Communication frameworks
A framework gives a difficult message a useful order. Learn five simple structures, when to use each one, and when a real conversation should not be squeezed into a template.
Communication frameworks are small structures that help you decide what comes first and what the listener needs next. They are most useful when the content is already yours but pressure, complexity, or habit makes the message hard to follow.
The five below cover a short update, a spoken point, feedback, a progress briefing, and a proposal. Do not memorise the initials without the purpose. The best framework is the one that removes confusion from the moment in front of you.
A two-minute lesson
Choose a framework from what the other person needs to do next. You do not need to memorise every acronym before one becomes useful.
Use BLUF. State the conclusion or request first, then give the reason and necessary detail.
Use SBI. Name the situation, observable behaviour, and impact before asking for their view.
Use What, So What, Now What. Explain what happened, why it matters, and what should happen next.
Try it nowTake one message you need to send today. Draft it once with BLUF and once with What, So What, Now What. Keep the version that makes the next action easiest to find.
The frameworks
Each example uses a real workplace message. Copy the order, not the exact words, and keep only the detail your audience needs to respond.
Bottom Line Up Front puts the answer, recommendation, or request first. Example: Approve a two-day launch delay so we can retest payments. One checkout test failed this morning, and shipping now risks duplicate charges. Use BLUF when the reader needs to decide quickly. Do not use it to flatten sensitive news that deserves a conversation.
PREP means Point, Reason, Example, Point. Example: We should keep the weekly customer call. It catches confusion before launch. Last month one question exposed a billing assumption that would have caused rework. So I recommend we keep the call and shorten it to thirty minutes. PREP helps when you are asked for a view on the spot. It can sound repetitive in a very short exchange.
Situation, Behavior, Impact separates what happened from a judgement about the person. Example: In Monday's review, when you answered before Elena finished the question, she stopped raising the pricing risk, and we discovered it a day later. Add a question or requested change after the impact. SBI is not enough for misconduct, formal performance action, or a conflict where safety and policy need to lead.
Start with what happened, explain why it matters, then state the next move. Example: Sign-ups fell twelve percent after the form change. The drop is concentrated on mobile, so it may be a usability problem rather than lower demand. We will restore the old form today and compare recovery by Friday. This works for briefings and retrospectives. It fails when the audience needs the decision before the analysis, where BLUF is better.
Name the problem in terms the audience recognises, offer one credible solution, and connect it to a result they care about. Example: New hires wait days for routine approvals. Give team leads a small pre-approved budget so work can start immediately and managers handle fewer requests. Use this for an early proposal. Add evidence, cost, risk, and alternatives before a high-stakes decision.
Quick selector
Start with what the other person must do with the message. The format follows the decision, not your favourite acronym.
Practice
Take a message you need to send this week and draft it with each structure. You will quickly see which one matches the job. A request for approval becomes clearer with BLUF. A project update becomes easier to follow with What, So What, Now What. Feedback becomes more factual with SBI.
Then remove the labels before sending. Your reader should experience a clear message, not a communication exercise. If the framework adds repetition or hides an important human reaction, loosen it. Structure should serve the conversation, not control it.
Where we fit
Cadence is our app, and this is the product disclosure. You can use every framework above without Cadence.
Cadence can build an ordered course around the situation where you want to use the framework, such as writing senior updates, giving feedback, running decision meetings, or explaining a proposal. A course can connect structure with listening, judgement, practice, and follow-through.
No app can decide whether your evidence is sound, whether a workplace feels safe for direct feedback, or how another person experienced your delivery. Use frameworks to organise your thinking, then use context and trusted human feedback to improve the real conversation.
Questions
Use BLUF for a decision or request, PREP for a spoken opinion, SBI for feedback, What, So What, Now What for an update, and Problem, Solution, Benefit for an early proposal. The best choice depends on what the other person needs to do next.
BLUF means Bottom Line Up Front. Put the conclusion, recommendation, or request first, then provide the reason and necessary detail. It is especially useful in email and senior updates where the reader needs to find the decision quickly.
PREP stands for Point, Reason, Example, Point. State your view, give the reason, add one concrete example, and return to the recommendation. It helps organise a short answer when someone asks for your opinion in a meeting or presentation.
SBI stands for Situation, Behavior, Impact. Name when the event happened, describe the observable behaviour, and explain its effect. Then ask for the other person's view and agree on the next change. The model keeps feedback specific but does not replace formal processes when they are needed.
They can if you recite labels or force every conversation into the same pattern. Use a framework privately to order your thinking, remove unnecessary repetition, and speak in your normal words. Sensitive or complex conversations may need more listening and flexibility than a template provides.
See it in concrete terms
These reviewed Cadence courses connect communication structures to the judgement and practice needed in real workplace moments.
Organize your point under pressure so updates, questions, and explanations sound clear without sounding rehearsed.
Make feedback specific, useful, and easier for a teammate to act on without burying the point.
Turn meetings into decisions, owners, and next steps instead of another hour of context sharing.
Write strategy docs that clarify the problem, tradeoffs, decision, and operating plan before alignment theater starts.
Keep learning in Cadence
Download Cadence to learn the structure, apply it to your situation, and connect it with listening, judgement, and follow-through.