It is easier on the reader. The statement of the complication should immediately raise the question you have written down. The problem is either that you do not like the result (‘Sales are down 10%) or that you cannot explain the result (‘What determines what we think? The Pyramid Principle by Barbara Minto - Book Summary This is my summary of the book ‘The Pyramid Principle: Logic in Writing and Thinking‘ by Barbara Minto. The Minto Pyramid Principle® is the powerful and compelling process for producing everyday business documents – to-the-point memos, clear reports, successful proposals, or dynamic presentations. Or more specifically, how do I eliminate the causes of lost hours?”. The Pyramid Principle explains in detail how written documents and presentations can be logically structured, and the methods described in the book are used by almost every major management consultancy on the planet. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of. Induction defines a group of facts or ideas to be the same kind of thing, and then makes a statement (or inference) about that sameness. Simple historical occurrences do not exist as the result of logical thought, and therefore cannot be included as ideas. Once you have the question, everything else will fall into place relatively easily. The Pyramid Principle is used the consulting world over – whether during interim internal discussions or executive-level presentations. What is the first thing you can say about it to the reader that you know they will agree is true - either because they know it,or because it is historically true and easily checkable? It is boring, primarily because they make a mystery story out of what should be a straightforward point. Or maybe she’s surprised at the amount tolerated in the consulting profession.’), “And of course facial hair has been a part of the London scene for at least 10 years.”, (‘Ah,’ you think, ‘at last I see what she’s getting it. If you find yourself going beyond that, you have probably overlooked an opportunity to group, and should rethink what you are saying. If it was formed by commenting on an existing structure, the ideas go organized structurally (Boston, New York, Washington): For example org charts, or picturing the structure of an industry. Like a pyramid, the information you present should branch out as you move on towards specific details of the discussion. It can’t take very much to remind someone of what they already know. (from: The Pyramid Principle) Q A S C The SCQA method is a tool to define different elements in your story. At the paragraph level, deductive arguments are lovely, and present an easy-to-follow flow. There are two problems in the organization. Something went wrong, perhaps, some problem arose, or some logical discrepancy became apparent. They mostly contain quotes from the book as well as some of my own thoughts. Inspire your readers to ask the question you wish to address. “I was in Zurich last week - you know what a conservative city Zurich is - and we went out to lunch at an outdoor restaurant. Click here to browse more book summaries. If you find can’t make a statement about the subject, then either you have the wrong subject, or you’re starting in the wrong place to talk about it. The main recommendation is on top. Look at the kind of statement you are making: An action statement, telling the reader to do something. Specifically, they must obey three rules: (1) ideas at any level in the pyramid must always be summaries of the ideas grouped below them, (2) ideas in each grouping must always be the same kind of idea, (3) ideas in each grouping must always be logically ordered." This book is not yet featured on Listopia. The Minto Pyramid Principle: A powerful and compelling process for producing everyday business documents. Each course is limited to 10-14 people, each of whom gets a book and a thorough analysis of his or her current approach to writing. Make them as concise as possible. The Pyramid Principle By Barbara Minto Pdf Download > DOWNLOAD Always give the summarizing idea before you give the individual ideas being summarized. When you identify a problem, essentially what you do is recognize that a particular situation yields a specific result. Or genetic makeup?’). Limit the wording to the essence of the thought. Be the first to ask a question about Pyramid Principle - A Summary of Barbara Minto's Book about Logic in Writing and Thinking. In that situation something will have occurred (the complication) that caused them to raise (or would cause them to raise) the question to which your document will give them answers. I enjoyed this book and would recommend you read it yourself (check it out on Amazon). Step 2: Decide the question. Pyramid Principle: Just like the name implies, the idea is that the presentation logic looks like a pyramid. Arrange known material in a narrative form. Keep digging until (1) you are sure you have identified all the parts in the system, (2) you can arrange them in sequential order, and (3) you can clearly show inputs and outputs. The Pyramid Principle explained. The Pyramid Principle will show you how to communicate your ideas clearly and succinctly.Barbara Minto reveals that the mind automatically sorts information into distinctive pyramidal groupings. Easy reading of agreeable points is apt to render them more receptive to your ideas than confused plodding through a morass of detail. Minto Books International, Inc. The purpose of the monopolies law is to stimulate production and distribution, → The union monopoly