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pyramid principle
"The Pyramid Principle" introduces an efficient method that can clearly express ideas. It is a practical guide to train thinking and make expressions logical. In order to become a "clearly logical and well-organized" person, we hope that when expressing (writing, speaking and training), we can get to the point and answer the questions of the audience (listeners, readers and students) head-on. Understand how to build a framework structure, organize the order of sentences, and explain your points clearly in the shortest time so that the audience is interested, understands, and remembers. We also hope that all members of the organization can communicate using unified logic, structure and methods, quickly resonate and reach consensus.
Edited at 2023-11-06 22:15:37- bacteria
This is a mind map about bacteria, and its main contents include: overview, morphology, types, structure, reproduction, distribution, application, and expansion. The summary is comprehensive and meticulous, suitable as review materials.
- Plant asexual reproduction
This is a mind map about plant asexual reproduction, and its main contents include: concept, spore reproduction, vegetative reproduction, tissue culture, and buds. The summary is comprehensive and meticulous, suitable as review materials.
- Reproductive development of animals
This is a mind map about the reproductive development of animals, and its main contents include: insects, frogs, birds, sexual reproduction, and asexual reproduction. The summary is comprehensive and meticulous, suitable as review materials.
pyramid principle
- bacteria
This is a mind map about bacteria, and its main contents include: overview, morphology, types, structure, reproduction, distribution, application, and expansion. The summary is comprehensive and meticulous, suitable as review materials.
- Plant asexual reproduction
This is a mind map about plant asexual reproduction, and its main contents include: concept, spore reproduction, vegetative reproduction, tissue culture, and buds. The summary is comprehensive and meticulous, suitable as review materials.
- Reproductive development of animals
This is a mind map about the reproductive development of animals, and its main contents include: insects, frogs, birds, sexual reproduction, and asexual reproduction. The summary is comprehensive and meticulous, suitable as review materials.
- Recommended to you
- Outline
pyramid principle
Part 4 The Logic of Demonstration
Chapter 10: Presenting the Pyramid in Writing
There are many ways to present a pyramid structure in an article:
multi-level heading method
Be careful when using titles
There cannot be only one title for each level
Don't be like newspapers and magazines, where you use a title to separate context just to make the page look good.
The purpose of the title is to attract the reader's attention.
The idea represented by a title is one of a group of ideas, all of which together explain or support the overall idea of the group.
The same ideas (views, arguments, suggestions, etc.) should use the same sentence pattern
There should be consistency (contrast) between the ideas of each section in the same group
The wording of the title should distill the essence of the idea
The function of the title is to remind, not to guide the following
Be concise and to the point.
Title and text should be considered separately
Titles are written more for the eyeballs than for the head
Each group of titles should be introduced in advance
The reason for introducing it in advance is to prevent readers from knowing the argument until they get to the end.
Do not write the title of each chapter immediately following the title of the article, nor write the title of the first section close to the title of each chapter. There should be a paragraph under the big title that introduces the main content of the following title.
Don't abuse titles
Use titles only if they help clarify the message you want to convey and help readers understand the details of your thoughts.
If the title is properly refined, it can serve as the table of contents and summary of the report being written. Be another useful tool for the reader and keep the reader and the writer on the same page
Underline method
Must strictly use question/question/answer structure
Pay attention to the wording of your arguments. The less information you need to explain your arguments, the better.
If readers have to wade through 30 words to grasp the argument, it will be difficult to understand the logical relationship of the article.
Arguments must be firmly limited to the framework of deductive and inductive reasoning
You cannot simply list your opinions and ignore the logic of deduction and induction.
Deductive reasoning cannot have more than 4 arguments
Inductive reasoning cannot have more than 5 arguments
If the limit is exceeded and there are too many arguments, then the classification and grouping need to be reconsidered
Numbering
Any number must present the central level of the idea in the article
The numbering method is best used in conjunction with the multi-level heading method
Paragraphs containing prefaces, concluding summaries, connecting comments, or introductions to secondary arguments do not need to be numbered
See page 229 of the paper book for the numbering method.
First line indentation
If the article is very short and it is not suitable to use titles or numbers to present the level of ideas, use the first line indentation method.
Arguments that support or explain the central idea and main points will be easier for readers to absorb if they can be grouped into groups.
An important rule: use the same sentence patterns to express your ideas.
For improvement examples, see: Page 230 of the paper book
bullet method
A variation of Bullet Wizard's first line indentation method.
See page 231 of the paper book
Be sure to write transitional sentences when moving from one set of ideas to another.
