Writing Memos That Get Read

The bottom-line-up-front rule governs everything on the Hill: your recommendation goes in the first sentence, the reasoning follows, and the supporting detail comes last for the reader who wants it.

Keep it to one page. A principal reading twenty memos before a vote will thank you for ruthless editing, and the discipline of cutting forces you to actually know what you think.

Format for scanning — clear headers, short paragraphs, and a single ask. The staffer whose memos never need a follow-up question quickly becomes the one whose memos get read first.