The approach and structure of this book has survived the test of times and it is now up to its 3rd edition. The pyramid principle lessons from mckinsey medium. Engineering your story narrative using the pyramid principle. The pyramid principle online powerpoint training kubicle. Jun 28, 1987 the pyramid principle is a classic book written by barbara minto back in the late 80s. Logic in writing, by barbara minto prentice hall, london, 2002.
The rule of 3 is a helpful mckinsey protip that makes your argument to busy senior executives more memorable and persuasive. This is a seminal concept in executive communication, and has spread like a virus from mckinsey to every other consulting firm worth its salt, including of course bain and bcg. This training has been created by former deloitte consultant and includes 22 editable powerpoint slides that can be reused for your own presentations. Give a brilliant structure to your presentations with the. The single thought is the answer to the executives. Tens of thousands of people worldwide have benefited from former mckinsey consultant barbara mintos famous pyramid principle. Barbara explains essential ideas about logic and communication and crimes i wasnt even aware i was committing. Barbara was the best at getting all the new recruits to go from hotshot, straightfromcampus hires to expert consultants in the shortest amount of time. May 01, 2014 this pyramid principle training and templates will help you to write an introduction, apply the pyramid principle and create a story board. She based her thinking around ideas ranging from aristotles rhetoric and other sources on logic throughout history. The pyramid principle is a structure to present your synthesis in an effective and convincing manner. The good news is that in a business context, this skill can be learned, and is founded on a concept called the pyramid principle. The mece principle, pronounced mesee, is a grouping principle for separating a set of items into subsets that are mutually exclusive me and collectively exhaustive ce.
Who is barbara minto and why is she important to mbb. Barbara minto, an ex mckinsey consultant, wrote a book designed to help consultants find a method to structure their advice and consulting reports. The pyramid principle explains in detail how written documents and presentations can be logically structured, and the methods described in the book are used by almost every major management consultancy on the planet. How to tell a business story using the mckinsey situation. Barbara mintos pyramid principle is a hierarchically structured thinking and communication technique that can be used to precede good structured writing. The basic pyramid concept why the pyramid structure, its rules, and how the ideas within that structure relate vertically and horizontally.
See more ideas about presentation skills, powerpoint slide templates and business presentation. Oct 05, 2016 this is the only way to present your ideas clearly to clients. Put in simpler terms, it starts with asking for what you want, and explaining why you want it. The key takeaways from the pyramid principle at mckinsey were. The pyramid principle is a famous book by barbara minto on the mckinsey method for effective communication. Minto pyramid principle, a powerful communication tool. Barbara minto personally conducts a worldrenowned 2day course for professional people in how to use the pyramid principle to shorten the time you spend writing. It is now widely part of the toolkit every strategy consultants around the world needs to learn and use. Structure the case conclusion recipientfriendly by applying the pyramid principle use the pyramid structure to provide syntheses and recommendations at the end or in between your case interviews. The presentation is based on a book entitled the pyramid principle. The pyramid principle advocates that ideas in writing should always form a pyramid under a single thought. Improving your communication by following the pyramid principle. At first glance the book may appear academic, but start reading and it draws you in. Lessons from mckinsey my takeaways from my time as a strategy consultant.
Here is a rough outline of how you can think about the pyramid principle as a. For the type of information you can gain on quora let me add this. The minto pyramid principle is applied by structuring points and arguments after the thesis statement has been. She went on to train bob waterman and tom waters, coauthors of the. One excellent tool is the pyramid principle by an exmckinsey consultant by the name of barbara minto.
The principle of the mckinsey pyramid is to cut to the chase in written texts or presentations. In journalism, the inverse pyramid structure ips of writing refers to reporting a news story from the most important material to the least important, separating. We can use the pyramid principle in many different contexts, but it is particularly crucial to adhere to in delivering your client recommendation at the end of your case study. Structure the case conclusion recipientfriendly by applying.
The minto pyramid principle by exmckinsey consultant barbara minto outlined the strategy all management consulting firms would come to. The minto pyramid principle by ex mckinsey consultant barbara minto outlined the strategy all management consulting firms would come to. I read this book last year, and it influenced my opinion remarkably upon communication. The pyramid principle is aimed at bettering your communication by helping your thinking, and focuses fundamentally on the logic of writing. Never has clear, convincing communication been as important as in todays informationcluttered environment. The method is based on presenting information in the form.
