is due. The history of the poster’s color palette probably does not help. Separate the decision from optional background so that the reader can find the question quickly.
Digital.gov’s design guidance supports descriptive structure and visible key information. Applying that idea here means putting the choice first, not making every line bold. If an essential qualification sits three paragraphs below the request, moving it nearby may help more than adding an urgent subject line.
Keep the available outcomes honest
A decision request can include “neither” or “not yet” when those are real possibilities. “Please choose 10 or 11” is misleading if the organizer still needs to confirm venue access. An accurate version is: “Please confirm the approved time, or let us know if printing should wait.” The latter answer is usable because it names what happens while uncertainty remains.
Do not treat silence as approval unless an applicable, authorized process explicitly makes it so. A personal assumption is not a decision rule. Similarly, a preference from someone without the relevant authority should not be relabeled as an approval just because it allows the work to move forward.
Explain the consequence without applying pressure
“If we do not have the confirmed time before printing, we need to hold the notice” explains a dependency in the fictional exercise. “Answer now or you will ruin the event” assigns blame and exaggerates the consequence. Good requests make choices easier to understand rather than using urgency to remove them.
When a response date is negotiated, record it in the approved place. When it is unknown, say so. This article does not set response obligations, off-duty availability or escalation rules for any workplace. Real work may have requirements that cannot be replaced by an informal message template.
Check the answer against the original question
An answer about design does not resolve a time conflict. A confirmed time does not approve the entire poster. Before proceeding, state the narrow decision you received and identify any remaining question. This protects the decision-maker from being credited with a broader approval than they actually gave.
Practice: Rewrite one invented request in four lines: choice needed, relevant evidence, appropriate decision-maker, next step after the answer. Then remove a line and consider what becomes ambiguous. The exercise uses GSA plain-language principles as background; the four-line format is original and is not an employer form. Sources checked October 8, 2026.