Newspaper reporters have a somewhat unique style of writing. That is, they get all the essential information into the first paragraph or two, and everything after that elaborates on the content of that first paragraph.

They write that way for a reason: At any point after the first paragraph their articles may be cut. When editors and layout people finalize a paper, as they do every day, they cut articles to make them fit the space available. Their motto might well be, “All the news that’s cut to fit.”

The reporter style can help the rest of us when we’re not sure how much of our memos or messages will be read. For example, if I post an article to a bulletin board, I wouldn’t expect readers to spend a lot of time reading it. Instead, I’d assume they’ll read the headline at the top of the page and perhaps the first bit of it. After all, they may be just pausing on their way to or from the coffee room, or they may be interrupted by the arrival of another person.

On the other hand, if I distribute the message to each intended recipient personally, then I’d expect most of it to be read. Similarly, I might expect that the people who report to me will be more likely to read all of it than my peers.

In any case where there’s doubt that your whole message will be read, put the essential message in the first paragraph, as concisely and clearly as possible (yes, I know, conciseness and clarity can lead us in opposite directions).

For example, a first paragraph might read this way, “Effective immediately, please submit all completed expense reports directly to Accounts Payable, rather than to your supervisor.” Then, start a series of new paragraphs where you explain the reasons for the change, the benefits of the new policy, and anything else that’s relevant. Now, you know that at least the critical part got an airing, even if the rest did not.