The military seems to have an acronym for everything. And they can be overly-complicated at times.
But I like this one: BLUF (Bottom Line Up Front)
It’s a concept used for communications in the military. But it appeared in a recent article by Kabir Sehgal on writing more precise emails.
The BLUF declares the purpose of an email and the action required. The BLUF quickly answers the five W’s: who, what, where, when, and why.
An effective BLUF distills the most important information for the reader.
Sehgal even recommends leading with “Bottom Line” in bold at the start important emails. Here is an example of a BLUF adapted for corporate use:
Subject: INFO – Working from home
Shannon,
Bottom Line: We will reduce the number of days that employees can work from home from three to one day per week effective December 1st.
Background:
- This is an effort to encourage team morale and foster team collaboration
- All members of the management committee supported this decision
There is no response is required because it was marked INFO. The reader can quickly grasp the information in the email because of the Bottom Line.
Background details are provided to show that the decision is final, supported by management, and intended to result in positive effects for the company.
Get to the point. Ruthlessly edit. Use only the words you need.
Present the bottom line up front if you want to achieve better understanding and follow through on the back end.
Have a great week.
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