Imagine that there are some secret principles of communication, using which you are doomed to success. You manage to convey information to a client, partner, boss, spouse, your child, an opponent, a neighbor... or any person so that he signs an agreement, makes a purchase, raises your salary or gives you a new position, agrees to all your conditions, and so on, in general, you get the desired result. Is this possible? Yes. Your secret weapon is the Minto Pyramid. Use it in negotiations, correspondence, polemics, your publications, in any form of communication with other people, and the consequences will pleasantly surprise you.
What is the Minto Pyramid Principle?
The Minto Pyramid Principle, also called the McKinsey Pyramid Principle, is a tool used to process and structure large amounts of information to tell a story, message, or presentation without leaving out important details. The principle of the McKinsey pyramid is to focus on the main idea of writing or presentations. This allows you to grab your audience's attention and create a compelling story that is easy to remember and understand.
The Minto pyramid principle is applied by structuring ideas and arguments after the thesis statement. The information presented subsequently branches into specific details in a clear and meaningful manner.
The Pyramid Principle, a book written by Barbara Minto, was published in the 1970s by McKinsey & Company. Barbara Minto trained new employees, turning them into expert consultants in a short time.
Help the reader - structure your thoughts in the form of a pyramid
When preparing a document, many imagine its future content, but do not have a specific plan - what to say and how to formulate it.
They just start writing, hoping that the structure will emerge on its own. The result is a messy narrative that the reader will have to figure out. Continued after advertisement:
The mind prefers order. He even arranges random data in a certain order.
Example. The ancient Greeks saw clusters of stars as animal figures, not random dots.
When reading, a person automatically tries to arrange information in the form of a pyramid, the foundation of which is justification and arguments that support the conclusions. In this form, it is easier for the reader to “digest” the information.
Example. “The seats were cold. I almost got into a fight. Italy lost. It was a really terrible football game." Such a “story” is very poorly structured, since the key idea is indicated only at the end.
According to the structure of the pyramid, a generalization is first introduced and then an argument is given. The above story is easier to understand if it is structured differently.
Example. “It was a really terrible football match: cold seats, I almost got into a fight and Italy lost.”
Structure
Writing texts, giving presentations or preparing recommendations based on the Minto pyramid principle is carried out by applying the three levels of the pyramid described below:
Start with an answer, a thesis, or a key point.
The use of a top-down pyramid structure in communication methods implies that the question asked is answered directly. This could be recommendations, research findings, a thesis statement, or other key aspects.
The Minto Pyramid Principle transforms the traditional method used to develop the final solution. Typically, the conclusion of a text or presentation is given after the facts have been presented and after a discussion of the analytical findings and ideas presented. Using Minto's Pyramid Principle, Barbara Minto explains why the answer must be clear and specific. And only after this are given supporting arguments or motivations. The main reasons for this are to maximize and make efficient use of the audience's limited time. For example, most negotiations with superiors involve providing recommendations. The reason for making a recommendation first and then offering motivation is that often managers already see the conclusions or recommendations that result from the many arguments and reasons provided. This happens because they think vertically, focusing on the bigger picture.
Moreover, the method of direct messages is more persuasive than negotiations, which are conducted in an evasive manner. The style of direct messages is a demonstration of persistence and self-confidence.
Group arguments and summarize main points
Now that the key point has been made, it is time to discuss the reasons or motivation for giving the presentation. According to the Minto pyramid principle, this level involves combining all arguments into main ideas. Each idea is a summary of a specific recommendation or response, starting with the first step.
Present supporting information and ideas logically
The pyramid then branches from each argument down to the lowest level, where supporting information and ideas are provided that should demonstrate the validity of the arguments presented. These three levels form a pyramidal structure.
Always give priority to the big picture idea at the top of the pyramid. Clarity and logic of presentation can be applied to storytelling by paying attention to the structure and order of arguments.
If the arguments and ideas presented include a particular flow, repetition, or cause-and-effect constructs, they should be arranged in chronological order. It is also a good idea to present the most important arguments and ideas first.
Preface
In 1973, I published six articles entitled “The Pyramid Principle,” which introduced a new method for detecting logical errors in written documents, particularly consultant reports. I explained that the text is easily perceived only if it is structured according to the pyramid principle.
The variety of relationships between statements in such a pyramid is limited to three logical directions (up, down and sideways), which makes it possible to formulate general rules.
The pyramid principle was developed by me while working at McKinsey & Company, first in Cleveland and then in London. McKinsey quickly realized that my calling was not numbers, but texts.
While studying report writing manuals, I discovered an interesting fact: an incredible number of books talked about how to write sentences and paragraphs, but there was not a single one that taught how to build reasoning. Not a single book said “think logically” or “make a logical plan.” Then I asked myself what generally distinguishes a logical plan from an illogical one. And I discovered that this difference lies in the “pyramidal” structure.
This structure can be used in any document. Let's take a simple letter as an example. First, let's look at it in its original form, and then in its edited form.
In 1967, some experienced McKinsey employees pointed out the weaknesses of the concept and helped correct them. Today, the pyramid principle I developed is a McKinsey standard.
In 1973, I left McKinsey to introduce my ideas to a wider circle of people. To date, about 10,000 employees of consulting firms and companies from different countries have taken my course. The first two editions of this book were published in 1981 and 1987. A video course was also created (in 1981 - the first version, in 2003 - the second) and a computer program (in 1985).
I'm glad that as a result of my many years of work, the Minto Pyramid Principle has become a standard in the consulting industry, and the basic pyramid concept has been used in many other courses.
Many years of teaching experience and recent work on a new version of the video course allowed me to take a fresh look at my concept, improve and expand it.
