What is the pyramid principle?
In short, it's about saying the most important thing first. Correct the case, cut the crap This way you make sure to capture attention and avoid misunderstandings.
If you were in sunny Egypt, with the majestic pyramids around you on all sides, you would consider them from the top down with this principle in your back.
The top of the pyramid is the essence of what you want to communicate. The solution if you want. Furthermore, the solution is supported by recommendations and arguments. Bottom, these are supported by facts, data and analysis.
The principle goes down-to-down on the flow of information we often use in daily speech. We're not almost as direct as we should be to get a pass on our ideas.
Pyramided Policy Areas of Use
A new default
In 1961 a 27-year-old woman began at Harvard Business School. With a strong mind and passion for communication, she worked with her goal-consciousness through the degree. In 1963 she graduated as one of the first women with an MBA from Harvard. In fact, she was one of 8 women in a coal of 600 students. The woman is Barbara MintoSo let's say that this is the same thing as that.
The same year she graduated, she spangled into the consultant company McKinsey. Here she was first employed with an MBA.
Da McKinsey Myto employees, they were hardly prepared for this woman to change the standard of communication in consultancy companies around the world. Barbara introduced the pyramid principle.
“Present your thoughts so clearly that the ideas jump right from the side and into the reader’s thoughts” Barbara Minto - 1985 (translated)
Iluustation of Barbar MInto in her study time
Role of communication
To understand why the pyramid principle is a tool you want to invest time in learning, we should take a look at the big picture.
If we pull the principle apart, we're left with two key keywords; communication and efficiency. It's easy to say that the pyramid principle will help you communicate better, but what is really in good communication? And how important can it be?
Spoiler alert: very important.
“Communication is the dissemination and sharing of ideas and information, for example through language.” Large Norwegian Lexicon (2019)
When we talk about good communication, it is best to avoid misunderstandings by clearly communicating a message. It sounds very affordable in theory, but is largely more complicated in reality.
Most of us like to think that we're good communicators. We must communicate all the time! From a high - weight baby, the need for food to mother and father never ends. There is communication in the school, in the street, in the grocery store, at work, at the shop – even when you open the comment field on a Tiktok while you scroll before bedtime.
So communication is in many forms. At a workplace you communicate when you talk to a pleasant colleague at the coffee machine, but also in the email of the boss or annual report.
Unfortunately, the fact that we have to communicate does not make us experts on it. The challenges arise when what is perceived does not correspond to what the communicator tries to say.
When you cannot reach a common understanding of the message, we often call it bad communication. There are a number of factors that can lead to that kind of misunderstanding. Everything from poor time to lack of focus or cultural differences.
The common denominator is essentially that you're not conscious of your own communication and thus overcompile or make it messy. Hint: That's exactly what the Minto pyramid principle can help you with.
Possible consequences of poor communication:
- Lower Work Moral
- Less motivation among employees
- Stress and mistrivelries
- Less effective cooperation
- Conflict
- A little predictable working environment
Effective communication
Let's take it one step further from good or bad communication; effective communication. That communication is good means that it's a common understanding, we eliminate misunderstandings. If we talk about effective communication, we want to achieve more than just get understood.
Effective communication moves into the more psychological landscape. It's more about intention and emotions.
You do not want to exchange information only - you want to impactSo let's say that this is the same thing as that. You want to get to the ideas you present.
Then you should be good at the pyramid principle.
Building blocks of the principle
The pyramid principle can be said to be the basis for effective communication. It creates a framework you can use to strengthen the common understanding and to get the impact of thoughts and ideas.
The principle is essentially three parts. If you master these, you're already far on the way to more efficient communication.
- Server solution first
- Rebuild Answer with Arguments
- Support the arguments with facts
And the order is what makes it the pyramid principle. By keeping the information structured and in order of priority, you automatically get a very flexible model.
Does the boss only have 2 minutes to hear your idea? Present only #1. Would she want you to put this idea in the Monday meeting, with 20 minutes to the disposal? Then you're going to run all three points.
Visual representation of the pyramid principle
Server solution first
It is very common to think that all the facts must be on the table before the solution is presented. We would like to show that what we're doing is carefully thought out. After all, you've been working on this proposal for weeks, so you'll hardly think it's a spontaneous incident.
Nevertheless, in the workplace, time is often scarce. Many leaders often have chronically poor time. Then it is rare that all the arguments for something they do not know will be relevant or not. When you start with the answer first, you will immediately determine whether the idea is interesting to the person you are talking to.
In a email this may be enough to convince the recipient to spend time reading on.
It's neither right for you nor your audience if those you talk to are left with the feeling that their time has become thrown awaySo let's say that this is the same thing as that. When you start with the answer, it will be easier for the audience to decide whether this is relevant to focus on.
