Communication Part 1: Say the main point first

Most messages and answers start with the story and end with the point. Turn that around, and people understand you in the first few seconds.

Why the order matters

When the point comes last, people have to hold every detail in their head without knowing what it's for. When it comes first, everything after it makes sense as support. That's true for a WhatsApp message, an answer in class and a job interview.

Aman's update

Aman's project team asks how the demo is going. He writes:

So yesterday I was testing the login page and it was working fine, but after I merged Priya's changes something broke, and I spent the whole evening on it, and I think it's the session code, so we might need another day.

The point, that the demo needs one more day, comes at the very end. Here it is the other way round:

The demo needs one more day. Login broke after yesterday's merge, probably in the session code. I'm fixing it tonight.

Same news, half the words, and nobody has to read it twice.

Point, reason, next step

A simple shape for almost anything you say or write:

1. The point: what you want them to know or do.
2. The reason: one or two lines on why.
3. The next step: what happens now, or what you need from them.

In class and in interviews

When a teacher asks a question, give your answer first: "I think it's B, because the loop never ends." Then explain if they want more.

In an interview, when they ask "Why do you want this role?", answer in one sentence, then back it up with one example: "I want to build things people use every day. In my final-year project, the part I liked most was watching classmates use our app and fixing what confused them."

When to ease in

With bad news, a short lead-in is kinder: "I've got some bad news about the fest budget." Then say it straight away. Don't make people wait through five sentences to find out what's wrong.

Try it

Take the last long message or email you sent. Rewrite it so the first line is the point, and count the words before and after.

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Next: Communication Part 2: Pace, pauses and fillers