There should be filtering between contexts
There should be transitional sentences between the preface and the main text
In longer articles, you should also pave the way at the beginning or end of each group of ideas to let readers know the relationship between what has been discussed and what will be discussed next, while ensuring that the links between arguments and arguments are smooth and not mechanical.
You can use storytelling and connecting the past and the next to pave the way.
tell a story
Tell readers about the background-conflict-question trilogy
No matter what part of the article it is in, the introductory paragraph should only include information that the reader already knows or, like you, believes to be true.
Connect the previous and the next
Pick a word, phrase, or summary of the central idea from the previous part of the pyramid structure and use it in the opening sentence of the next part.
Paragraph linking paragraphs: See page 235 of the paper book
Summarize the content of each part
draw complete conclusions
Explain next steps
One principle of writing is that the reader will not question what is written in the section, that is, the action to be taken must be logically taken for granted.
Chapter 11 Presenting the Pyramid in a PPT Presentation
Presenting a pyramid slide structure
background
conflict
Central idea and key sentence points
Points of the first key sentence Supporting arguments
The first supporting argument is accompanied by a chart or a set of charts
The second supporting argument is accompanied by a chart or a set of charts
The third supporting argument is accompanied by a chart or a set of charts
Points of the second key sentence Supporting arguments
Next support the argument with a chart or a set of charts.
And so on...
Design PPT slides
basic rules:
Text slides should only include the most important ideas (opinions, arguments, suggestions, etc.) that are appropriately grouped and summarized, and should be described as concisely as possible
The presentation should be well illustrated with text and should be supported by various diagrams (charts, tables or schematics)
Presentations should present a well-thought-out synopsis and script
Charts account for 80%, text accounts for 10%
text slides for
Describe the structure of the presentation
Emphasize important ideas, opinions, conclusions, arguments, suggestions or measures to be taken, etc.
chart slides for
Explain data and relationships that are difficult to explain using words alone (charts)
Design text PPT slides
Be clear about what you want to say
Good slides always convey information as directly and simply as possible, without wasting words on transitional or introductory language that could be conveyed verbally.
Text slides are best used only to emphasize the main arguments in the pyramid
Know what you want to demonstrate
Demonstrate and illustrate one argument at a time
Arguments should use complete declarative sentences rather than title language
Keep text as short as possible
It’s best to have no more than 6 lines or about 30 words per slide.
If it is difficult to convey an idea clearly with one slide, use multiple slides
Use simple vocabulary and numbers
Using long lists of words, technical terms, or complex words can distract your audience.
The simpler the numbers, the better. For example, $4.9 million is easier to remember than $4,876,987.
Font size should be large enough
Be sure to rehearse the font size to ensure that the farthest audience can see it.
Pay attention to the interestingness of the slides
The most effective way is to make your speech more interesting
Use level-by-level presentation to increase interest.
Design chart PPT slide
The information conveyed by the chart slide should be as simple and easy to understand as the audience does not have the opportunity to study it carefully and find out the meaning of the various parts.
If a diagram is too complex, too detailed, or too scattered, valuable time will be wasted explaining it instead of discussing it.
Questions answered by charts generally fall into five categories
What are the components?
What/how has changed?
How are the items distributed?
Correlation between items?
How do the quantities compare?
Compare to total?
Compare each other?
Change with time?
Decide on the question you want to answer, use the answer as a title for your chart, and then choose the chart style that best represents your argument.
A good chart title immediately focuses the viewer's attention on the aspect of the data you wish to emphasize.
Usage of various types of PPT charts
Story line
See page 249 of the paper book
Start making slideshow (sequence)
The preface should be as detailed as possible, and write down every word you want to say in the order you want. Doing this not only ensures that nothing is missed, but also double-checks whether the questions you answered are still what the audience wants to ask.
Use the form of a story summary. The writing order of each slide is, from top to bottom, the elements of the preface, the main points of the key sentences, and the arguments at the next level of the key sentences.
Make a preliminary decision on the presentation method you are going to use. You may not have accurate data at this point, but you just need to know the type of data and the relationship you want to express.
Prepare notes for each slide to ensure the entire presentation flows like a story.
Complete slide design and drawing
Rehearse, rehearse, rehearse!
Chapter 12: Presenting the Pyramid Between the Lines
Brain mapping (drawing images in the brain)
The article should make the reader feel happy while reading it. The simple method is: subjectively imagine the images that were originally used to derive ideas (viewpoints, arguments, measures)
Use questions to abstractly describe the image.
Copy image to text
Professor William Minto:
When writing, you are like a commander, commanding thousands of troops, lining up to pass through a narrow pass that can only pass one person at a time; while your readers greet you on the other side, re-forming and re-organizing. No matter how big or complex the subject, you can only express it in this way.
