The Pyramid Principle summary

When constructing a pyramid, follow the bottom-up approach: First, list all the points you want to make, clustering together those that argue toward a similar conclusion. Then summarize each group with a single statement one level above the group. Each summary statement is like the tip of a miniature pyramid.

Repeat the process on the next level, and the next and so on. Eventually, you are left with one summary statement that crystallizes the key message of the entire document. Your pyramid is ready.

Any statement you make within your pyramid structure must raise a question in the reader’s mind, which you then answer on the level below. One way this answer can be formulated is through deductive reasoning.

Deduction is a classic logical process where you draw conclusions from premises. For example, from the premises “All men are mortal” and “Goliath is a man,” you can draw the conclusion, “Goliath is mortal.” You could then summarize the entire deduction process on the level above with the statement, “Since Goliath is a man, he is mortal.”

If a statement in your pyramid cannot be supported with deduction then a more creative form of reasoning must be used: induction.

Induction means drawing a conclusion from a set of ideas that are similar in some way; e.g. “Reasons for…” or “Parts of…”

Business writing often involves giving recommendations on how to solve a problem. Usually, the solution is not self-evident (otherwise the problem would have been solved already). To find your recommendations, you can apply a straightforward problem-solving process.

First, you identify the problem in clear, measurable terms; e.g., “The factory is losing three hours of operating time each day; how can we avoid this?” Next, you find out exactly where the problem is; e.g., “The problem is not the people or the raw material but the machines; they break down every day.” Third, you dig deeper into the problem to find out why it exists; e.g., “The maintenance workers receive insufficient training.” This allows you to identify possible courses of action to solve the problem; e.g., “Make supervisors responsible for training or purchase training externally.”

If you have discovered the solution to your reader’s problem, it is now your job to convince her to take action. So how do you structure your recommendations as convincingly as possible?

Essentially, when giving a recommendation, you make an action statement that describes the actions aimed at achieving a desired effect. This being the case, you should group your actions around the effect you are aiming for and describe the effect so tangibly that you will later know whether or not it has been achieved.

Every document should begin with a brief introduction that serves two purposes: to incite the reader’s interest in the document, and to set the stage for the problem to be solved.

The easiest way to pique your reader’s interest and help her concentrate on your document is to put the introduction in story-form. You begin by describing the initial situation, after which you introduce a complication and finally offer a resolution.

To guide the reader through your pyramid hierarchy, you need a way of demonstrating the structure on paper.

The most popular method is to use headings to indicate the various levels and groupings of ideas. Use increasingly indented headings to show you are moving toward the lower levels of the pyramid. Government offices and large companies will even add decimal numbers (1, 1.1, 1.1.1) to further emphasize the structure.

Even the most logically thought-out pyramid structure is of little use unless the reader can keep up with it.

It is easy to lose the reader when moving between the various sections and subsections of the pyramid, so you should let her know when you are transitioning. One way to do this is to reference backward at the beginning of a new section.