Begin with your main point

- Have you ever heard the saying put the bottom line up front? The phrase comes from the world of accounting, and a simple tally shows why we call it the bottom line. Most readers want to read the bottom line, the main message first. Readers think tell me nine first. If you think I also need to know one plus one plus three plus four, okay, but tell me what it all adds up to first. Put the bottom line up front is a good model for plain language writers. Let me show you an example of how to do that. Imagine you're writing an article on the best way to quit smoking. You've done some planning and have decided to write the article in four sections. Why people get addicted, what it does to your health, why it's so hard to quit, and which method of quitting works best. That's not going to work. That sequence puts the main point last. The reader would have to read all those other sections before getting to the part they need, which way of quitting smoking works best? A plain language writer wouldn't organize the article this way. Here's a much better option. You've included the other three sections, but you've put them after the main point section on which quit smoking method works best. You've answered your readers most pressing question first, and here's another great option. Skip the other sections altogether, and just focus on answering the readers main question. Here are three tips for learning how to write documents that begin with the main point. Before you begin writing, list your readers questions on your topic. Arrange them in order of importance to your reader, not to you, a ranked list of readers questions is an early plain language outline. Remember that plain language writing helps readers take action. Readers want to use what they read, so feature the get stuff done sections, and whenever possible, eliminate the rest. Rethink, don't just reuse the information sequence you've inherited from an earlier version of the document. Lots of business writing involves reusing previous versions of a report, email blast or tip sheet, but plain language writers take time to rethink whether the old version puts the main message first. Let's say, for example, that you have to update the donate webpage for your non-profit organization. The old version starts with two paragraphs about the founders of your non-profit who have now retired. You don't need to keep those opening paragraphs in your updated version. The readers main question at a website's donate page is why should I donate to this organization? So you should answer that question first. Cut the two paragraphs about the founders or you can move them to the about us page, but don't leave them on the donate page just because they were already there. Plain language writers have a how can I make things easy for you attitude toward their readers. Instead of thinking about the points they want to make, they think about the information their readers want and need.