Ultimately, you will discover, this is what we owe to our readers in terms of order and arrangement, and why rhetoricians, in addition to emphasizing topic and originality of diction, also view order and arrangement as a duty to those who have given them such kindness. .
Part 3 The Logic of Solving Problems
Two commonly used pyramid structures for articles and reports
Research reports and PPT presentations (usually used to give solutions to problems)
Project proposals and consulting advice articles (usually used to describe how you will go about solving a problem)
This type of article usually answers the following 3 common questions:
What should we do?
Should we do it?
What should we do? what will you do?
The secret to improving the efficiency of some consulting reports is
1. Define the problem
2. Collect and analyze data in an orderly manner and transform it into a pyramid form
Chapter 8 Defining the Problem
Continuous analysis (sequence analysis)
A specific result caused by a specific context becomes an undesired result (R1, status quo, Undesired Result)
"Problem" means that you don't like a certain result (such as reduced sales) and want to get another result (increased sales), which becomes the desired result (R2, target, Desired Result).
Continuous analysis can effectively solve the following problems
1. Is there/may there be a problem (or opportunity)?
2. What’s the problem?
3. Why it exists (the root of the problem, the reason)
4. What can we do?
5. What should we do?
Questions 1 and 2 are the preface, and questions 3-5 are the thoughts, opinions, arguments, and opinions in the pyramid structure.
Framing the problem
See page 167 of the paper book
Preface "Problems of Defining"
Preface tips, from left to right and then down. ↑
Background S= In order to get the supermarket to agree to test-market our new product on its shelves for about a week, our company has been paying it a new product test-marketing fee in the past few years. The fee has grown every year and is currently $20,000, which is a bit high for a week's use of the shelves. In order to prevent the supermarket from taking advantage of the situation, we decided to refuse to pay the fee. (Background, level one R1, level R2, level - solution, level two R1, level two R2, level two solution)
Conflict C = Unfortunately, the supermarket also refused to allow our new product to be tested. (Level 3 R1)
Question Q=How should we deal with the problems we face?
How to frame the review question:
Expand the basic part of the problem, as shown in Figure 8-7
At what stage is your solution (has it been proposed or has it been accepted)?
Ask appropriate questions
Check whether the preamble presents a defined problem
Check if the pyramid answers the question.
Expand the elements of the problem
Determine 4 elements to define the problem:
Etarting Point/Opening Scene
The entry point is the first sentence of the article
In the prologue stage, try to make simple assumptions and brief descriptions, and wait until the next stage to expand.
Disturbing/Confusion (Disturbing Event)
Something happens that disrupts the normal functioning of a structure or process. For example, in the example in Figure 8-7, the price increase on the shelf is "confusion"
There are 3 reasons for distress/distress:
External causes
Changes in the environment where the structure or process is located, such as the emergence of new competitors, the use of new technologies, changes in government or consumer policies, etc.
internal reasons
Changes within the company, such as adding business processes, arranging new computer systems, entering new markets, adjusting product lines, etc.
Other reasons recently recognized
Recognize or have evidence that changes are definitely or likely to occur, such as backwardness of products/processes, lower than average operating levels, market research showing changes in consumer attitudes, etc.
Sometimes you won't be able to pinpoint what made you realize there was a problem because of insufficient information, but you can find areas where the customer is dissatisfied with the existing structure or process.
Status quo, undesired result (R1, Undesired Result)
In the consulting industry, undesired results are the main motivation for clients to come for consultation.
Obsession/confusion may lead to opportunities that are not yet discovered or present, but it is more likely to:
Negative impact on company structure and processes
disrupt work in a particular direction
Causes (or should cause) reconsideration of customers, products, processes
Challenge (or should challenge) fundamental assumptions about customers, markets, competition, core competencies, processes, or technology
There may be more than one R1 caused by trouble.
Goal, desired result (R2, Desired Result)
Readers expect their existing structures or processes to produce desired results, not undesired results.
If R1 is an opportunity, you want to take advantage of him.
Only by describing R2 as concretely and quantitatively as possible can you tell whether the result you are getting is the expected result.
Sometimes you may not be able to describe the final result of R2 specifically, or at all. In this case, just write in the R2 section the state you hope to achieve if the problem is solved.
In the process of solving the problem, various elements will change. For example, when you start collecting data, you find that you have a clearer understanding of external changes, so you need to refining and re-describing the essence of R1 and R2.
No matter how the parts of the framework change, the interrelationship between the elements remains dominant.
Uncover readers/customers’ questions
Readers will have different questions at different stages of your presentation of the problem.
Customers/readers usually want to solve one of the following 7 problems:
How to go from R1 to R2 in the face of non-ideal results?
