Clarity
Bottom line first
Get the most important information to the listener before the supporting detail.
The shape
- Bottom line
- Essential context
- Evidence
- Detail
Why that order
A senior listener can understand the decision immediately and then choose how much more they want. Building up to the conclusion makes them hold everything in suspense until you are finished, and they will not.
A worked example
We should delay the launch by one week. The payment system has not completed reliability testing. The remaining testing should finish by Thursday. I can share the detailed results if useful.
You have it right when
The listener could act correctly having heard only the first sentence.
What usually goes wrong
Giving the conclusion with too little context to trust it. Bottom line first is not bottom line only.
Used in
Where this shape does its work in a real situation.
A framework tells you what shape the answer takes. It cannot tell you whether shape is what you are short of, and for most people it is not. Which one is yours, and whether a framework is the right instrument at all, is what a Discovery Call is for.
Take the AssessmentOr read the whole glossary first.