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Hello, dear readers of Valery Kharlamov’s blog! Have you experienced that, despite the efforts, remained misunderstood by the interlocutor? Have you ever thought that no one understands you at all? If so, then the principle of the Minto pyramid will come in handy for you. Do you know why? Because it allows you to save time and resources, you will quickly, briefly and easily learn to express your thoughts, and also become an interesting person in communication who you don’t want to interrupt or ignore.
History of occurrence
Barbara Minto founded this method when she noticed that employees had problems writing letters. She graduated from Harvard Business School and was able to break into McKinsey, becoming the only and first female consultant. The leader, noting her abilities, decided to send her to London to help her cope with the problems that colleagues have when compiling the text.
After examining all the circumstances, Barbara came to the conclusion that it is thinking that is responsible for the correct formulation and construction of sentences, which is why she actively undertook to study it. And the colleagues who worked with her during that period became the first students whom she taught the principle of effective communication. Over time, having received success, and realizing that this method was really effective and easy to use, Minto opened her own company, naming Minto International Inc.
It happened in 1973, from that moment, and to this day she teaches at universities (among them Harvard and Stanford), and corporations that invite her. By the way, the two-day training costs approximately $28, after which the participant will be able to write short and understandable business letters, design presentations to delight, and write concise reports in an accessible interesting language.
For those who can’t afford this training, Barbara has published a book with key points to help you change. It’s called Minto’s Pyramid Principle: The Golden Rules of Thinking, Business Writing, and Verbal Announcements, and, not surprisingly, it reads simply and lightly.
The essence of the method
The name “pyramid” was not given to this principle in vain, because figuratively it looks like a triangle, the top of which is the main idea that is important to convey to the interlocutor, and the bottom is clarifications.
This way of presenting the material is almost ingenious, because, due to various circumstances, the person with whom you communicate does not have the opportunity to listen to you to the end, or study the letter received in full, but, oddly enough, will understand the essence of your appeal due to that it will be indicated initially. And this greatly facilitates business and partnership relations.
Yes, and in love, friendship, it will also not be superfluous to understand each other the first time.
So, the triangle is multi-level, on the first of them, as we have already said, is the main purpose of the appeal, what you want to convey to another person. On the second — you need to divide your idea into several components, and set out in more detail, respectively, on the third — the division of information of the second level, and on the fourth — the third. And so, until you finish forming your idea, until you realize that you have laid out everything that was necessary.
It is recommended to make no more than 4 levels, this is the most optimal volume for understanding, otherwise, you will require a lot of time from the interlocutor. When giving a report, for example, you can not limit yourself, but take into account that people cannot concentrate on one lesson for too long, so at one moment they will be distracted and stop perceiving what you are diligently broadcasting to them.
Some situations do not allow you to immediately highlight the main idea, as thoughts are confused, and it is not possible to catch it. In this case, they use a pyramid, with the top down, that is, they begin to talk about the details and nuances, slowly forming the main thing that needs to be conveyed.
Golden Rules for Successful Communication
- It is important that all levels of your triangle are connected to each other, the material flows smoothly from bottom to top, or vice versa, from top to bottom.
- Choose the direction of the triangle depending on the situation. Some of them require a gradual presentation of the material in order to prepare for the main thing.
- There must be an introduction. Its main components are the situation, the question, the answer.
- Be sure to apply the methods of induction and deduction, as mentioned earlier.
- All your ideas should be grouped and consistent. That is, it is necessary to state in chronological order, observing the structure and boundaries.
- What you managed to group, now try to generalize by converting it into one whole.
- I think no one will argue that the most valuable thing is the correct definition of the essence of the appeal and the problem as a whole.
- Look for ways and options for solving complexities with the help of the structure, that is, for a start, you can simply even make sketches, or use mind mapping. See more about it here.
- Your triangle should be reflected in the document, that is, use indents, numbering, bullets, headings, a convenient font size, etc., to simplify the process of perceiving the material, as well as to give confidence that you are correctly and consistently expressing your thoughts. And during a presentation or a report, the document looks more readable and presentable, it is easy to rely on it during a speech.
- Use the Minto principle in slides, depicting on the screen those points that you want to convey to the audience.
- If you are creating a written appeal, try to be concise and mentally form the main points in the form of a triangle.
Questions
To facilitate the process of forming thoughts, use the technique of questions, answering which you will easily and concisely continue the thread of the story. I suggest that you familiarize yourself with the templates that you can rely on in the case of drawing up a pyramid in the direction from top to bottom.
At the first level (helps to understand the main idea):
- Think about the subject of your message by asking yourself: What do I want to say?
- What difficulty am I trying to solve?
- With what will I do it?
On the second:
- How are things going with regards to the problem at the moment?
- What nuances get in the way?
- The complexity itself, in general, is revealed? Are there any steps being taken to resolve it?
On the third and subsequent:
- Do any new questions arise when assessing the situation as a whole?
- Which way to solve is better to use, deductive or inductive? Don’t worry, you can find more information in this article.
- If it is necessary to use induction, then what is the sign that allows you to combine all previous thoughts?
Conclusion
And that’s all for today, dear readers! Develop, improve and never stop there! I recommend to study the article «Six hats — this is the most effective method of organizing thinking.» Take care of yourself and loved ones!