I have a solution from R1 to R2, is this solution correct or how to implement this solution? (should we do what we want to do)
I have a solution from R1 to R2, this solution doesn't work, what should we do?
We have three (different) solutions, which one should we choose and which one is the best solution?
Know that reform is necessary, but not sure what the goals are and how to achieve them. What should our goals and strategies be?
Not sure if you are in a non-ideal result (R1). Do we have a problem? If there is a problem, how do you deal with it? (Typical leverage comparison)
Start writing the preface
Explanation: Paper book 178 pages
Example: Appendix 2
Practical cases
Explanation: Paper book 183 pages
Chapter 9 Structured Analysis Problems
The standard process for analyzing a problem is:
1. Collect information
2. Describe the findings
3. Draw conclusions
4. Propose a plan
Start with information
1. Before collecting data, conduct a structured analysis of the problem (outward reasoning)
Make various hypotheses
Design one or several important experiments to rule out one or more hypotheses based on the results produced
Draw clear conclusions through experiments
Take remedial measures accordingly
2. Analyze the whole company and the whole industry
Discover the key factors for the success of this industry, study market characteristics, "price-cost-investment" characteristics, technical needs, industrial structure and profitability;
Assess customers' strengths and weaknesses based on sales and market position, technology position, economic structure, financial and cost accounting;
Compare client performance against key success factors;
Make concrete suggestions for seizing opportunities and solving problems
Design diagnostic framework
Use the diagnostic framework to analyze the situation where the customer is having issues:
1. Imagine the possible causes of the problem and list them all.
2. Classify using the principle of “complete exhaustion and mutual independence”.
3. Screen the possible causes.
This diagnosis will reveal what elements your analysis needs to focus on and why.
Example: See page 188 of the paper book
There are only 3 methods of structured analysis
present a tangible structure
Any business or industry should have a clear structure.
You can use tangible structures to analyze R1 in a targeted manner
Find cause and effect
The second approach is to look for elements, behaviors, and tasks that are causally related.
Draw a tree diagram with the topic question as the root. Analyze the underlying specific causes. Which ones are the main causes of the problem?
Classification grouping
Use diagnostic framework
Problems faced by customers
Collect data based on logical framework
Analytical methods
Analytical methods (suitable for consultants who know enough about the industry)
Imagine what shortcomings the company has
What do you hope to discover?
Form questions that require data collection; e.g.
1. Ordering and delivery times – Are the promised delivery times uncompetitive? Is it delivered on time as promised?
2. Procurement system - Are there any delays or excessive costs in purchasing raw materials, parts and accessories?
3. Inventory item supply – Are costs increased due to external storage?
4. Existing production capacity – Can production capacity meet forecasted demand?
5. System costs - Do local management controls cause imbalances in the entire system and increase costs for other parts?
6. Management reporting – Do order status and labor efficiency reports provide necessary controls?
Start planning to collect data
Determine the source of each piece of information and assign collection tasks.
See page 201 of the paper book
Build logic tree
Find a solution
See page 202 of the paper book
Look for flaws in each group of ideas
See page 204 of the paper book
Issue analysis
Analysis of right and wrong issues only historical development
Basic concepts of the pyramid principle
The Pyramid Principle is a way of thinking, communication, and standardized actions that is focused, logical, hierarchical, and simple to understand.
The basic structure of the pyramid principle is: conclusion first, unify the above, classify and group, and progress logically. Put the important before the minor, summarize before the specific, frame before the details, conclusion before the reasons, results before the process, arguments before the arguments.
The Pyramid Principle trains expressers to: pay attention to and explore the audience's intentions, needs, interests, concerns and interests, what they want to say clearly (content), how to say it (ideas, structure), and follow the standard structure and standardized actions of communication.
The communication effect that the pyramid can achieve is: clear viewpoints, highlighted points, clear ideas, well-structured, simple and easy to understand, so that the audience is interested, able to understand, and able to remember.
The pyramid principle can help you solve these problems.
Thinking: Learn to use your right brain and left brain for whole-brain thinking, improve your structured thinking ability, and think comprehensively, accurately, and quickly.
Written expression and official document writing: Be able to explore readers’ concerns, interests, needs, and benefits, and be able to use the four principles of the pyramid to build a clear and logical structure for common official documents (notifications, requests for instructions, work plans, work summaries, meetings) Minutes, reports), master the four elements of writing a preface, the MECE principle of classification and grouping, and be able to highlight the key points, make the logic clear, make people understand, be willing to read, and remember. Write articles quickly, shorten writing time, and reduce the number of revisions.
