Bottom Line Up Front
When writing something up for someone to read, an effective way of getting your point across is to bring up the point first.
When writing something up for someone to read (or even when you're writing into the void like I am here), an effective way of getting your point across is to bring up the point first. What this means is you structure your communication as follows:
- Bottom line
- Key arguments
- Supporting content
Why go about this, though? Why not ease into the topic of conversation?
For starters, it keeps your writing focused on the key point you're trying to get across. As both the writer and reader, this means that you are laser-focused on your key point rather than trying to figure out what the point is while reading your key arguments.
Because of this, your reader can spend their energy on comparing your bottom line to your key arguments. The thought process goes from "okay, I see these arguments, but what are they trying to convey?" to "okay, this is your claim, now let's see if your points back it up".
In the United States military, this is an official standard, and is known by its acronym BLUF. If you're not a fan of military standards, then the Minto Pyramid is effectively the same approach.