The pyramid principle
The Minto Pyramid Principle: Logic in Writing, Thinking and Problem Solving explains a technique for working out your thinking on any subject, so that you can present it clearly to someone else. It explains: Why organizing your ideas into a pyramid structure will make them easy for someone else to grasp How to use the pyramid rules to help you discover and develop your thinking How to focus the thinking to be compelling to your audience.
Stats for nerds
28recommend
60mentions
39people
2010–2026years
77% recommend23% neutral
Mentions per year
What Hacker News says
- - Minto's Pyramid Principle (writing as structure; state your point and then unfold more and more details as you go)
- Clear and Simple as the Truth (writing in the "classic style")
- There is no dearth of books about writing, with many recommendation threads on HN already.
- Research the mental model of the "rhetorical move". You will find that there are several books on using patterns in writing. Many are written for non-native speakers of English engaging in academic writing. But the idea is very useful for all genres!
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You didn't ask for them, but here are some favorite tips:
Think about your writing structurally / architecturally. Be mindful of patterns. Strive for clarity and concision. Know and consider your audience.
Read. Question what you read. What qualities does the writing have? Why? What structures and patterns does the writing have? What are the functions of the parts and the whole? Why and how do the patterns and functions work well?
Question your own drafts. What qualities do you want your writing to have? Why? What is the essence of those qualities? Have you achieved them? Can you design exercises for yourself to develop those qualities?
Write every day. Engage in deliberate practice of certain aspects of writing.
Write and revise several drafts. Let drafts incubate.
Try writing by hand. Try writing on notecards and rearranging them in piles or on your physical desktop. Try dictating and transcribing. Try typing each sentence on its own line (it makes rearrangement easier by moving lines up or down with keyboard shortcuts in a text editor like Sublime Text). Try thinking through and mindmapping your structure before writing the draft. Try drafting in a good outliner, such as Bike or OmniOutliner.
Develop and maintain a professional relationship with a good human editor.
- I read "Pyramid Principle, The: Logic in Writing and Thinking" by Barbara Minto. Highly recommend it.
- Is this for non-fiction/business writing?
If so, I recommend looking at Barbara Minto's Pyramid Principle.
https://www.amazon.com/Pyramid-Principle-Logic-Writing-Think...
- Not exclusive to scientific publishing, either. Minto’s Pyramid Principle is a classic in strategy consulting and includes this structure. Have slso heard it called “triple coat”.
- Good management style speaking is the exact opposite to talking a lot and saying little. If you're already being as effective as possible, and the other side is getting exactly what you're trying to convey, the problem shouldn't be with the communication, but the content of communication. That said, The Pyramid Principle by Barbara Minto, is probably the best book when it comes to business communication.
- The McKinsey "Bible" for structured communication is The Pyramid Principle by Barbara Minto. I've coached dozens of engineers who found its insights helpful in structuring their own communications to non-technical audiences, even about complex and nuanced topics. Highly recommend reading it!
