The amount of time I have to reply to an email with some variation of, “Can you sum up the ask in one sentence?” is crazy.
It’s my most used Gmail canned response template.
Brief is good, then a conversation begins 
But I need to know what you’re asking for and I need it summed up quickly. 200+ emails a week that are some form of request – it’s a lot to deal with!
(The worst are massive walls of text, with not even the hint of personalisation. You can’t write that much unless it’s a late night politico-philosophical manifesto! 
)