“The weather looks a little iffy Saturday and my daughter is feeling under the weather. I also stubbed my toe last week walking in my backyard and that’s still bothering me, so unfortunately I’m not going to be able to make it to the game this weekend.”

That’s great. But it just took 31 words before I heard what I needed to.

When we teach technical writing, we say to start with an Executive Summary.

This should be a standalone section that provides the absolutely minimum necessary detail to get the point across and share the conclusions. The rest of the report gives the details.

That way, an executive, or anyone else who doesn’t want to take the time to read a 50-page report about the science of cleaning tennis shoes can get the conclusion and move on in seconds.

Why should it be different in everyday communication?

The purpose of most (not all) outbound communication is to get a point across.

We can help to make it easier on the recipient by paying attention to the order in which things are presented.

We naturally like to start with the details. We draw a chronological picture of everything that led us to the current state, and then we deliver the punchline.

But in some situations it’s more effective if we do the opposite.

Don’t write the lengthy paragraph used to open this article.

Try this:

“Unfortunately I won’t be able to make it to the game this weekend. 
The weather looks a little iffy Saturday and my daughter is feeling under the weather. I also stubbed my toe last week walking in my backyard and that’s still bothering me”

Don’t write 300 words and then tell me that you recommend to go forward with the deal.

Start with the punchline.

It’s fine to put the details later. That way, you cover your bases, and anyone who wants to dig deeper can easily do so.

But don’t make that decision for the reader.

Admittedly, efficiency isn’t the goal in every interaction, but when there’s a point to get across, start with the Executive Summary.

-Brandon

(You might notice that this post, along with most of my blogs posts, is one situation in which I don’t start with the punchline. That’s because the punchline is rarely the purpose. It’s just a key element. If I started this post saying “Use Executive Summaries in all interactions!” it wouldn’t get the point across in the same way.)