Clear Communication Guidelines
Principles for clear writing. Use as a reference when asking your Agent to review text.
I’ve started using these guidelines when asking my Agent to review my writing. Use this as a prompt for LLMs to review your own writing.
1. Paul Graham - “Write Simply”
URL: https://paulgraham.com/simply.html
Core idea: The less energy readers spend on your prose, the more they have for your ideas.
Key points:
Use ordinary words and simple sentences
“Saltintesta” - ideas should leap into the reader’s head; they barely notice the words
Fancy writing doesn’t just conceal ideas; it can conceal the lack of them
Simple writing keeps you honest - if you say nothing simply, it’s obvious
Simple writing lasts better (future readers, non-native speakers)
“I write simply because it offends me not to. Complexity seems clumsy, not fancy.”
2. Paul Graham - “How to Write Usefully”
URL: https://paulgraham.com/useful.html
Core idea: Useful writing = importance x novelty x correctness x strength
Key points:
Being correct isn’t enough - vague statements are technically correct but useless
“Useful writing is bold, but true”
Don’t publish weak sentences. Delete them.
Qualifications aren’t weakness - they express degree of certainty
“If you write a bad sentence, you don’t publish it. You delete it and try again.”
Simplicity is consideration for the reader
3. BLUF: Bottom Line Up Front
URL: https://www.animalz.co/blog/bottom-line-up-front/
Core idea: Military communications standard - put the most important details first.
Key points:
Don’t tease or delay your main point
Include all context needed to act - reduce back-and-forth
Bad: “Do you have time to chat?” / Good: Full question with context in one message
“Information higher up in the visual hierarchy is more likely to be retained”
First drafts reveal your thinking process - revise until that’s off the page
“Assume your readers are extremely busy people”