It works by introducing a thesis statement before going into points and arguments that support it. Barbara minto runs her own consultancy teaching the pyramid principle to top executives. Jun 21, 2012 this is the only way to present your ideas clearly to clients. Her pyramid principle works really well with the consulting problem solving process as it is a natural partner for hypothesisdriven thinking. This is the only way to present your ideas clearly to clients. Minto pyramid principle the basics of mckinsey problem. First, people tend not to listen to things they already know. The minto pyramid principle assumes that you already know how to write good sentences and paragraphs. Mintos thinking presented in the pyramid principle is as clear an articulation of basic skills in log.
Jul 31, 2016 the pyramid principle was developed for consultants at mckinsey by barbara minto, to help them structure their reports and make a decisive impact on clients. Understand how to use the pyramid principle for persuasive communication understand how to use the pyramid principle for problem solving. Minto pyramid principle the basics of mckinsey problem solving. Pyramid principle in consulting interviews myconsultingcoach. The pyramid principle is a way of writing that will enable you to present your thinking so clearly that the ideas will move off the page and into the readers mind with a minimum of effort and a maximum of effect. Minto pyramid principle, also referred to as the mckinsey s pyramid principle, is a tool used to process and structure large amounts of information to convey a story, message or presentation without omitting important details. The pyramid principle by barbara minto pdf download download. Nov 18, 2008 the pyramid principle is the international bestseller on how to produce crisp, clear, compelling business writing. Jun 21, 20 the key takeaways from the pyramid principle at mckinsey were. She now runs her own consultancy, international, inc. The pyramid principle is barbara mintos powerful and compelling process for producing everyday business documents. Learning this approach has changed the way i look at any presentation since. A summary of the book the pyramid principle by barbara minto. Minto pyramid principle the basics of mckinsey problem solving strategyu.
The pyramid principle is considered a mustread by most of my colleagues in management consulting and is definitely worth its reputation. Watch out for a possible naming ambiguity between the minto pyramid principle and the inverse pyramid structure of writing. Driving strategic impact key takeaway sub argument 1. Basically, the pyramid principle is a communication technique that allows you to to structure your points and arguments properly. One excellent tool is the pyramid principle by an ex mckinsey consultant by the name of barbara minto. Posted on november 18, 2017 written by jdonovan leave a comment. She developed the minto pyramid principle to help colleagues structure their writing, and after gaining support within mckinsey, took the framework to other firms. Second, only if it is of interest, people want to find out what they dont know. The pyramid principle is a tool that helps to get the point across most effectively source. The pyramid principle in consulting consultants mind. The pyramid principle by barbara minto pdf download.
She authored a book called the minto pyramid principle here affiliate link which essentially defined the way consultants structure most of their presentations. The pyramid principle is based on a number of human behaviors. Hope you enjoy this tried to take the most important key ideas of the pyramid pr. The pyramid principle was created by barbara minto the first female postmba hire at mckinsey in the 1970s. It is essentially the book that defined the way that many of the strategy firms, like mckinsey, developed presentations and documents. The pyramid principle by exmckinsey consultant barbara minto, offers an insightful answer to this question.
The pyramid principle is a hierarchical structure to create a logic and data. It shows how to use the pyramid rules to discover and clarify the points you want to make. The first female mba professional hire our firm ever made, barbara is best known for the minto pyramid principle, her immortal framework for writing and. This ensures that the audiences attention is captured and that a riveting story can be created thats easy to remember and understand. I read it in the mid2000s after it being recommended by the managertools team and recently reread it again. The pyramid principle is an approach popularized by barbara minto and essential to the structured problem solving approach i learned at mckinsey. Barbara minto was with the firm for only 10 years, but the mark she left is permanent.
Pyramid principle a summary of barbara mintos book about. Sep 03, 2007 more on scqa the method is explained in greater detail in barbara mintos excellent book the minto pyramid principle. The book is one of those rare books on communication that relies less on feelgood prescriptions and more on how to think while writing. The pyramid principle was created by barbara minto at mckinsey as a method of structuring communications for maximum impact. The pyramid principle was invented by barbara minto at mckinsey. The idea is to start with your main idea, and then use logically grouped arguments to support your position.
1164 1325 460 1043 1234 508 575 747 220 1527 1304 1404 1282 1307 1519 539 123 478 85 758 1249 185 736 1028 22 516 113 1351 1397 1 1069 984 1509 1323 760 284 1011 242 144 1109 26 1417 1234 1414