Implement this in your presentations. You will notice that your audience is keeping a better focus from start to finish and that the amount of information they are left with will increase.
History story as tool
It's not all the audience you talk to that have the same notorious time as leaders. In settings where there's a little more playroom, history story a tool you should use.
Starting with the answer also means that it is a question. By placing your audience in a situation that feels identifiable, you can achieve that they also perceive the question that is answered as more relevant.
History tells the reader context, while creating curiosity. The receiver's curiosity gives you the power you need on the way to impact.
History yours describes a situation — with which everyone can agree, and a complication — which is not working properly. The complex leads to a question; how can I help improve the situation? Then the answer comes!
Sub build with arguments
The next phase of the pyramid principle is to support the solution you have presented with arguments.
There Is Something called ”the rule of 3“, which is about the optimal number of arguments you put forward being 3. Holding to the most important arguments will help your audience remember what you're saying. It's not going to be a overload of information. A bonus is that you also seem more confident in what you present!
Structure in principle, it makes it easier to keep what you present or write in a practical way.
It's important that the arguments you put forward don't slip into each other. This means that they must comply with the Minto MECE (the Greek principle in Norwegian) principle, which is subject to the pyramid principle.
MECE principle
Presenting these arguments in a good way will help to make the effect of the answer you introduced larger. This is because it would be perceived as relevant and memorable for the recipients.
Support the arguments with facts
And now we've reached the bottom of the pyramid. The recommendation on the top depends on a good foundation at the bottom.
This part of the pyramid principle gives you credibility. Here are the analyses, facts and data that support your idea.
Which you've obviously picked up now, the pyramid principle is very much about structureSo let's say that this is the same thing as that. So what you're presenting from supporting analyses needs to be summarised in the corresponding argument. Just like a pyramid.
Presentation Order Pyramids Principle
Value in all terms
Whether you are the one who gets an idea or the one who presents, you will experience value from the pyramid principle.
As the audience, it becomes easier to focus and the content will feel more relevant.
As a communicator, you will experience greater understanding from others and increased impact. A win-win situation.
Even if you didn't know the principle from now on, the probability is that you've put it into use many times. Maybe it's been used in an exciting talk, without you being able to put your finger on what made it so interesting.
Why did this talk feel so relevant? What made me see the context so clearly here, compared to other talks?
The main benefits
1 – Time-efficient
Because the principle allows you to start with the solution — the most important one — you also have a lot of flexibility in time. A leader does not have to sit through an entire presentation, for which it could decide from the outset whether it would be worth the time if the pyramid principle was used.
2 – Logical structure
The clear and logical structure makes it easy to keep content relevant. It is easier for the recipient to hang with. As a result, misunderstandings are avoided. This helps to raise the level of communication and avoid adverse consequences resulting from poor communications.
3 - Increased impact
You put expectations early, get the audience, and support your ideas logically. You save time by presenting your findings effectively. This will contribute to increased impact.
Practical example
28% learn best using practical examples shows a examination of Harris Interactive on behalf of Everes College.
So we've put together a concrete example of how the pyramid principle can be applied. The aim is to extract the essence of an article on: Core Web Vitals and present this in an e-mail to a manager.
Solution First
Keywords: History, situation, complication and questions
So first we're looking at the background of the solution. “Google is one of the main sources of traffic and sales for Norwegian online shops. Small changes in google algorithms may have dramatic consequences for the turnover. In May 2021, Google has announced that an algorithm update is coming related to the concept ‘Core Web vitals» that will affect how Google rank online stores in search results.
INEVO has examined ‘Core Web vitals’ at 100 major Norwegian online shops and found that most Norwegian online shops are likely to experience a drop in sales from Google if they do not carry out improvement measures until May 2021.” We are left with the question we want the customer to want to answer, as well as the claim we will use to answer the question.
Question: What kind of improvement measures do Norwegian online shops need to implement to avoid losing Google’s sales?
Claim: Norwegian online stores need to implement improvements related to core web vitals before May 2021 in order to avoid losing sales from Google.
Arguments
Keywords: 3 main arguments
We find out what we consider to be the three most important arguments that support the recommendation. It is important to remember that this should be separate arguments that do not overlap.
To avoid sales downturn in May 2021, online shops need to perform improvements in three main categories; speed, interactivity and stability.
Download Speed – The customer must not wait for the page Interactivity – Customer should be activated quickly when they are first on the page Stability – The customer shall not be disturbed by unnecessary elements on the side
Facts
Keywords: Facts, evidence and analyses
Here it is important that we have facts that can support each of the arguments.
