BLUF

BLUF is the acronym for Bottom Line Up Front, a method of placing conclusions at the beginning rather than the end. The alternative is BLAB (Bottom Line at Bottom); most managers hate this.

BLUF (communication)

This article is about the communication principle. For other BLUF acronyms, see BLUF (disambiguation).

A BLUF (bottom line up front) is acronym for a standard military communication that is precise and powerful. Precision is attained by beginning a message with the bottom line so the reader immediately gets the most important information first. This differs from an older, more-traditional style in which conclusions and recommendations are included at the end, following the arguments and considerations of facts. The concept is not exclusive to writing since it can also be used in conversations and interviews.

A BLUF differs from an abstract or executive summary in that it is simpler and more concise. It is similar to a thesis statement.

This form of writing is not the far from how journalism is taught via the inverted pyramid. The inverted pyramid is the lead, the body, the tail and segments information on where the reader is expected to stop reading based on their level of interest or time. The inverted pyramid strength is in getting the most important information up front for the reader. That information and structure of writing is often carried forward into each section and even into the paragraph depending on the material.

The term is common in US military writing.

Source: Wikipedia
Creative Commons License This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 License.