Here is a new version of the book, which combines all the rules and techniques of the reasoning process that I have developed. It contains new chapters on ways to identify and analyze errors in the construction of text, as well as on visually displaying the structure of the pyramid on the page or screen.
The book consists of four parts.
• Some changes were made to the first part (“Logic in Writing”) compared to the previous edition. This explains the pyramid principle and shows how to use it. After reading this part, you will master the technique of drafting simple documents.
• The second part (“Logic in Reasoning”) tells how to look critically at your reasoning and make sure your generalizations are correct.
• The third part (“Logic in problem solving”) is completely new. It is intended for those who have to write consulting documents or analyze complex problems and present their conclusions based on them. It describes the principles of analysis that allow you to build your reasoning in the form of a pyramid at this stage.
• Part four (“Logic in Presentations”) discusses techniques for using pyramid principles in oral presentations.
You will have to do a lot of work before you learn to apply the principles of the pyramid. However, if you follow the guidelines offered in this book, you will be able to:
a) quite significantly reduce the time spent on preparing the final document;
b) improve the clarity of the text;
c) reduce its volume.
The result of your efforts should be a clear and concise text of the document, compiled in record time.
Application
It is not surprising that the pyramid principle originated in the field of organizational consulting. This is where larger and more complex written assignments are on the agenda. Structuring texts according to the principle of the Minto pyramid allows them to be shortened, made clearer and more understandable for perception. This also provides great benefits for the writer. By thinking about the coherence of ideas in advance, they can be put down on paper more effectively, and the main and supporting issues can be more easily identified. Facts and ideas are organized in such a way as to make the text more persuasive. In addition, training staff using such a structure gives an advantage to a person who chooses his words more carefully in everyday life, including labor relations. Eliminating all irrelevant issues gives the employee the opportunity to highlight what is important and increase the likelihood of receiving a promotion.
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Standard methods of transmitting information
The author of the book believes that at the beginning of any text there should be a generalizing category, a statement, like a pyramidion - the main stone at the head of the pyramid. Causal chains of connections descend from it.
When a person reads, he perceives facts from top to bottom. When he writes the text himself, he summarizes his thoughts “bottom-up”, connecting sentences into paragraphs. These are the standard ways of transmitting information.
So, the construction scheme is as follows:
- To better understand information, the reader involuntarily breaks it down into subordinate blocks, grouping ideas according to the pyramid principle.
- Any group of ideas is easier to understand if it is initially structured this way.
- Therefore, any document should be composed in the form of a pyramid of ideas.
Advantages and Disadvantages of Using the McKinsey Pyramid Principle
According to Barbara Minto, using the Minto pyramid principle provides a number of advantages compared to other appeal writing schemes:
- more effective writing due to the preliminary construction of thoughts and ideas;
- assisting the reader by incorporating reading strategies directly into the text;
- consistent quality;
- greater persuasiveness;
- The principle of the Minto pyramid is similar to the work of the human brain.
However, there are a number of disadvantages of using the Minto pyramid principle:
- the tool requires extensive experience in creating effective texts;
- there is a risk of repetition of information;
- and this makes it difficult to formulate meaningful conclusions;
- Minto's pyramid principle is effective primarily for texts with a clear conclusion or recommendation, and not for other types of texts.
Multi-level system
The order of constructing a pyramid is to divide the main idea into secondary ones. Each subsequent level involves dividing the goal into two, four, six blocks for reflection. All processes must be logically and chronologically followed. The number of tiers of the pyramid is not limited
But it is important to remember that the resources of the human brain are not limitless. It is capable of adequately processing only a certain amount of information
If the speaker has something to say, it is necessary to divide his material into 3-4 blocks, not counting the main idea. With a large flow of new thoughts, a person loses concentration and quickly gets tired.
Level 2 - Feedback Loops
Level “Feedback required”
Feedback is needed at this level. In traditional offices, people forward letters to each other - that is, after completing work, an employee sends a letter asking for feedback. In this case, the employee does not expect an immediate response - he assumes that he will be contacted soon. In this case, the employee from whom the answer is required is also not distracted, but his help is still needed. At this level, communication occurs through feedback.
Find suitable ideas
There is no need to collect all the data on the meeting topic.
Find a few ideas that answer questions that are important to your listeners. For example, you will discuss participation in online conferences with the owner of the company, the director and fellow managers. Let's try to find ideas that support our main idea from the positions of our interlocutors:
- The goals we set for live events will be achieved in online conferences.
- We will save a third of the budget for participation in events without missing out on key events.
- We will prepare a plan for integration into online conferences in three days. It won't be difficult.
Structure recommendations based on the outcome that can be achieved
You have found a solution to the reader's problem. Now we need to convince him to take action. Make your recommendations as convincing as possible.
By making a recommendation, you are making a proposal for action aimed at achieving the desired result. Group actions based on the outcome you are trying to achieve and describe it so that you can understand later whether it was achieved.
Example. The reader wants to increase his profit.
Poorly structured recommendations look like this:
1. Study the indicators:
- plant productivity;
- customer satisfaction.
2. Provide training more often:
- plant personnel;
- sales department employees.
There are two main problems with such a structure: first, although the grouped actions are superficially similar, they are aimed at achieving different results; secondly, the desired results need to be detailed in order to subsequently judge whether they were achieved.
So the following structure is clearer and more convincing:
1. Increase in sales volume by 5% in the next quarter:
- study customer satisfaction;
- Provide more frequent training to your sales staff.
2. Reduce production costs by 2% in the next quarter:
- study plant performance;
- Conduct plant personnel training more often.
Actions are now grouped based on desired results. Subsequently, you can easily judge whether the goals were actually achieved.