INEVO has examined the state of core web vitals in 100 Norwegian online shops. We have performed a number of tests for each main category:
Speed
The customer should not wait for the page. Google measures how long it takes to download a page. Google also looks at ‘Largest contentful paint‘(LCP), a measure of time taken for the largest element on the side to be visible.
None of the 100 Norwegian online stores are classified as good at Google speed:
- None of the 100 online stores are classified as good by Google.
- The neutron scores with 71 points on the mobile front.
- Norwegian online stores score on average 24 out of 100 possible points. Only 7 Norwegian online shops score well enough to get the character ‘medium’
Half of Norwegian online stores are poor at LCP measurement:
- 42.4% of the front pages of the 100 Norwegian online stores score good LCP.
- 48,5 medium performance
- 9.1 performed badly.
Source: To find these dimensions, INEVO has used PageSpeed. PageSpeed analyzes pages using Lighthouse which collects lab data on the page.
Interactivity
The customer shall be activated rapidlySo let's say that this is the same thing as that. Google measures how long it takes for the customer to make an active action. It is referred to as the first input delay (FID). This could be the case, for example. be the time before the customer clicks on a menu item or click on “read more”
Almost all Norwegian online stores examined are good in this area
- 88.9% of the front pages of the Norwegian online shops did well in this regard.
- 9.1% of online shops performed medium
- 2% of online stores did poor performance.
Source: To find these dimensions, INEVO has used Google Search Console and PageSpeed InsightsSo let's say that this is the same thing as that.
Stability
Customer shall not be disturbed by unnecessary elementsr. Google measures stability using the term ‘Cumulative Layout Shift‘ (CLS). This can typically be a privacy banner that loads and presses other content up or down. It can also be a chat window or a pop-up.
Very many Norwegian online shops are bad in this area:
- 56.6% of the workers are poor
- 13.1% Medium performance
- 30.3 Preeter satisfactory
Source: To find these dimensions, INEVO has used PageSpeed. PageSpeed analyses pages using Lighthouse that collects lab data on the page.
Results
The pyramid principle has now helped us find the information that will need to be shared. Furthermore, we use the principle to put it together as an e-mail that could go out to a manager.
So we would set up the first draft with the background in the exercise we just completed:
Subject: In May 2021, we will lose sales from Google if we don't take concrete steps.
Hey,
In May 2021, Google erases an algorithm update that can have a major impact on our online sales. To avoid losing sales, we need to implement several concrete measures!
The Algorithm update is about the concept of Core Web Vitals and means that Google will downright downprioritize online shops that do not meet their requirements for good user-friendliness.
Google measures user-friendliness in three ways for core web vitals:
- Speed – Largest Contentful Paint (LCP) is the time it takes for the largest element on the page to become visible. This may be the time it takes, for example, before a large header image is loaded in a online store.
- Interactivity – First Input Delay (FID) is the time it takes before a user can interact with the page. This may be to press a button or fill in a form on a page.
- Stability – Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS) is a measure of the number of items that move on the side without meaning. This may be, for example, if a chat window, banner or pop-up is loaded and thus affects other items on the page so that they “move” on.
We can make some improvements ourselves, but I think it makes more sense to get help with INEVO to prioritize what should be done. INEVO has investigated 100 online stores in core web vitals and can help us faster and better than we can fix this ourselves.
etc.
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Our best tip!
We hope you've been convinced to test the pyramid next time you have something important to share. To help you get started, we have gathered some good tips you can bring on the way to more efficient communication.
1 – Use the principle actively
Your communication will not automatically improve by knowing that the pyramid principle exists. To benefit from the benefits, you have to use it actively. It means deliberately including the principle in all parts of the process, from planning to implementation.
2 - Create a visual overview
If you see it as hard to keep track of where your arguments belong in the pyramid, we recommend that you set them up visually. This you can easily do by hand! Draw the pyramid and place your items in the various boxes.
3 – The Rule of 3
Consciousness the rule of 3So let's say that this is the same thing as that. It's very easy to let the exposure take over. Unfortunately, there is hardly any other person than you who tries to present 42 arguments to your proposal.
You stay at 3 arguments and you build these up with 3 proofs.
(Remember anyway: all the rules are to be broken in new and ne)
4 – Pay Attention
Be aware of the communication of others. You can learn much about the pyramid principle and good and bad communication by actively following how others communicate, rather than just what they communicate.
5 – Do not give up!
As with everything else in life, the pyramid principle requires practice. It doesn't keep using it half-heartedly in an email once and go there.
We mentioned that 28% learn best from practical examplesBut it might be okay to notice that the whole thing 52% learn best by actively trying it out yourself.
If you want help and advice on your communication – contact me for a pleasant chat!