over manpower stops production and distribution, → Therefore the unions should be controlled by the monopolies law. She based her thinking around ideas ranging from Aristotle’s Rhetoric and other sources on logic throughout history.Her pyramid principle works really well with the consulting problem solving process as it … They are often not read carefully, and you cannot depend on them to carry your message. ), “And you know, if you walk around any New York office you can rarely find even one person who doesn’t have sideburns or a moustache.”, (now what am I getting at? It sure looks like 2021 is shaping up to be a year of... To see what your friends thought of this book, Pyramid Principle - A Summary of Barbara Minto's Book about Logic in Writing and Thinking (Blinkist Summaries), “When preparing a document, most people have a pretty good idea of what they intend to write about but no specific plan for what to say or how to phrase it.”, “The mind prefers order to disorder, and even imposes imagined order on random data it encounters. recommendations, reasons, problems, changes to be made, …). Pyramid Principle: Just like the name implies, the idea is that the presentation logic looks like a pyramid. Sales and marketing executives, business development managers, and other professionals can leverage this set to present their findings, logics, and recommendations beautifully. (the magical number 7, +/- 2 - George A. Miller). Minto Pyramid Principle, also referred to as the McKinsey’s Pyramid Principle, is a C = Then suddenly 35,000 years ago we get art all over Europe. This is now the heart of the structured analysis that the top strategy consulting firms like McKinsey, BCG and Bain (the MBBs) use to solve client problems.. Is it the structure of the brain? Sequential analysis: When faced with a problem, answer the following questions in order: Example: “We’re losing 2 hours of productivity a day. Since the headings indicate levels of abstraction in the pyramid, you can never have only one item at each level. Going through the problem solving process ( SCQA and synthesis ) will help you turn a mountain of seemingly complex information into something that will begin to make sense. When you divide a whole into its parts, whether it be a physical whole or a conceptual one, you must make sure that the pieces you produce are MECE (mutually exclusive of each other, collectively exhaustive in terms of the whole). Some companies have shifted their attention to emerging markets like China and India, but by ignoring Japan they are making a big mistake.”, S = US/Europen companies frustrated with Japan, C = Have shifted attention to China/India. Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read. It should start with an answer to an issue, and then supported by data to explain the answer. You can define in advance whether or not you have built the structure properly by checking to see whether your ideas relate to each other in a way that would permit them to form pyramidal groups. If the first idea is a step in a process, the rest of the ideas in the grouping must also be steps in the same process. You should first define that relationship for yourself, and then state it for the reader. S = For 2.5 million years we had only stone tools. The absence of necessary leadership and coordination for senior operating and staff executives results in … (list of problems), The problems stemming from a lack of full-time leadership are compounded by overlapping or unwieldy responsibility assignments …, “Solving a problem simply means representing it so as to make the solution transparent.” - Herb Simon. According to this method, every story should be based upon four elements, the S, C, Q and A. My notes are informal and tailored to my own interests at the time of reading. Ideas at any level in the pyramid must always be summaries of the ideas grouped below them. Every grouping implies an overall point that reflects the nature of the relationship between the ideas in the grouping. Gothic romance, dueling family restaurants, West African magic, and much, much more! ), Something could change (--> how should we react? Take The Minto Pyramid Principle Online Course at Whatstudy.com Don’t regard headings as part of text. The core idea of the pyramid principle is that communication should be pyramid shaped, with a single thought (at the top of the pyramid) supported by a number of arguments … ‘Appoint a full-time chief executive to provide clear central authority’ is too long. Dinero (Resumen) de Laura Whateley Include only the information that will be relevant to the reader’s question. No single executive has full-time responsibility for directing group affairs. The main recommendation is on top. The situation and the complication can be as long as three or four paragraphs, but never more than that. You should impose the proper order: create a comprehensive structure that identifies the major ideas and their flow, and organize the minor ideas to support them. We cannot in conscience go on charging clients for work that does not yield significant benefits and maintain our high reputation. 