Ian McAllister
Answer First, Explain After
Inspired by Ian McAllister episode
Ian McAllister's Amazon rule: when asked 'when will this ship?', give the date first, context after. Toddlers need this too.
At Amazon, Ian learned that people want the answer first. Not the journey, not the context. Just the answer. "When will this ship?" means tell them the date, not perform a one-act play about supply chain challenges.
Toddlers invented this communication style. "Can I have a snack?" is not your cue to launch into your TED talk on nutrition timing and blood sugar stabilization. They want yes or no. "Yes, after lunch" or "No, dinner's in ten minutes." One sentence. Done.
You start explaining before answering, and they've already stopped listening. They're still hunting for the answer while you're deep into paragraph three about why we don't eat crackers before dinner. Answer first. Then, if they're miraculously still calm, you can explain.
Business writing is toddler-proof. Bottom line up front. Everything else is optional.
