What is The Pyramid Principle and how do we apply the method in our training?
The Pyramid Principle was developed in the 1970s by Barbara Minto, then a communication consultant for McKinsey. The main idea of The Pyramid Principle and our training can be summarized as “bottom line upfront,” or in other words: start your story with it’s essence, then provide the explanation. This is why it’s called pyramid writing.
A story with a pyramid structure creates a much more enjoyable experience for a reader or the audience of a presentation. They first receive the core message of a story and then the detailed explanation behind it. Both the message and the explanation become easier and faster to understand. This purposeful writing is exactly what we teach you in our pyramid writing course.
Let’s take a look at an example
Imagine you’ve been invited to a birthday party, but unfortunately, you can’t attend. You could write a reply like this:
“Dear Dirk,
Many thanks for your kind invitation to your 30th birthday on September 2nd. However, Marjolijn will be coaching our youngest daughter Puck’s hockey team that weekend. The reason for this is that I will be participating in an international golf tournament in Portugal from September 1st to 4th. Therefore, we won’t be able to attend your birthday party. Wishing you a wonderful day!
Warm regards, Willem.”
If you reverse the order — first the core message and then the details — your text becomes much easier to read and understand. Willem could’ve also written the above response pyramidally after our pyramid writing course:
“Dear Dirk,
Thank you very much for your kind invitation to your 30th birthday on September 2nd. Unfortunately, Marjolijn and I won’t be able to attend.
I will be participating in an international golf tournament in Portugal, and Marjolijn will be coaching our youngest daughter Puck’s hockey team that weekend. Wishing you a wonderful day!
Warm regards, Willem.”
What applies to a short and simple email applies even more strongly to presentations and reports in which various ideas are interconnected in a more complex manner. With the help of our Pyramid Writing course, you will fully master The Pyramid Principle and design persuasive presentations and captivating slides.
In our book “Een IJzersterk Verhaal” and in our training, we have made Minto’s theory on The Pyramid Principle fully applicable to presentations. Of course, we also utilize other presentation techniques that you can apply, such as storytelling, slide design, and data visualization. For effective presenting, we even consulted specialists on topics such as concentration, stage fright, internal dialogue, voice use and theater technique.
For more information and to sign up
Would you like to learn more about pyramidal writing? Order the book, or download our 6-page whitepaper or 22-page reader. Do you want to start using pyramid writing yourself? Then sign up for our Pyramid Principle training. Do you have any questions? Feel free to call us at 020-428 95 50 or send an email via info@demonchyenbakker.nl.