BLUF

Stands for ‘below the line up front’ as a way leading with the conclusion from a memo. This helps save the reader time when sending a communication to a wider distribution and raises ambient knowledge of the organization.

See also:

• Always give the summarizing idea first
• The Minto Pyramid Principle

Links to this note

• Every Paragraph Should Have a BLUF

  The first sentence of every paragraph should be a BLUF. Readers can see the point right away without having to read through the entire paragraph. Readers don’t need to piece together the meaning themselves.

• Writing a Message Should Be Brief and Contain a Single Idea

  Effective writing that gets a response is written for busy people. The message should be constrained to a single idea. The message should be brief, reducing as many words as possible.