Oral expression: speaking, delivering speeches, and lecturing, being able to use the basic principles of the pyramid to answer the four most common questions from the audience: "What is it? Why? How to do it? Is it good?" The expression is focused and clear, making people willing to listen. , understand and remember, and become a person who thinks clearly and speaks concisely.
Managing subordinates: Able to use the pyramid principle, be comprehensive, thoughtful, and rigorous, and assign tasks and design processes without overlap or omission.
Trainers develop courses and lectures: they can use pyramids to build framework structures, organize materials, highlight key points, have clear logic, and be easy to understand.
Part One The Logic of Expression
Chapter 1 Why use pyramid structure
Categorize and group ideas into pyramids
The brain automatically organizes everything it finds into some sort of order.
The brain assumes that anything that happens at the same time is somehow related. And these things will be organized according to a certain logical pattern.
For example, when the ancient Greeks looked at the starry sky, they saw various patterns of stars instead of scattered stars.
Two “habits” of the brain
①: Remember no more than 7 ideas, concepts or projects.
②: Look for logical relationships.
It is not enough to group ideas or concepts logically, one must also find out their logical relationships. The role of classification is not just to divide a group of 9 concepts into 3 groups of 4, 3 and 2 concepts each, because this still adds up to 9 concepts. What you have to do is go up a level of abstraction and turn the 9 items your brain needs to process into 3 items.
The most effective way of expression is to put forward the general concept first and then list the specific items. That is, we must express our thoughts from top to bottom.
Express from bottom up, conclusion first
Sorting out the order in which you express your thoughts is the most important way to write a coherent article.
Clear order: Put forward the concluding thoughts first, and then put forward the specific thoughts being summarized. You must remember the summary first and then the specific order of expression.
The brain of the audience can only understand the thoughts expressed by the author (lecturer) sentence by sentence. They assume that ideas that appear together are logically related. If you don't tell them this logical relationship in advance, but just express your thoughts sentence by sentence, readers will automatically look for common points and classify and combine the ideas you express to make each combination meaningful.
Donkeys and pears have nothing to do with each other, but if you say "a donkey, and a pear," the reader will think of a donkey eating a pear.
No matter how high a reader's IQ is, the thinking abilities available to them are limited.
The first part of thinking skills is used to identify and interpret the words that are read.
The second part is used to find relationships between ideas.
The third part is used to understand the meaning of the ideas expressed.
Reduce the thinking ability consumed in the first and second parts, allowing readers to concentrate on understanding the meaning of the expressed thoughts.
Think top-down and summarize
Summarize the order of the article
One: Write sentences that contain a single idea or concept. (yellow apple, red apple, green apple)
Two: Combine sentences containing a single idea or concept into paragraphs. (Yellow apple, red apple, green apple = apple, big banana, small banana = banana)
Three: Group paragraphs into chapters that together support the single idea of the chapter. (yellow apple red apple green apple = apple = fruit = banana = big banana small banana)
Four: Combine chapters into articles that support the single idea expressed in the article. (Fruits and crops are plants)
Constantly generalize upwards, using countless small concepts as arguments to support the central idea.
Your article must conform to these rules. The ideas in the pyramid are related to each other in 3 ways.
The ideas at any level in the article must be a summary of the ideas at the next level.
Your main activity in thinking and writing is to generalize and abstract more concrete ideas into new ideas.
The ideas in each group must belong to the same logical category
If you wish to move a group of ideas to a higher level of abstraction, the ideas in the group must have something logically in common.
For example: you can logically classify apples and bananas as fruits, or you can classify tables and chairs as household items. But how do you put apples and chairs in a group? It's not enough to just move up a level of abstraction, because the previous level of abstraction is in the realm of fruits and homes. Therefore, you have to go to a higher level and generalize it as "items", but such a generalization is too broad to explain the logical relationship between groups of ideas.
A simple way to check that you have grouped ideas is to see whether you can identify all of the grouped ideas with a single noun, whereby all the ideas in the group could be titled "suggestions," "reasons," or "problems." ”, “changes that need to be made” and other nouns. There are no restrictions on the types of ideas, but the ideas in each group must belong to the same category and must be expressible by a single noun.
Ideas within each group must be organized in a logical sequence
There must be a clear reason why the second thought is placed second rather than first or third.
See Chapter 6 for detailed logical sequence organization methods.
Therefore, the key to writing coherent articles is to put your thoughts into a pyramid structure and test them against the rules above before you start writing. If you fail to meet any of the above rules, it means there is a problem with your thinking, or your thoughts have not been fully developed, or the way you organize your thoughts does not allow readers to immediately understand what you are expressing. At this time, you should adjust your ideas so that they conform to the rules of the pyramid principle, thereby avoiding the trouble of repeatedly rewriting the article.