3 steps to solve a problem), they become a process or system. ‘Probably she disapproves of the new style. Step 1: Write down the subject you are discussing. SCQ FrameworkSM. It is generally easier to start at the top and work down because you begin by thinking about the things that it is easiest for you to be sure of - your subject and the reader’s knowledge of it, which you will remind them of in the introduction. In addition to new kinds of stone tools, we find symbolic objects: the first adornments of the body, in the form of beads and pendants, and the first known attempts at painting and sculpture. The Pyramid Principle encapsulates an efficient, functional way of communicating where you deliver key conclusions first and then go on to supply supporting information.. We can use the pyramid principle in many different contexts, but it is particularly crucial to adhere to in delivering your client recommendation at the end of your case study. The only way you can be confident of its relevance is to make sure that it directly answers a question you have identified as already existing in their mind. Your introduction tells the reader what they already know or could reasonably be expected to know about the subject you are discussing, and thus reminds them of the question they have to which they can expect the document to give them an answer. The order in which you present your thinking makes your writing clear or unclear: If a person’s writing is unclear, it is most likely because the ordering of the ideas conflicts with the capability of the reader’s mind to process them. In the last year she has taught the Minto Pyramid Principle in Singapore, Dubai, Oslo, and Munich, as well as Boston, Chicago, and San Francisco. A short summary of this paper. A situation statement, telling the reader about something. You’ve made the dilemma immediately clear to everyone … This is a seminal concept in executive communication, and has spread like a virus from McKinsey to every other con… It is built on mid-level recommendations, each of which are supported by smaller facts, data , … Always put historical chronology in the introduction. Refresh and try again. Do you know that within 15 minutes I must have seen 15 people with either a beard or a moustache.”, (now I have given you a piece of information and without realizing it you will automatically make some assumptions about the reason for my giving you that information. If it was formed by working out cause-and-effect relationships, the ideas go in time order, chronologically (first, second, third): Whenever you make statements in writing that tell the reader to do something, you do so because you believe the action will have a particular effect. Concerned (complication - situation - solution): To my knowledge, no one in the London Office has yet conducted a single diversification study for a client that has yielded demonstrable results beyond what he could have done for himself. You write primarily to tell people what they don’t know. Make a statement about the subject that you know the reader will agree with because you are telling them something they already know. The Pyramid Principle is the concept covered by the book by Barbara Minto and describes the way that strategy consultants (like myself in a former life) are taught to construct their arguments.. Every document you write will always be structured to support only one single thought - the one that summarizes your final set of groupings. One excellent tool is the pyramid principle by an ex-McKinsey consultant by the name of Barbara Minto. This situation is startling, since our practice in this area over the past 5 years has grown by 40%. Download our Pyramid Principle PPT template to showcase the key idea with supporting arguments in a visually appealing manner. This cultural explosion occurred at the same time over large parts of western and eastern Europe. Visual thinking in the Ice Age (National Geographic): “For the first 2.5 million years of the archeological record, the only artifacts left by man were strictly utilitarian: stone tools. (Report), If we accept the common usage of words, nothing can be more readily disproved than the old saw, ‘You can’t keep a good man down.’ (Book). Thoroughly assess different courses of action. Make transitions unobtrusive yet clear, primarily through picking up the key word or phrase and carrying it forward. This should be the major point you want to make, and all the ideas grouped underneath - provided you have built the structure properly - will serve to explain or defend that point in even greater detail. Limit the introduction to what the reader will agree is true: The introduction is meant to tell the reader only what they already know. There are never more than four points in a chained deductive argument, and never more than five in an inductive one. Complication = You asked if it makes sense, Subpoints: will give us all the information we need; will increase our cash flow; will reduce our workload, Use inductive reasoning at higher levels, and deductive reasoning only at paragraph level. ), Here’s what you might expect to find in it (--> do we find it? Two situations in which the argument might be more important to the reader than the action: If he is going to disagree strongly with your conclusion, so you must prepare him to accept it. A grouping of steps that represents a process or system always goes in time order. There must be a specific reason why the second idea comes second, and cannot come first or third. Hand-Picked Top-Read Stories. If you have any children you know that the best stories in the whole world are ones they already know. It is organized in six sections as follows: …, Some more helpful pointers for better communication. I suggest, therefore, that we conduct a firm development project to determine how can make diversification studies an area of our practice that is proven to bring significant benefit to clients. You cannot simply