bluf rewriter

Stop burying the lede in business communications. This skill forces the "Bottom Line Up Front" (BLUF) principle onto your drafts, eliminating "organ music" and throat-clearing that kills reader attention. It identifies the core message hidden in your paragraphs and moves it to the very first sentence.

What it does

• Identifies the lede by scanning your draft for the one essential sentence the reader must walk away with.
• Eliminates throat-clearing by deleting sentences that summarize what you are about to say or recap known context.
• Restructures for impact by applying specific frameworks like the "Three Reasons Memo" or the "Decision Memo."
• Formats for readability using bold highlights for the bottom line, bulleted evidence, and intentional white space.
• Optimizes subject lines for executive visibility to ensure the message isn't lost in a truncated inbox view.

How it works

1. Analyze: You provide a draft memo, email, or report containing "buried" information.
2. Select Structure: The skill chooses between a Three Reasons, Executive Update, or Decision Memo format based on the content.
3. Execute BLUF: It isolates the conclusion, moves it to sentence one, and deletes all "organ music."
4. Compare: It provides a side-by-side comparison of the original opening versus the BLUF rewrite.

Frameworks & tools

This skill implements Kramon's BLUF rule and military writing principles. It works with any text-based business communication including Markdown, plain text, and email drafts.

Why this beats prompting it yourself

Generic prompts often just "summarize," which can lose the urgency or specific "ask" of a professional memo. This skill strictly enforces a structural hierarchy that prioritizes the conclusion over context, ensuring your point is never missed even if the reader only looks at the first five seconds of your message.

Use cases

• Rewriting quarterly status updates to highlight blockers and wins immediately.
• Converting long, defensive "bad news" emails into transparent, ownership-driven reports.
• Drafting decision memos for leadership that lead with a recommendation.
• Shortening Slack or Teams announcements to ensure the "ask" is visible without scrolling.

Known limitations

The skill is designed for business and technical communication. It is not suitable for creative writing, storytelling, or academic papers where building tension or chronological context is the goal.