- Hardcover: 192 pages
- Publisher: Financial Times/ Prentice Hall; 3 edition (6 Nov 2001)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0273659030
- ISBN-13: 978-0273659037
- Product Dimensions: 23.4 x 16 x 1.4 cm
- Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
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- #27 in Books > Society, Politics & Philosophy > Social Sciences > Linguistics > Semantics > Rhetoric
- #97 in Books > Business, Finance & Law > Reference & Education > Writing
- See Complete Table of Contents
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More About the Author
Product Description
Product Description
What is it that enables some people to put complex ideas across persuasively in writing, while others struggle to articulate their thoughts?
How often have you had to work hard to produce clear reports, papers,
analyses, presentations and memos?
The clear communication of ideas, whether to clients, colleagues or the management board, is a key factor in determining personal success.
The Pyramid Principle explains how to:
- think creatively, reason lucidly, and express ideas with clarity
- define complex problems and establish the objectives of any document
- assess your ideas and recognize their relative importance
- structure your reasoning into a coherent and transparent argument
- analyze your argument to confirm its effectiveness.
- Barbara Minto's best-selling book, now in its third edition, is based on the concept that any grouping of ideas is easier to comprehend if it is pre-sorted into a logical structure before being committed to paper, and experience has shown that a ‘top-down’ pyramid structure is the most readily understood.
Applying the Pyramid Principle will enable you to present your thinking so clearly that the ideas move off the page and into the reader’s mind with a minimum of effort and a maximum of effect.
Bring your ideas to life!
About the Author
- Barbara Minto
- developed The Pyramid Principle through her early work as a consultant at McKinsey & Company, Inc. She now runs her own consultancy, Minto International, Inc., specializing in teaching the Pyramid Principle to people whose major training is in business or the professions, but whose jobs nevertheless require them to produce complex reports, analyses, memorandums, or presentations.
She has taught her course to most of the major consulting firms in the United States and Europe, as well as to many of the world's largest corporations and government organizations. She also taught Bob Waterman and Tom Peters, among others, while lecturing at McKinsey.
Inside This Book
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
This is one of the best book I have ever read regarding business writing. It has had an amazing effect on not only my writing and presentation development but also the structure of my thinking.
Given that this is a book on logical writing it is not the easiest book to read, but don't let this put you off. The method is used by the management consultants Ernst & Young and McKinsey and that is a pretty impressive petigree.
Altough the principle is straight forward the book gives you lots of examples to work through and will provide a useful reference for the future.
I first read this book when I relaised kept seeing it on the bookcases of managers in a number of companies. Make sure that you have it on yours.
20 of 22 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
This book was first published in the US in 1987 and then in the UK in 1991. The review that follows is of an edition published in 2002. The title refers to the core concept within the framework Barbara Minto recommends in order to present material "so clearly that the ideas jump off the page and into the reader's mind." The same framework will also guide and inform preparation of presentations to groups. According to Minto, research clearly indicates that "the mind automatically sorts information into distinctive pyramidal groupings in order to comprehend it. Any grouping of ideas is easier to comprehend if it arrives presorted into its pyramid. This suggests that every written document should be deliberately structured to form a pyramid of ideas." In this volume, Minto explains how to structure the provision of material in ways and to the extent that accommodate the structure of how those who receive, absorb, and digest it.
Others have expressed their reactions to this book. Here are two of mine. First, if I understand Minto's thesis (and I may not), the three aforementioned "findings about the way the mind works" seem to refer far more to the subconscious than to the conscious mind. If so, I question how Minto's highly rational approach to writing clear business documents can accommodate the need to communicate effectively in non-verbal ways (e.g. body language and tone of voice). Minto's approach requires completing a rigorous, disciplined, and focused process (a geometric progression, really) that presupposes that the recipient of the given document will absorb and digest (not merely organize) the material in a comparable manner.
My second reaction is that Minto's content is generally quite solid (despite what I view as a few questionable premises) but that her writing style often lacks any "Snap! Crackle! And Pop!" The narrative comes across (at least to me) as resembling instructions in an operations manual for a writing machine. Consider this brief excerpt from Chapter 2:
"...you cannot hope to just sit down and start arranging your ideas in a pyramid. You have to discover them first. But the pyramid dictates a rigid set of substructures that can serve to speed the discovery process. These are:
o The vertical relationship between points and subpoints
o The horizontal relationship within a set of subpoints
o The narrative flow of the introduction"
I do not doubt that this approach worked for Minto when she generated and then organized the material for this book about that approach. The question remains, does Minto's presentation of such material engage the reader's heart as well as mind? It seems ironic that she acknowledges the importance of using various elements of "the story" (i.e. characters, situation, plot, conflict, resolution) but only in Chapter 4 when discussing "Fine Points of Introductions." Seldom throughout this book do Minto's ideas "jump off the page and into [her] reader's mind."
My guess (only a guess) is that this book will have the greatest appeal to -- and greatest value for -- those who already think as clearly and precisely as Minto obviously does. They and she would be well-advised to keep in mind, however, that most others do not, especially those who receive a document whose preparation has been guided and informed by The Pyramid Principle.
