Roughly a month ago I was introduced to the Minto pyramid principle for planning presentations. In this post I will show you what it is, not really distilling whether I personally like it, but rather just treating it as an additional tool to assist you with planning presentations.

Structure

Whether you’re presenting or writing, there is a general structure that we follow. It always is (with some variations) like this:

1. Introduction
2. Body
3. Conclusion

Or if we like to expand it a little bit.

1. Introduction
   1. Have an engaging opening
   2. Lead into body of the speech/topic (provide an agenda)
2. Body
   1. Main point(s)
   2. Sub point(s)
3. Conclusion
   1. Review/Summary
   2. Call to action

But in terms of actually planning a speech, where should we start? The Minto pyramid can be applied to answer this very question.

Minto Pyramid Principle

Disclaimer: I have not read the specific Minto Pyramid book, and am only relying on notes that I have found on the internet.

The key structure when planning is the following:

1. What is the key message? (My conclusion)
2. What questions will my readers/listeners have? (Raise them in the introduction/agenda)
3. What is the key message in my main point (i.e. go back to 1), what questions will my audience have (and address them) etc; develop your argument!

This is an extremely simplistic view of the Minto Pyramid method, but nevertheless highlights many of the main features of this approach.

An Example

As an illustration, assume we have the following report/presentation on my next car. The report could simply be:

Electric Cars are wonderful because:

1. They are better for the environment.
2. They save money on maintenance cost.
3. They look futuristic.

In the format:

• Question: What is your next car?
• Answer: Electric Car
• Question: Why?
• Answer: Reason 1, 2, 3

In doing so the aim is that presentations are hopefully more engaging and relevant to the listener, as though they themselves are actually part of a conversation; not a monologue.