Abstract
People reading at work usually want the point before the reasoning. Barbara Minto's pyramid puts the main idea at the top, the arguments for it underneath, and the evidence under each argument. Someone can stop reading at any level and still get the message.
The document opens with a short setup: the situation the reader already agrees with, the complication that changed it, and the question that raises. Your main point answers that question.
Method
- 01
Set the situation
Start with something the reader already knows and accepts, so you begin on common ground.
- 02
Add the complication
Say what changed or went wrong. This is why the reader should care now.
- 03
State the question
Write the question the complication raises, usually what should we do or why did this happen.
- 04
Answer it in one sentence
This is the governing thought at the top of the pyramid. Everything below it is there to support it.
- 05
Group the arguments
Give three to five arguments, each answering the reader's next question. Keep the arguments in a group of the same kind, and make sure they don't overlap.
- 06
Add support under each argument
Data, examples and analysis go at the bottom. Check that each point supports the one directly above it.
When to use it
- You're writing a memo or email for someone senior who has five minutes.
- Your draft reads like a diary of what you did.
- You need a storyline for a presentation before you make any slides.
Common pitfalls
- Building up to the answer for suspense. The reader wants it first.
- Listing seven or eight arguments. Group them until there are five at most.
- Mixing kinds of point in one group, like reasons next to steps.
- A complication the reader doesn't feel, which makes the question seem pointless.
Origin and references
Attributed to Barbara Minto (1987).
- Minto, B. (1987). The Pyramid Principle: Logic in Writing and Thinking. Pitman.