Others have expressed their reactions to this book. Here are two of mine. First, if I understand Minto's thesis (and I may not), the three aforementioned "findings about the way the mind works" seem to refer far more to the subconscious than to the conscious mind. If so, I question how Minto's highly rational approach to writing clear business documents can accommodate the need to communicate effectively in non-verbal ways (e.g. body language and tone of voice). Minto's approach requires completing a rigorous, disciplined, and focused process (a geometric progression, really) that presupposes that the recipient of the given document will absorb and digest (not merely organize) the material in a comparable manner.
My second reaction is that Minto's content is generally quite solid (despite what I view as a few questionable premises) but that her writing style often lacks any "Snap! Crackle! And Pop!" The narrative comes across (at least to me) as resembling instructions in an operations manual for a writing machine. Consider this brief excerpt from Chapter 2:
"...you cannot hope to just sit down and start arranging your ideas in a pyramid. You have to discover them first. But the pyramid dictates a rigid set of substructures that can serve to speed the discovery process. These are:
o The vertical relationship between points and subpoints
o The horizontal relationship within a set of subpoints
o The narrative flow of the introduction"
I do not doubt that this approach worked for Minto when she generated and then organized the material for this book about that approach. The question remains, does Minto's presentation of such material engage the reader's heart as well as mind? It seems ironic that she acknowledges the importance of using various elements of "the story" (i.e. characters, situation, plot, conflict, resolution) but only in Chapter 4 when discussing "Fine Points of Introductions." Seldom throughout this book do Minto's ideas "jump off the page and into [her] reader's mind."
My guess (only a guess) is that this book will have the greatest appeal to -- and greatest value for -- those who already think as clearly and precisely as Minto obviously does. They and she would be well-advised to keep in mind, however, that most others do not, especially those who receive a document whose preparation has been guided and informed by The Pyramid Principle.
10 of 12 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Having read the reviews and details of this book I expected a lot, but sadly it did not live up to my expectations. It provides a structured frame work for presenting your ideas but that is about it. The book is badly laid out and at times difficult to follow. An example of this being comments like `the example below' when the example is actually on the next page! The examples, when you can find them, are not clearly explained or worked through. Frankly if the book was written using the method it teaches it clearly demonstrates short comings in the approach as a whole. The second half of the book focuses on Pyramid thinking. That is to use the approach to sort through your thinking much like the presentation technique introduced in the first section of the book. Little reference is made to this second section in the official Book Description and considering you lose half the book to it you may end up with less book than you expected.
It may be a personal preference but I find mind mapping considerably more effective. In fact I find mind maps so effective I always use them to layout documents and presentations. Whilst this book will give you a general layout to let your ideas 'move off the page' they won't make that move without adding other elements to the document such as considering the end audience or plain old good written layout - two points that don't get mentioned in this book.
All in all an expensive book that is not worth its price tag. Save the cash and buy a cheaper Mind Mapping book instead.
It may be a personal preference but I find mind mapping considerably more effective. In fact I find mind maps so effective I always use them to layout documents and presentations. Whilst this book will give you a general layout to let your ideas 'move off the page' they won't make that move without adding other elements to the document such as considering the end audience or plain old good written layout - two points that don't get mentioned in this book.
All in all an expensive book that is not worth its price tag. Save the cash and buy a cheaper Mind Mapping book instead.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
FIne theory but difficult to read
This book is, surpringly enough, tough to read. Minto raises awareness about the delivery of presentations but her own delivery is far from effective. Read more
Published 5 months ago by Melvin
Useful in some contexts but limited applicability in spite of...
Minto's book reflects as much the organisation (McKinsey & co.) and industry (management consulting) she comes from, as it does advice on structuring writing and thinking. Read more
Published 19 months ago by AK
Unnecessarily complex. Inaccessible to the average reader.
When I first heard about this book from a colleague at work, who endorsed it wholeheartedly, I ordered it the very next day. Read more
Published on 5 Jun 2009 by Michael Gentle
Thinking, speaking and writing clearly
This little book will help you in mastering creative thinking. Are you frustrated by the fact that the boss just seems not to get it? Read more
Published on 7 Nov 2008 by Oskar Kahn
A superb book for writing well-structured business documents
A superb book with many valuable recommendations and tips for writing well-structured business documents. Read more
Published on 26 Oct 2005 by Fabio Moioli
dense
The advice is good but as an example of clarity and structure in writing and thought, which this is book is meant to teach, I found it a disappointment. Read more
Published on 17 Dec 2003
Crystal
My abstract reasoning ability has never really had the legs to organise some of the complex proposals and reports that I write for my clients. Read more
Published on 12 Jan 2003 by John
A godsend for students.
This book, although advertised as a business book is equally applicable to the 'transferable skills' that Univeristies frequently advise that prospective graduates should possess... Read more
Published on 24 Oct 2002 by Ethan Hammond
Essential reading for all business people
As a practicing managment consultant, this book has been a guidepost not only for logical writing but as the basis of a hypothesis led problem solving approach. Read more
Published on 4 Jan 2002
Excellent structure to ensure clear thinking
The book leads the reader through all the steps needed to be able to structure complicated documents is such a way that the reader quickly grasps the concepts.
Published on 27 Jan 2001
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