Writing StudioProfessional and Business Writing
Plain language
You will be able to rewrite any work message so a busy reader gets your main point in the first two sentences and understands it on one reading.
Do this first
Open the last long email or document you sent. Write its main point as one sentence of under 25 words and move it to the top, then swap three formal words for everyday ones (use, not utilise; help, not facilitate; about, not with regard to).
Steps
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Find your bottom line first
Before drafting, finish the sentence “I need my reader to…” in under 25 words: what they should know, decide or do, and why. If you cannot finish it, sort out your thinking before you write. That sentence, lightly edited, often becomes your opening line.
Put the bottom line up front
Bottom line up front (BLUF) means your conclusion, decision or request comes first and background follows for readers who want it. Busy readers often decide from the first lines whether to keep reading. Save chronological order (what we did, what we found, what we think) for records and lab notebooks.
Write for one real reader
Picture a specific person: what they already know, what they care about and what they must do next. Plain language is defined by the audience, so an expert reader can still get technical terms, while a general reader needs them defined or replaced.
Choose familiar words and active verbs
Use the everyday word: use, not utilise; start, not commence; because, not due to the fact that. Turn hidden verbs back into verbs (make a decision becomes decide) and say who does what: “The team will send the report”, not “The report will be sent”.
Keep sentences and paragraphs short
Many plain language guides suggest an average of 15 to 20 words per sentence, and GOV.UK advises breaking up anything over 25. Give each paragraph one job and a handful of sentences at most.
Format for scanning
Use headings, numbered steps and short lists when readers must find, compare or follow something. Put dates, amounts and deadlines where the eye lands, and use bold sparingly so it still stands out.
Templates
Bottom line up front
Bottom line: [your conclusion, decision or request in one sentence] Why it matters: [the consequence for the reader, in one or two sentences] Details: [background, evidence or options, as short paragraphs or bullets] Next step: [who does what by when]
One-sentence purpose test
I am writing to [inform / ask / recommend] so that [reader] can [decision or action] by [date].
Plain word swaps
commence: start utilise: use facilitate: help, run in order to: to with regard to: about due to the fact that: because prior to: before at this point in time: now make a decision: decide conduct an analysis of: analyse [a word you overuse]: [your plain alternative]
Check your draft
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In your field
Scientists and engineers tend to write in the order they worked (method, results, conclusion), which buries the answer for a manager. Lead with the finding and what it means for cost, risk or timeline, and keep units and uncertainty accurate but brief.
Read more about this stage
Bottom line up front comes from US military writing, where readers needed the decision before the detail. It works anywhere readers are busy, which at work is nearly everywhere. The exception is unwelcome news or a request to someone who may resist: a sentence of context first can help, but the point should still arrive in the first paragraph.
Plain language is also a policy requirement in many places. The US Plain Writing Act of 2010 requires federal agencies to use it in documents for the public, and the Canada.ca Content Style Guide sets it as the standard for Government of Canada web content. Field experiments described in Writing for Busy Readers found that shorter, simpler messages drew more responses.