Thinking books · Communication & persuasion · Barbara Minto, 1987

The Pyramid Principle — the big ideas

A structure for presenting a conclusion so a busy reader can follow it.

Free — no account needed to read

The big ideas

Answer first. Lead with the conclusion, then support it — the reverse of how the thinking happened, and the order a reader needs.

Ideas at each level must summarise the level below, and groups must be mutually exclusive and collectively exhaustive. That test catches vague structure immediately.

Building the pyramid usually exposes that you had not actually reached a conclusion, which is the more valuable use of it.

Practise it — no need to have read it

Take something you need to recommend. Write the one-sentence answer first, then exactly three supporting points.

A hint: If the one sentence is hard, the thinking is not finished. Do that first.

Where it shows up in real life

• Proposals
• Status updates
• Structuring your own analysis

Described in our own words with the source named — never quoted, and not a substitute for reading the book.