Transparency builds trust

I saw a letter from a school superintendent that said, "I visited a number of schools last week." 

How would you interpret that? 5 schools? 10?

I assumed they visited 2 schools and were hoping I would assume they visited more. 

If building trust is a priority, everyone receiving your message should interpret it the same. 

When your subject header is "Deadline Approaching Fast!", some people may not read the full message. For some people, "fast" or "soon" means today or tomorrow. For others, it might mean next month. 

Use exact numbers and dates instead of ambiguous words. 

Be transparent to build trust and clarity. Little changes make big differences.