Chapter 5
MAKING YOUR MAIN POINT EASY TO FIND
Chapter overview
This chapter looks closely at the third and final key element of Plain English: using a clear
structure.
Brief outline of the chapter
I. Start with your main point. Many senior executives would consider this the most important
advice in the book.
II. Use a blueprint. I emphasize that blueprints are extremely useful for anything longer than a
page or so. They announce the structure of the writing — and bring structure to it!
III. Create “to do” lists for your readers. If your document asks your readers to respond to
more than one thing, this section suggests making a list of those things rather than
scattering the requests throughout the document.
IV. Exercises.
General comments
Once you get to this chapter, it’s a good idea to look for bottom lines in the e-mail students send
each other in response to exercises — especially in the subject line.
Someone is sure to suggest that readers may stop reading if the bottom line is up front. I think
readers are more likely to stop reading if the writing begins with some background that confuses
them. From my experience, almost all readers — in the workplace — want the bottom line as
soon as possible.
Here’s the way I approach the importance of putting the main point up front:
1. I ask the class what are some of the reasons writers give for putting the main point at the
end. They’ll usually come up with the ideas of making sure readers read everything,
building the case first for the main point, and putting controversial ideas at the end.
2. Then I ask what the members of the class do, as readers, when they’re reading a 10-page
document and the main point isn’t up front. They’re certain to say that they skip to the
end—to find it.
3. So then I say, “So it doesn’t matter what reason writers give for putting the main point at
the end. Readers aren’t going to put up with it! They’ll either just stop reading, or they’ll
skip to the end!”
4. I then ask if they’ve ever skipped to the end, started over, and the beginning suddenly
made sense. That’s because they now have the main point that gives them the content
they needed.
5. And I finish by saying that, if the main point is controversial, they need to be careful with
their tone when they put the main point up front. And if the main point needs a bit of
context so people can understand it—then a little bit of context (I hold my fingers about
an inch apart) is okay.
Blueprints are also extremely important in business writing. How important? Very. Anytime a
document runs longer than a page or so, readers appreciate having a blueprint up front.
Here are some things to look for with a blueprint:
• Does it come just before what it blueprints? That is, there shouldn’t be any extra
explanatory information between the blueprint and the first heading.
• Are the blueprint items parallel?
• Do the headings match the blueprint? Short blueprint items should have identical
headings to match; longer blueprint items should have headings made up of key words or
phrases from the blueprint.
I urge students to use blueprints on the first paper they write after learning about them.
Additional exercise
This investigative report suffers greatly from poor structure. Ask students to rewrite it following
the principles in this chapter:
On October 1, at approximately 9:45 a.m., I observed Ms. Amy Norby leaving her apartment and
On October 2, at approximately 7:35 p.m., I observed Ms. Norby leaving her apartment wearing
This information is relevant because Ms. Norby has claimed that she should receive
When the students finish, look for good layout in their writing, too!
Notes on the exercises
Exercise A (looking for the bottom line in The Wall Street Journal)
Exercise B (finding the bottom line in a journal or professional magazine)
Often journals and professional magazines put the bottom line in an abstract. Too often though,
Exercise C (rewriting a memo starting with the bottom line)
Some students see being kind to the environment as the bottom line. I don’t argue a lot with that,
Exercise D (analyzing the writing in a journal or professional magazine)
I tell my students to assume I haven’t read the article they’re analyzing. It’s common in business
For example, if students think the writer has a good way with words, they can quote a couple of
Exercise E (creating a Web site report)
This is a great exercise! Consider using it for any paper students write, especially for the final
Is the exercise practical? Yes! For example, would you rather read the paper version of an audit
report or a Web version? Your first response might be that the paper version would be easier on
In other words, moving from a linear report on paper to a hyperlinked report on the Web can