Driving strategic impact key takeaway sub argument 1. Jun 21, 2012 this is the only way to present your ideas clearly to clients. Minto pyramid principle the basics of mckinsey problem solving strategyu. At first glance the book may appear academic, but start reading and it draws you in. How to tell a business story using the mckinsey situation. Nov 18, 2008 the pyramid principle is the international bestseller on how to produce crisp, clear, compelling business writing. See more ideas about presentation skills, powerpoint slide templates and business presentation. I read this book last year, and it influenced my opinion remarkably upon communication. Give a brilliant structure to your presentations with the. The pyramid principle was created by barbara minto at mckinsey as a method of structuring communications for maximum impact. She now runs her own consultancy, international, inc. Barbara explains essential ideas about logic and communication and crimes i wasnt even aware i was committing. Her pyramid principle works really well with the consulting problem solving process as it is a natural partner for hypothesisdriven thinking.
One excellent tool is the pyramid principle by an ex mckinsey consultant by the name of barbara minto. This is the only way to present your ideas clearly to clients. The pyramid principle is a famous book by barbara minto on the mckinsey method for effective communication. Who is barbara minto and why is she important to mbb. The pyramid principle by barbara minto pdf download. The minto pyramid principle assumes that you already know how to write good sentences and paragraphs. It shows how to use the pyramid rules to discover and clarify the points you want to make. Never has clear, convincing communication been as important as in todays informationcluttered environment. The pyramid principle is barbara mintos powerful and compelling process for producing everyday business documents. How to tell a business story using the mckinsey situationcomplicationresolution scr framework. Minto pyramid principle the basics of mckinsey problem solving. 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 book is one of those rare books on communication that relies less on feelgood prescriptions and more on how to think while writing.
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. Here is a rough outline of how you can think about the pyramid principle as a. She developed the minto pyramid principle to help colleagues structure their writing, and after gaining support within mckinsey, took the framework to other firms. Sep 03, 2007 more on scqa the method is explained in greater detail in barbara mintos excellent book the minto pyramid principle. Mintos thinking presented in the pyramid principle is as clear an articulation of basic skills in log. It is now widely part of the toolkit every strategy consultants around the world needs to learn and use. The single thought is the answer to the executives. She authored a book called the minto pyramid principle here affiliate link which essentially defined the way consultants structure most of their presentations. Pyramid principle a summary of barbara mintos book about. The pyramid principle is aimed at bettering your communication by helping your thinking, and focuses fundamentally on the logic of writing. Engineering your story narrative using the pyramid principle. The pyramid principle online powerpoint training kubicle. She went on to train bob waterman and tom waters, coauthors of the.
The pyramid principle is a tool that helps to get the point across most effectively source. Minto pyramid principle the basics of mckinsey problem. Learning this approach has changed the way i look at any presentation since. The pyramid principle is an approach popularized by barbara minto and essential to the structured problem solving approach i learned at mckinsey. The minto pyramid principle course barbara minto holds an mba from harvard business school. Pyramid principle in consulting interviews myconsultingcoach. 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. Put in simpler terms, it starts with asking for what you want, and explaining why you want it. It is essentially the book that defined the way that many of the strategy firms, like mckinsey, developed presentations and documents. The pyramid principle was invented by barbara minto at mckinsey. Posted on november 18, 2017 written by jdonovan leave a comment.
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 pyramid principle is based on a number of human behaviors. The minto pyramid principle is applied by structuring points and arguments after the thesis statement has been. 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. This ensures that the audiences attention is captured and that a riveting story can be created thats easy to remember and understand. 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. The good news is that in a business context, this skill can be learned, and is founded on a concept called the pyramid principle. A summary of the book the pyramid principle by barbara minto. The pyramid principle is a structure to present your synthesis in an effective and convincing manner. The idea is to start with your main idea, and then use logically grouped arguments to support your position. The principle of the mckinsey pyramid is to cut to the chase in written texts or presentations. The pyramid principle advocates that ideas in writing should always form a pyramid under a single thought. Barbara minto was with the firm for only 10 years, but the mark she left is permanent.
Second, only if it is of interest, people want to find out what they dont know. The basic pyramid concept why the pyramid structure, its rules, and how the ideas within that structure relate vertically and horizontally. The presentation is based on a book entitled the pyramid principle. The pyramid principle is considered a mustread by most of my colleagues in management consulting and is definitely worth its reputation.
She personally conducts a 2day live course worldwide, to groups of 1014 within a company. Tens of thousands of people worldwide have benefited from former mckinsey consultant barbara mintos famous pyramid principle. 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. Barbara mintos pyramid principle is a hierarchically structured thinking and communication technique that can be used to precede good structured writing.
The pyramid principle was created by barbara minto the first female postmba hire at mckinsey in the 1970s. Logic in writing, by barbara minto prentice hall, london, 2002. 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. First, people tend not to listen to things they already know.
Basically, the pyramid principle is a communication technique that allows you to to structure your points and arguments properly. Barbara minto runs her own consultancy teaching the pyramid principle to top executives. The pyramid principle by exmckinsey consultant barbara minto, offers an insightful answer to this question. This training has been created by former deloitte consultant and includes 22 editable powerpoint slides that can be reused for your own presentations. Jun 21, 20 the key takeaways from the pyramid principle at mckinsey were. 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. The approach and structure of this book has survived the test of times and it is now up to its 3rd edition. It works by introducing a thesis statement before going into points and arguments that support it. The pyramid principle by barbara minto pdf download download. Hope you enjoy this tried to take the most important key ideas of the pyramid pr. Minto pyramid principle, a powerful communication tool. The pyramid principle is a hierarchical structure to create a logic and data. The pyramid principle in consulting consultants mind.
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 presenting ideas. Oct 05, 2016 this is the only way to present your ideas clearly to clients. Jun 28, 1987 the pyramid principle is a classic book written by barbara minto back in the late 80s. The minto pyramid principle by exmckinsey consultant barbara minto outlined the strategy all management consulting firms would come to. Structure the case conclusion recipientfriendly by applying. 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. The minto pyramid principle by ex mckinsey consultant barbara minto outlined the strategy all management consulting firms would come to. The rule of 3 is a helpful mckinsey protip that makes your argument to busy senior executives more memorable and persuasive. Improving your communication by following the pyramid principle. One excellent tool is the pyramid principle by an exmckinsey consultant by the name of barbara minto. Barbara minto, an ex mckinsey consultant, wrote a book designed to help consultants find a method to structure their advice and consulting reports.
The key takeaways from the pyramid principle at mckinsey were. 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. 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. The method is based on presenting information in the form. I read it in the mid2000s after it being recommended by the managertools team and recently reread it again. She based her thinking around ideas ranging from aristotles rhetoric and other sources on logic throughout history. The pyramid principle lessons from mckinsey medium.