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Bottom Line Up Front

February 26th, 2024 (8 months ago) • 1 minute

BLUF is a technique used to communicate effectively by placing your ask or the most important piece of information up front. People are busy and have short attention spans, so it's important to get to the point quickly. And make it clear without any ambiguity.

Some important factors

  • Include all the context within the message (not separately): Asking if someone has time to chat or if they have time to answer a question, on its own, forces a context-switch with no immediate resolution.

  • Make your ask and tone clear: Don’t hem and haw at the beginning of your email. Begin with the ask. Give supporting details and context after that.

  • Keep it Simple and Short: If 2 sentences can convey the message, don't write 5.

Example:

Heya team,

Please review this document on Change Data Capture Implementation before the Monday meeting.

This document includes all of our previous exploration, the pros and cons of each approach, and the final recommendation.

Your pre-reading will be helpful for a focused discussion.

Thanks!