Chapter 2 Internal Structure of the Pyramid
Don’t imagine sitting down and starting to organize your thoughts into a pyramid. First you have to sort out the thoughts you want to express.
vertical relationship
Vertical connections are great at grabbing the reader's attention. With vertical connections, you can lead a question/answer style conversation. Thus, readers will have great interest in reading. Because this vertical relationship forces the reader to respond logically to your ideas.
question/answer logic
What you put in each box of the pyramid structure is an "idea." The main purpose of expressing ideas is to convey new information to the audience.
Expressions with new information will inevitably cause the other party to question its logic, such as "Why is this happening?" "How can it be like this?" or "Why do you say that?"
After readers have corresponding questions about their thoughts, as the author, you must answer the readers' questions horizontally at the next level of expression.
And your answer still conveys new information to the reader that he doesn't know, which in turn causes the reader to have new questions, so you answer the reader's new questions at the next level.
To capture the reader's full attention, the author must avoid raising questions before he is ready to answer the question. He must also avoid giving an answer to a question before raising a question.
Question/Q&A demonstration: 28 pages of paper book
You will continue to write in a "raise and answer questions" manner until you feel that readers will have no more questions about your new statement.
If the chapter titled "Our Hypotheses" is written before the main point is presented, then the author gives the answer to the question first without giving the reader a chance to ask questions. In this way, at the corresponding stage of the dialogue between the author and the reader, the above information has to be repeatedly transmitted (or re-read).
The pyramid structure has the magical power to provide information only when the reader needs it.
horizontal relationship
inductive or deductive relationship
Statements must have clear inductive or deductive relationships
Cannot have both inductive and deductive relationships at the same time
In organizational thinking, induction and deduction are the only two possible logical relationships.
If you use the deductive method to answer a question, you must make a three-paragraph argument*, in which the second is a statement of the subject or predicate of the first idea, and the third idea is derived from the above two ideas. inference.
If you use induction to answer questions, you must ensure that the group of ideas has common ground logically and can be expressed by the same noun.
The structure of the prologue
Readers will look for answers only after they have questions; similarly, if readers have no need for answers, they will not ask any questions.
You can use the preface to raise "premeditated questions" and control the rhythm.
How to raise questions through a preface?
elicit the question by tracing its origins and development
The introduction should inform the reader of the time and place of the setting. Something happens in this context, which can be called a "conflict", causing the reader to raise "questions" corresponding to the "answers" of your article.
Chapter 3 How to Build a Pyramid
top-down approach
It's usually easier to build a pyramid structure from the top down because you start thinking about the thing you can most easily identify, which is the topic of the article.
The most important thing in building a pyramid from top to bottom - determine the background and conflict, and design the reader's first "question"
1. Draw the theme box
This box is the top box of your pyramid structure. Fill in the box with the topic you want to discuss.
If you don’t know the topic, please skip to step 2.
2. Consider the main questions
Determine the audience of the article. Who will your article address?
What questions do you hope your article will answer in your readers’ minds? If you can determine the doubt, please write it down. Otherwise go to step 4.
3. Write the answer to the question
4. Explain the “background”
You need to prove that you can clearly discuss the main questions and answers at this stage.
Put the topic into context and write the first non-arguable statement of the topic.
Because readers know this statement, or can easily judge the correctness of this statement based on past experience.
5. Point out “conflicts”
Just imagine that the reader agrees with your background, nods and says, "Yes, I know this situation. Is there any problem?"
At this time, you should consider those "conflicts" that occur in the "background" that can make the reader question. For example, an accident occurred, a problem occurred, or an obvious change occurred that should not have occurred.
6. Check "Main Questions" and "Answers"
The introduction of background and conflict should lead the reader to raise major questions.
Sometimes the background and conflict don't fit, which requires you to flush out your ideas.
The purpose of following these steps is to make sure you understand the questions you will be answering. Once the main question is identified, the other elements easily fall into place within the pyramid structure.
Things to note for beginners
Be sure to build the structure first and then write.
Once your thoughts are put into words, you may feel like you are writing well, regardless of whether your thoughts are coherent.
Write the background first in the preface, and use the background as the starting point of the preface.
Be sure to start with the background. In this order, it will be easier for you to find "conflicts" and "questions" accurately.
Spend more time thinking about the preface, don’t omit it
Think about the introduction first, so you don't start your argument thinking about the background or conflict.
When you skip the preface and start writing directly on the "theme", you will find that you are still thinking about the "background" and "conflict" stage. This can lead you into complex, confusing arguments.
Put historical context in the preface
You should not tell readers about past events in the body of your article.
