Pyramid Principle: Introductions

Most documents answer one of four questions

Situation
(Established truth about the subject)		 Complication
(What happened next to trigger the question)		 Question
Have a task to perform Something stops us from performing that task What should we do?
Have a problem Know the solution How do we implement the solution?
Have a problem A solution has been suggested Is it the right solution?
Took an action Action didn’t work Why not?

(Minto [1996] 2018, p 37)

Note that most documents are about what action to take:

Indeed, it is rare that people want to know why something happened without at the same time knowing what action to take about it. (Minto [1996] 2018, p 49)

Introductions in Key Points

The difference between the initial and subsequent introductions lies in where the reader happens to be standing as he reads each. At the time of the initial introduction, you want to remind him what he knows about the subject of the paper … At the first Key Line point you write to remind him why this subject is relevant to the overall point. At other Key Line points, you write to show him how the about-to-be-discussed subject is relevant to the one previously discussed. (Minto [1996] 2018, p 48)

Suggestions for 4 common patterns

Giving direction

This pattern is the most common type of document.

Structure the introduction as follows:

S We want to do X
C We need you to do Y
Q (How do you do Y?)

(Minto [1996] 2018, p 50)

or

S You do X
C Must do in Y way
Q (What is Y way?)

(Minto [1996] 2018, p 51)

The question is likely implied instead of explicitly asked. Minto strongly encourages the user to “spell it out for yourself before you begin to write” ([1996] 2018, p 50)

Note that the question is almost always “How,” for which the answer is almost always “steps”

Seeking approval to use resources

The introduction is usually structured like this:

S We have a problem
C We have a solution that will cost $
Q (Should you approve?)

(Minto [1996] 2018, p 51)

The reasons for approval almost always include the the first 3 of these points, and sometime the fourth:

  • Resolution of the problem cannot wait
  • This action will solve the problem (or this is the best way to solve the problem, if there are alternatives available)
  • The cost will be more then offset by the projected savings (or some other form of financial justification)
  • There are other goodies we can get (Minto [1996] 2018, p 52)

Explaining “How To”

The Key Line structure for any “how to” document is “steps” (Minto [1996] 2018, p 53)

There are two different introductions depending on whether reader is learning something new or is changing something they already know.

For teaching a new process:

S Must do X activity
C Not set up to do so
Q How do we get set up?

(Minto [1996] 2018, p 53)

For suggesting a changed process:

S Your present system is X
C It doesn’t work properly
Q How change to make it work properly?

(Minto [1996] 2018, p 53)

Choosing Amoung Alternatives

Minto suggests that there is “no such thing as an alternative solution to a problem” ([1996] 2018, p 54).

The only time you should have to write a memo that deals with genuine alternatives is when they are known to the reader in advance, probably because they have been under discussion in the company. In that case, the introduction is very easy to structure:

S We want to do X
C We have alternative ways of doing it
Q Which one makes the most sense?

(Minto [1996] 2018, p 55)

If there is a recommendation you’re making, the Key Line is structured in one of two ways:

The best and easiest way to do it it, if you can, is to structure it around the criteria you used to make the the judgement (Select C. It is faster than A or B; it is cheaper than A or B; It is simpler to implement).

The trouble, of course, is that C is not always better than A or B on all three criteria. In that case, you can only present your argument by making a statement about each alternative (Select C. C gives us everything but …; A is no good because …; B is no good because …). In other words, state the major reason you selected C, and the major reason you dropped both A and B. (Minto [1996] 2018, p 55)

If you are not making a recommendation, you’re probably choosing between alternative objectives instead of alternative solutions. The answer becomes “It depends what you want” and the key line becomes (“Choose A if you care about X”; “Choose B if you care about Y”; “Choose C if you care about Z”).

Letter of Proposal

For new clients:

S You have a problem (1 or 2 sentence description of problem)
C You have decided to bring in an outsider to solve it
Q (Are we the outsider you should hire to solve it)

The Answer to the implied Question is always “yes,” of course, generally followed by a 4-part structure:

  1. We understand the problem
  2. We have a sound approach for solving it
  3. We hae enormous experience in applying that approach
  4. Our business arrangements make sense (Minto [1996] 2018, p 55)

For existing clients:

S You have a problem (3-4 paragraph explanation)
C You want consulting to help solve it
Q How will we go about helping you solve your problem?

In this case, the rest of the document is structured around the approac the consultant will take to solving the problem … This structure encourages the writer to weave the examples of his experience in with the explanation of how and why he plans to take the particular approach he is describing. (Minto [1996] 2018, p58)

Progress Review

First report:

S We have been working on X problem
C We told you that step one would be to determine whether Y is the case. We have done that.
Q What did you find?

(Minto [1996] 2018, p58)

Subsequent reports:

S We told you X
C You asked us to investigate Y, which we have done.
Q What did you find?

(Minto [1996] 2018, p59)

Other Quotes

If you have any children, you know the best stories in the whole world are ones they already know. (Minto [1996] 2018, p 36)

If the document is a short one, with only a paragraph or two to support each section, … use the points as topic sentences to your paragraphs and underline them so they jump out a the reader. (Minto [1996] 2018, p 41)

As a rule of thumb, you never want to have a section labeled “Background” or “Introduction” because the information it contains will not be on the same level of abstraction as the other points that follow. (Minto [1996] 2018, p 41)

Never write about categories, only about ideas. (Minto [1996] 2018, p 41)

The length of an introduction is not necessarily related to the length of the writing to follow. Rather, it is related to the needs of the reader. What does he have to be told not only to comprehend fully the significance of your main point, but also to want to read on to learn how you arrived at it? (Minto [1996] 2018, p 43)

You generally tend to write to answer only one of four questions:

  1. What should we do?
  2. How should we/will we/did we do it?
  3. Should we do it?
  4. Why did it happen? (Minto [1996] 2018, p 49)

Minto, Barbara. (1996) 2018. The Minto Pyramid Principle: Logic in Writing, Thinking and Problem Solving. Minto International Inc.

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