group together a set of ideas and assume your reader will understand their significance. Or maybe she’s going to compare the style in various offices. Then your reader will not question its truth. There are no discussion topics on this book yet. Any point you make must raise a question in the reader’s mind, which you must answer on the line below (horizontally): Your document should be a question/answer dialogue. The key skill is to be able to recognize which are your major and which your minor ideas, and work out their relationships within the structure. Barbara Minto. If they don’t already know, make sure that the point being made can be easily checked by an objective observer and deemed to be a true statement. Welcome back. Such judgments can only be based on experience in the industry or in solving similar problems. Make sure you know what question it is you are trying to answer. The deductive points derive from each other, the inductive points do not. So let’s get to the meat. This question/answer dialogue cannot be counted on to engage their interest unless the statement that starts it off is relevant to them. This is my summary of the book ‘The Pyramid Principle: Logic in Writing and Thinking‘ by Barbara Minto. Deduction presents a line of reasoning that leads to a ‘therefore’ conclusion, and the point above is a summary of that line of reasoning, resting heavily on the final point. that its order reflects a process, a structure, or a classification). I show you how I map the pyramid principle to a short presentation I created to research the question "how do you manage a millennial?" Never has clear, convincing communication been as important as in today’s information-cluttered environment. In inductive reasoning the mind notices that several different things (ideas, events, facts) are similar in some way, brings them together in a group, and comments on the significance of their similarity. Cracking Japanese Markets (New York Times): “With the strong yen creating an increasingly competitive environment and Washington achieving a conspicuous lack of success in trade negotiations, many executives in the US and Europe have abandoned their search for new opportunities in the Japanese market. The pyramid principle was invented by Barbara Minto at McKinsey. If the first idea in a grouping is a reason for doing something, the other ideas in the same grouping must also be reasons for doing the same thing. In conscience go on charging clients for work that does not yield significant benefits maintain. First noncontroversial statement about it you can never have only one single thought - the one that summarizes your set... Some problem arose, or a classification ) you mean by ‘ the problem you identify a problem se. They need to do so noncontroversial statement about the subject that you never. Are likely to prove equally important in solving the problem the argument groupings to! Went wrong ( -- > do we find it of logical thought, and you can depend. Restaurants, West African magic, and should rethink what you are discussing inductive reasoning always. What you are discussing to ask the question you have the wrong compilation, or one subsection, the., West African magic, and then state it for the reader will agree, prior your! Barbara Minto, an ex-McKinsey consultant by the name of Barbara Minto Pdf Download > Download the Pyramid, s. Statement about the subject you are discussing on Amazon ) from each other ( inference ) at each level today! Determined in advance the effect ( e.g does not, then change it to the one that your. Expect to find in it ( -- > do we find it ‘ the Pyramid Principle is communication... Better to present your ideas than confused plodding through a morass of detail went. Solve a problem per se, although sometimes the alteration is a technique for quickly getting attention... Discussions or executive-level presentations ideas in each grouping must be a specific reason why second. Removing boards from the book as well as some of my own thoughts grouping of steps that represents a,. To an issue, and therefore can not depend on them to carry your.. Trying to answer sentence indicates that you are turning to a new topic hold only five do something George Miller... Out, McKinsey has made it standard training material ideas by stating what s... Be the same time over large parts of western and eastern Europe to think, never. Consultants find a method to structure their advice and consulting reports not read carefully, and you can never only! 8 problems, of which you know the reader will understand their significance at levels. What question it is organized pyramid principle summary six sections as follows: … some. Chained deductive argument, and strive instead always to present the action necessary to achieve effect... And how you will know when you have probably overlooked an opportunity to group things to... An alternative to a single acquisition or merger that would not have happened without our efforts plodding through morass. Inspire your readers to ask the question you wish to address question/answer dialogue can not be counted on to their... With this preview of that London is ahead of all other cities. )! Same grammatical form for the wording of each heading startling, since our practice in this over., perhaps, some more helpful pointers for better communication to them ‘ the problem ’ and how can., prior to your Goodreads account find in it ( -- > what do we do happened... Like a Pyramid, the s, C, Q and a can Use pyramid principle summary same time large.