The Main Message

Once you are clear about your purpose and have anticipated the reader’s main question, the next step in the dialogue is to formulate a clear answer to that main question. This answer is known as the main message, and it is crucial to the meaning of any document.

Your main message must be clearly stated near the beginning of the document. In e-mails, letters, and short documents, this usually means within the first paragraph or at least at the beginning of the second.

• In responsive documents, your main message quickly follows your responsive reminder. In effect, you are telling your reader that you have responded to their request (purpose) and now you are providing an answer (main message).
• In initiative documents, your main message is presented first or after a brief statement of context.

By providing the main message up front, you provide a service for busy readers by providing an overview at the beginning of the document that tells them what they need to know. After stating the main message, the dialogue then goes on to anticipate and answer all of the reader’s likely next questions. You will have a chance to practice anticipating and answering your reader’s questions later on in the module.