The text should contain only ideas.
The preface deals only with matters whose veracity the reader will not question
Do not include any information in the preface that the reader does not already know, because such information may cause the reader to raise “questions” that you do not intend.
If you use information the reader already knows to answer questions at a lower level of the pyramid, you are missing important information in your introduction.
At the key sentence level, it is easier to choose inductive reasoning rather than deductive argumentation
This will be explained in more detail in Chapter 5.
In most cases, the ideas developed deductively can be expressed inductively.
Example: See page 47 of the paper book.
bottom-up approach
If you haven’t thought through the topic you want to discuss, you don’t know the questions in the reader’s mind, and you can’t determine what the reader knows and doesn’t understand. In this case, you can move down one level and start from the keyword level.
Thinking from the bottom up
1. List all the main points of thought you want to express.
2. Find the logical relationship between the key points.
3. Draw conclusions.
Example: 40 pages of paper book
If the reader doesn't understand all of your ideas clearly within the first 30 seconds of reading, you should rewrite the article.
If the article is longer, adding subtitles is particularly effective. How to use titles (see Chapter 10)
Do not use titles such as “Our Findings” and “Conclusions” as these will not help readers quickly understand the main content and ideas of the article.
Chapter 4 The specific way to write the preface
The Storytelling Structure of the Prologue
Why use storytelling
The preface should be in the form of a story to allow readers to put aside complicated thoughts and focus on your topic, to stimulate readers' interest and attract their attention.
You have to find a way to make it easy for readers to put aside other thoughts and focus on your content.
If you really want to tell readers a "good story", you should tell them a "story" that they already know, or a "story" that they should know (based on the reader's background knowledge)
If your article is intended for a broad audience, then your preface’s job is to cultivate the reader’s “questions.”
"Conflict" is what drives the storyline and causes readers to ask questions.
Preface example: 60 pages of paper book
Preface to the three principles
1. The purpose of the preface is to "hint" the reader rather than "tell" the reader certain information.
2. The preface must contain the three elements of storytelling, namely "background", "conflict" and "answer"
The length of the preface depends on the needs of the reader and the topic
Common Patterns of Prologues
Articles are usually written to answer one of four types of questions:
What should we do?
How do we implement solutions?
Is this solution correct?
Why did the plan exceed expectations? Why did it not achieve the expected results?
The 4 most common patterns in business articles: (corresponding to the above questions)
issue imperative
The structure of the imperative prologue
Context(s) = we intend to do X
Conflict (C) = You are required to do Y
Question (Q) = How do we do Y?
Example: We plan to launch a new product. In order to increase sales, we need you to use the specified delivery method. (Q)=What is the loading method?
request support
The structure of the request prologue
Context(s) = we have a problem
Conflict (C) = Our solution requires _________ support
Question (Q) = Should I approve?
Answer (A) = reason
Explain how to do it
Explain the structure of the program preamble
Background(s) = Must do X.
Conflict (C) = Not yet ready to do X.
Question (Q) = How to prepare?
Second example
Background(S) = Your current system is X
Conflict (C) = The system is not functioning properly.
Question (Q) = How to improve it and make it work properly?
Compare alternatives
Compare the structure of the selective prologue
Context(s) = we want to do X
Conflict (C) = We have various ways of doing X
Question (Q)=Which solution is the most reasonable?
angle of comparison
Plan A is faster to implement than plan B and cheaper than plan C.
Plan A is reasonable, but Plans B and C are unreasonable.
Plan A maximizes sales, plan B makes big profits, and plan C reduces employee pressure.
Common patterns of prefaces - taking information as an example
Project Proposal Preface Structure
Context(s) = you have a problem
Conflict (C) = You have decided to ask a third party to help solve the problem
Question (Q) = Are you a third party we should hire to solve the problem?
Key sentence structure:
We understand the issue
We have a reasonable solution to the problem
We have extensive experience applying this approach.
Our project schedule is very reasonable.
The second structure
Context(s) = You have a problem.
Conflict (C) = You wish to resolve the issue through consultation.
Question (Q) = How will you help us solve our problem?
Project Progress Summary Preface Structure
Context(s) = We have been dealing with X problem
Conflict (C) = We told you that the first step in the analysis was to determine whether Y holds, and we have now completed this step.
Question (Q) = What did you find?
The second structure
Background(s) = We told you X
Conflict (C) = You asked us to investigate Y and we have completed that investigation.
Question (Q) = What did you find?
Chapter 5 Deductive and Inductive Reasoning
Deductive reasoning Deduction
Deductive reasoning is easier to implement than inductive reasoning, and people are more accustomed to using deductive reasoning in their thinking.
