I’m not talking about playing cards better. And no, I didn’t misspell BLUF or leave my Caps Lock on accidentally. BLUF stands for Bottom Line Up Front.
How many times a day do you wish your emails would get right to the point, so you’re tuned in on what you need to know (or actually do) in response to yet another inbox assault? If you’re like me, you read way too many emails where you have to slog all the way to the bottom just to figure out what the sender wanted. Let’s flip that around and make your emails the ones people are actually glad to see.
How do you do that?
You got it: BLUF.
Think of it as compassionate communication. State the point after the greeting, then provide the background your recipient needs to take action (or at least to know what’s going on).
Here’s a quick BLUF checklist:
Before you hit send, ask: What do I want the recipient to do with this email?
If you need help, ask for it up front.
If it’s for information only, say so. A quick “FYI:” tells them they can read and file, not stress and guess. (And hopefully, it won’t go straight to the “File 13” graveyard.)
I’ll admit, there are times I’m convinced my email is perfectly clear—until I pause and ask myself, What am I really asking for? More often than not, I have to sharpen my BLUF and rewrite that first sentence to save the reader (and myself) some headaches.
Spend a few extra seconds getting good at this, and your email recipients will notice. Fast, clear communication is a gift—they get their time back, and you build a reputation as someone who adds value, not volume.
Make BLUF your habit, and soon you’ll find your emails getting read (maybe even appreciated), because you’re helping people get to what matters—fast.
