Knowing when to exclude information is just as important as knowing what information to include: “Toni might feel tempted to include information because she found it interesting or because she wants to show how much she knows and how hard she worked. However, such extra information only makes it more difficult for readers to locate and use the information they need.”
Putting the “bottom line up front.” “As soon as possible, get it out: Is the project on schedule, or must we take special action to meet the deadline? Will the proposed design for our product work, or must it be modified?” We use the acronym BLUF in the air force, and it’s almost always the first sentence in a communication BLUF: then the information, followed by more background and details.
In persuasive communications, use the most impressive first and continue to the least. “You can usually increase your segment’s usefulness by presenting the most important or impressive item first and proceeding in descending order from there.”
Adapt to your reader’s cultural background. “For example, the Japanese use a nonlinear pattern that many researchers call a gyre (Connor & Nagelhout, 2008). The writer approaches a topic by indirection and implication because in Japanese culture it’s rude and inappropriate to tell the reader the specific point being conveyed. Communication specialist Kazuo Nishiyama (1999) gives an example: When a Japanese manager says, “I’d like you to reflect on your proposal for a while,” the manager can mean “You are dead wrong, and you’d better come up with a better idea very soon. But I don’t say this to you directly because you should be able to understand what I’m saying without my being so rude.” Similarly, in Hindi (one of the major languages of India), paragraphs do not stick to one unified idea or thought, as they do in the United States and many other Western nations. Linguist Jamuna Kachru (2006) explains that in the preferred Hindi style, the writer may digress and introduce material related to many different ideas.”
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