BLUF (#27)

BLUF — A short post on the Bottom Line Up Front, or BLUF, a military tool to make your emails more effective.

Like you, I have been getting a bunch of emails from companies that start out “In these unprecedented times…” and then take almost a page to tell me that the company is still around and ready to help me spend my money. These long winded emails sap my time and energy.

In my busiest job in the Pentagon I was getting over two hundred emails a day. I’m sure many of you get that many a day or even more. Think about wading through two hundred “in these unprecedented times” emails? You could never keep up. And even worse, are you guilty of sending out the long winded emails that take three paragraphs to get to the point?

One way to make your emails stand out from the crowd is to use a military technique we called “BLUF” or Bottom Line Up Front. To help your busy boss or colleagues, starting an email off with a quick summary saves people time and energy and helps you get the decision or action you need.

Why use the BLUF?

• Using the bottom line first enables quick analysis and decision making. It is helpful when time is critical or executives are busy. The supporting information is presented afterward for further clarification.

• Using the BLUF will stand out from the typical email, where the background information is presented first, then followed by a conclusion and recommendation.

The typical BLUF email follows this structure:

• BLUF

• Summary of the explanation

• Background information

• The main point, or BLUF, again

Your corporate culture may not like the BLUF acronym, but starting every email with “Summary/Decision Needed,” or something similar, can be just as powerful.

Clear, concise communications is always the goal of an effective leader. Don’t be like the picture with 13,015 unread emails (it’s not my email account!) Try the BLUF on your next email to increase the clarity of your communications and enhance your effectiveness as a leader.