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.
Barbara Minto. Curriculum Vitae
Before the Barbara Minto principle appeared, this woman graduated from Harvard University. She received a high degree of education - Master of Business Administration. McKinsey & Company hired her as a consultant in 1963. By the way, this was the first woman allowed to work in this large company. Barbara's natural talent for writing competent business letters at any level helped her get this position. Her career at McKinsey spanned a dozen years. It was Barbara's staff and colleagues who became her students and pioneers in the study of writing practice. Her success has developed. Since 1973, Minto has operated his own corporation, Minto International Inc. Students receive her invaluable knowledge at major universities (Harvard, Stanford), as well as in European companies in Chicago and the USA. More than 10,000 people have already learned structural thinking. The program is required at many MBA business schools. Employees of the giants Ernst & Young, Walt Disney and American Express regularly undergo advanced training on Barbara Minto's developments.
A few more recommendations for working on the text
- Make a clear statement in the title and avoid generalizations.
- Writing text from top to bottom is considered the most effective.
- Information on the first stage of the pyramid should be as clear and obvious as possible for readers.
- Before you start creating a full-fledged text, write down all the points that you want to convey to readers, combine them, highlight the main thing, find and establish connections between them and draw brief conclusions.
Barbara Minto's pyramid actually works. Top managers of large companies and speakers use it to compose argumentative speeches or business letters. With its help, you can simply express your thoughts, convince the audience that you are right and convey important information to them.
Yes, the principles of the Minto pyramid will help you build a coherent logical chain of thoughts. However, don't forget that there are many other things that will affect the effectiveness of your text. For example, it is important to take into account the interests and specific thinking of different generations. You can read more about this in the article “Generation Theory: How to Find a Common Language with the Audience.”
Features of thinking
The right move by consultant Minto was to go back to the roots. All rational people have thinking. If you understand how to properly manage your primary skills, you can rise to a higher level in self-education. Based on her knowledge of how human thinking works, Barbara developed her signature pyramid-shaped naming system. Having studied the principle of the Minto pyramid, anyone can easily and concisely compose reports, present presentations, write business letters and books. Taking into account all the points, the result will be the delivery of information in the most comfortable form for the thinking process.
Relationships and logical chains
A person who encounters more than four or five objects tries to organize them into logical groups in order to remember them. All intellectual processes are based on generalization. Therefore, we can consider that the information stored in the head is a huge network of interconnected pyramids that have something in common. This descent of ideas must be based on logic.
You need to give the main statement first, and build a logical chain from it. It is only necessary to decompose all the chaos of information into understandable groups with a generalizing image at the head. Go from the simple and main to the complex and particular. This skill can take years to develop. Barbara Minto gives the example of a standard trip to the supermarket. When going to the supermarket, a married couple makes a list using the pyramid principle.
But how to present information? Only based on the system of concepts of the person to whom the speech is addressed. Simply put, the report must be conveyed in a form that is comfortable for the interlocutor and understandable to him. You cannot use deliberately complex and ambiguous phrases - this will lead to difficulties in their perception.
So, let's summarize the facts:
- Ideas at any level of the pyramid should generalize the ideas grouped below.
- The ideas of each individual group must be of the same type, that is, they must have something in common.
- Each group's ideas should be arranged in a logical sequence.
Barbara Minto's approach is good for its versatility, simplicity and logic. By using her diagrams and reading the explanations, you will not regret the time spent. And reports, speeches and written documentation will acquire the long-awaited persuasiveness and beauty of constructing facts and diagrams.
List of sources used:
Editor: Chekardina Elizaveta Yurievna
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Hierarchy based on the principle of building a pyramid
What is the principle of the Minto pyramid? The essence of the main idea is reflected at the very top, all minor accompanying details are located in the plane of the base. The human brain perceives precisely this correct principle of the Minto pyramid. The rules are simple and adapted for any person, so an individual with any level of education can acquire useful knowledge. This method of conveying information significantly saves time resources. In other situations, the interlocutor may not listen to the end or may not finish reading the information offered, but the whole essence is reflected at the beginning. Therefore, the goal is achieved in 100 percent of cases.
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.
How to build a Minto pyramid correctly
The Minto pyramid principle has two ways of building. The most convenient and correct way is from top to bottom. In this case, the problem is identified, and the accompanying speculations come from it. The second method is suitable for people who have not yet fully decided on the main thesis of the story. In such a situation, you can start building a pyramid from the bottom up. Sometimes it happens that secondary thoughts bring out a clear and clear goal, helping the author to concentrate on the object. For information to form into a pyramid by itself, it is enough to answer a few questions.
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.
Questions to determine levels
Interrogative sentences help you correctly formulate your thoughts.
They can be specified for each individual case. The most successful method is to write down all your thoughts on a piece of paper and determine whether it is possible to group them into categories by finding connections. The conclusion from all the questions and connecting points will become the top of the pyramid, level number one. Questions for building the Minto pyramid
| Level 1 | Level 2 | Level 3 |
| What is it about (subject) | Current situation | New questions after answering the previous one |
| Problem (question) | Difficulties in solving the problem | Answer method (inductive, deductive) |
| Proposed solution (the answer will be the main gist of the speech) | Is the decision process currently underway? | Is there a general sign of grouping all thoughts |
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 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.
Book work by Barbara Minto
To provide access to invaluable knowledge, the book “The Minto Pyramid Principle: The Golden Rules of Thinking, Business Writing and Oral Presentation” was created. It is based on examples from the lives of employees of a consulting company. Analysis of numerous situations will be useful for workers in any field of activity (numerous reviews confirm this). You can also call this book copy a real guide for everyone who strives to achieve the best in this life. The practical situations contained in the book “The Minto Pyramid Principle” are intended for a wide range of readers.
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.
The price of learning structural thinking from Barbara Minto
Classes are held in groups of 10 people. The duration of training is two and a half days. It is worth noting that the cost is high. It is $27,000. This fact is justified by the incredible popularity of the technique developed by Barbara. The demand for its services is growing exponentially. Every person knows that investing in one's education is the most useful. More than one generation of specialists from foreign universities has been studying Minto’s book. The training program has stood the test of time and has become a reference book for successful specialists.
