Pyramidal principle
The pyramidal principle is a communication concept that was developed by former McKinsey employee Barbara Minto . It can be used for personal communication, lectures, presentations, letters, reports or any other conceivable form of communication. The pyramidal principle is contrary to the classic scientific funnel model.
The principle
Communication according to the pyramidal principle always begins with the core message. This is then substantiated with details. The classic scientific funnel, on the other hand, represents the key message at the end of the text, the presentation, the conversation, etc. (at least that's how Minto puts it).
The pyramidal structure puts the result in the foreground, while the funnel model emphasizes the process.
The funnel model is useful when the process is more important than the result. This is often the case with academic papers, for example.
The pyramidal principle, on the other hand, is used when results are to be presented. This is more often the case in business life, for example. Consulting companies in particular use the pyramidal principle to present their results to customers. The pyramidal principle is often an integral part of the industry's toolbox. "To make it Minto " has already been used as a phrase in corporate cultures.
Application rules
The pyramidal communication concept knows two principles of reasoning.
Reasoning groups
Argumentation groups are useful when there is general consensus on a topic. The core statement is detailed and supported by parallel statements. All statements on one level must bear the GÜTE seal ( MECE ).
GÜTE stands for:
- G facilitated like
- ü berschneidungsfrei
- t meeting
- e rschöpfend.
Barbara Minto had already defined the requirements for the pyramidal group in a non-overlapping and exhaustive manner in the 1970s. With the GÜTE seal, Roland Berger added two further requirements in the 1990s - similar and appropriate. Axel Schoof and Karin Binder have included two further criteria in an acronym : A maximum of seven parallel statements can be placed next to each other, unless a known standard structure is used. As a further requirement, the most important statement for the recipient should be started, after which the statements become less and less important.
Chains of reasoning
Chains of argument are suitable when there is disagreement about a topic or general skepticism prevails. Chains of argument justify the core message. After the key statement has been made, the current situation is named, commented on and the resolution on the problem is then named.
It is also possible to combine chains and groups. For example, individual elements of a group of arguments can be explained using a chain of arguments or individual elements of a chain of arguments can be detailed using groups of arguments.
literature
- Barbara Minto: The principle of the pyramid. Pearson studies, Munich a. a. 2005, ISBN 3-8273-7189-9 .
- Axel Schoof, Karin Binder: In a nutshell: structure presentations pyramidal. Communicate more successfully with clear messages and a result-oriented structure. Springer Gabler 2013, ISBN 978-3658032289 .
- Wolfgang Hackenberg, Carsten Leminsky, Eibo Schulz-Wolfgramm: "Key Message. Delivered. Business presentations with structure." 2nd edition by Haufe 2014, ISBN 978-3-648-05908-1
Footnotes
- ↑ Axel Schoof, Karin Binder: Presentations pyramidal structure , 2013, p. 184.