Although deductive reasoning is an effective thinking method, it is clumsy and cumbersome to use in writing.
steps of deductive reasoning
Deductive reasoning is a form of argument in which a conclusion is derived from a major premise and a minor premise.
1. Describe a situation that already exists in the world.
2. Describe relevant situations that exist simultaneously in the world. If the second statement is directed to the subject or predicate of the first statement, the two statements are related.
3. Explain the implicit meaning when these two situations coexist.
Deductive reasoning in the consulting world mainly consists of the following three steps:
Problems or phenomena that arise.
The source and cause of the problem.
Solution to problem.
Because deductive reasoning is clumsy and cumbersome when used in writing. So we transform it into an inductive reasoning statement.
When customers are more concerned with how to do it, use inductive explanations
For example: Customer: Tell me how to reduce costs. You: Cutting costs is an easy thing. Customer: How? You: You just need to do A, B, C.
When customers are more concerned about why, use deductive explanations
For example: Customer: Tell me how to reduce costs. You: Stop thinking about reducing costs and consider selling the company. Customer: Why? How to sell? are you sure? You: Because the company faces a huge threat that you can't deal with and someone else can, so sell it.
We should try to put simple and straightforward deductive reasoning at the bottom of the pyramid structure to reduce the interference of other information during the deduction process.
If the deduction method is simple and direct, it is easy to understand: I am a human → humans need to eat and sleep → so I eat and sleep.
However, if you need to read more than ten pages to find the relationship between the first and second steps, and you have to read another dozen pages to find the relationship between the second and third steps, then the deductive method becomes Incomprehensible.
Therefore, the deduction method should be placed at the bottom of the pyramid structure as much as possible to reduce the interference of other information during the deduction process.
Do not use more than 4 steps of deductive reasoning.
Do not draw more than two conclusions
Inductive reasoningInduction
When thinking creatively through induction, we must have the following two main skills:
Correctly define the group of ideas
Accurately identify and present ideas within the group that are out of proportion to other ideas
Chapter 6 explains the above two points in detail
The difference between deductive reasoning and inductive reasoning
Deductive reasoning: The second point is a discussion of the subject or predicate of the first point
Inductive reasoning: Ideas in the same group have similar subjects or predicates
Two common mistakes:
Arranging ideas that are rarely related (such as "10 steps", "5 questions", etc.) just because they can be summarized by one noun, when in fact there is no logical relationship between these ideas.
The central idea at the top of the pyramid is a thoughtless sentence (such as "5 problems with this company") rather than a revealing idea.
Part 2 The logic of thinking
Hard-Headed Thinking
Carefully studying the ideas of each group is the focus of the thinking process. It is a difficult task, and because of its difficulty, this process is often ignored.
Chapter 6 Applying Logical Sequence
In a deductive group of ideas, you can easily find the logical sequence of the group of ideas: the sequence of deductive logic. But in inductive thought groups, you can "choose" a logical sequence.
Chronologically
Sort by cause and effect
In a chronological thought group, you state the actions you must take to achieve a certain result in the order in which you take them (step one, step two, step three).
structural order
Build logical structure
For example, if you need to identify "key factors for success in this industry," you must first draw a structure diagram of the industry and then identify the necessary elements for success in each part. The logical relationship between these necessary elements corresponds to the relationship between the various parts in the industry structure diagram drawn previously.
Follow the MECE principle
Each part is mutually exclusive, has no overlap, and is exclusive.
All parts are collectively exhaustive, nothing is left out.
If the activity itself is emphasized when dividing, then each part shows a logical process (flow), so chronological order should be used.
If the division emphasizes place, then the parts present geographical conditions and should adopt a structural order.
If the division emphasizes the activities related to a certain product or market, then the division is a kind of classification. The ideas of each part should be arranged in order of importance, and the criteria for judging importance can be any sorting criteria. (Such as: sales volume, investment amount, etc.)
Describe the logical structure
Example: See page 114 of the paper book
Modify logical structure
Example: See page 116 of the paper book
Checking Ideas with Structural Sequence Concepts
Example: See page 117 of the paper book
degree order
Group similar things together by importance
When you say that a company "has three problems", strictly speaking, it is not very accurate. The company definitely has a lot of problems, and you picked out 3 of them all that deserve more attention than the others.
Make appropriate groupings
The groups are independent of each other, have no overlap, and are mutually exclusive.
Questions that have some common characteristics that allow you to classify them as a particular kind of question
For example: every problem is the result of unwillingness to authorize
Sort by degree or importance: strong first, then weak, first important, then minor
Identify and adjust inappropriate groupings
Example: See page 124 of the paper book