Presentations are a common occurrence in business and often serve as a basis for decision-making. In academic work, the focus is usually more on the process than on the result itself, which is why the facts and processes are often addressed first.

The final paragraph presents the result. This approach is also known as the funnel method . One could also describe this style of presentation as the "once-in-a-lifetime" principle, as it initially confuses the audience with superfluous details.

Around 50 years ago, Barbara Minto, a former McKinsey employee, developed the then-novel approach of the pyramid presentation. She believed this method was better suited to consulting firms. After all, a presentation is not a discussion, but pursues a clear objective.

Who is Barbara Minto?

Barbara Minto grew up in Cleveland, Ohio, and was one of the first women to attend Harvard Business School from 1961 to 1963, where she earned an MBA. In the 1970s, she worked as a consultant at McKinsey & Company, one of the world's most prestigious management consulting firms.

In 1966, she moved to McKinsey's London office to share her knowledge with European consultants. Since 1973, Barbara Minto has lived in London and has since operated her company (Minto International Inc.) as a consultant for leading international companies.

In her book "The Pyramid Principle," she described the pyramid principle . The German translation of the guide, published in 1978 by ECON-Verlag, is titled: "Prinzip der Pyramide: Ideen klar, verständlich und erfolgreich kommunizieren."

Pyramidal Presentation – The Concept Behind It

The pyramid principle: Create clear, understandable, and successful presentations.

If storytelling is "too playful" for you, you should structure your presentation according to Barbara Minto's (McKinsey) pyramid principle . The basic idea: quickly convey your findings. This saves time and gets your presentation to the point quickly.

In contrast to the funnel model, the pyramid principle places the core message directly at the beginning of the presentation . The supporting and explanatory statements are then presented logically. This creates a solid foundation upon which the core message is reinforced.

The main message is therefore always conveyed , regardless of how little time or attention is subsequently available in the conversation.

The Minto principle is n't just used for lectures and presentations ; it can also be incorporated into personal communication, letters, reports, and other forms of communication. Your contact person has the right to know the direction your communication is taking and how your presentation, email, or technical text is structured.

Why pyramidal presentations are so important

In today's fast-paced world, results-oriented and audience-focused communication is all the more important. Perhaps you yourself have experienced being bored or losing track of the discussion during a presentation.

Another example would be a project manager presenting the successful completion of a project by detailing all previous work steps in chronological order. This risks making the audience impatient.

Ultimately, they cannot yet grasp the relevance of the aspects presented. Asking premature questions that should only be addressed much later leads to unpleasant interruptions.

An even greater danger is that the audience will drift off and stop paying attention to the presentation altogether. They might even leave the lecture hall prematurely. You often hear comments like, "You could have just said that!" or "Now I finally understand what you meant by that statement." The pyramidal principle gets straight to the point.

Many corporate presentations are often just a series of slides with a wide range of messages. They frequently lack a didactic structure that simultaneously informs , weaves a story , and ultimately convinces. But a successful, customer-oriented presentation needs a clear structure that guides the audience from the introduction through the main body to the conclusion. Use the pyramidal presentation method here!

You can find many more helpful tips on how to keep your audience's attention in the article "9 useful tips on how to control your audience's attention".

In a professional context, the result should be the main focus.

The information overload of recent years has significantly altered the demands placed on professional communication. Too much information, often overwhelming and difficult to navigate, presents a major challenge. This has led to an increased need for professionals to present their findings in detail. However, time is a crucial factor. Most managers prefer a results-oriented presentation of their insights.

Let's take email as an example. Overflowing inboxes make it nearly impossible for us to follow lengthy messages attentively. Most people focus only on the subject line and check the first few lines for relevance. If the direct connection is unclear, they usually don't read any further and can't respond to the core message at the end. This is yet another example of ineffective communication.

Instead of building a bridge from the inessential to the essential , the presentation or email begins with the core message ( tips for formulating and conveying the key message ). A growing interest in the pyramidal method has been strongly observed in Germany in recent years.

Example:

Key message:
We want to align our marketing strategy with social media.

Situation:
We need to wake up and hire new employees.

Complication:
It is not easy to attract and retain young employees for our company.

Solution:
A new personnel marketing campaign is to be launched (description).

The pyramidal principle impresses with its clear structure.

Pyramidal presentation places the key messages right at the beginning . This gives you the opportunity to convey crucial insights and results, thereby capturing your audience's attention. Suggestions or action items are also presented at the outset.
The quintessence thus forms the apex of the pyramid . In the second level, these main statements are supported by further sub-statements and explained in more detail.

The base, which widens towards the bottom, is formed by further supporting arguments . This pyramid structure can theoretically be extended downwards and horizontally as needed.

How can the core message be defined?

This refers to the central main message of the topic . As the apex of the pyramid, it is perceived by the recipient as a condensed summary. In some cases, the content of the core message is highly abstracted so that the speaker can elaborate on the details in later levels. The core message can also serve as an answer to a question from the audience.

Further tips on the key message can be found in the article " Key Message in Presentations ".

Important: The processing and storage capacity of our short-term memory is limited.

The GOODNESS principle in pyramidal presentation

Your presentation, which can be divided into beginning, main body, and conclusion, is structured according to Minto's so-called quality principle. This generally makes it much easier to gain the audience's agreement. Failure to adhere to the quality criteria can be a significant reason why your message is not understood.

G is for similar:
All the arguments you use to support your point are similar in content and form, thus facilitating understanding.

Example: Energy and water costs are not the same, but energy and water costs are.

Ü stands for non-overlapping:
The arguments cannot be overlapped, but stand independently and are distinct from the other points.

T is for apt:
Formulate fact-based statements concisely and to the point, without digressing in any way, in order to avoid misunderstandings.

Using appropriate wording will make you more credible and your messages more memorable.

E is for exhaustive:
The listener is provided with all the essential facts, ensuring unassailable arguments.

An exhaustive presentation covers all aspects that contribute to explaining or proving your statement.

What are the advantages of a pyramidal presentation?

Benefit from the powerful effect of the pyramid structure

As a speaker, you ideally want to guide your audience attentively and purposefully through your presentation from beginning to end. The funnel-shaped structure has the disadvantage that your audience cannot clearly see your main point. Following your content becomes tedious and even uninteresting, which is why there is a risk that the listeners will eventually simply tune out and let themselves be passively entertained.

If you place the key message at the end, the audience faces the almost insurmountable challenge of having to recall all the details they have already perceived. Only then can they be sure whether they agree with your conclusion.

Because the speaker immediately informs their audience about their main point regarding the pyramid structure, they pique their curiosity. Some might wonder if their claim is rather audacious, or how exactly such a risky undertaking can be implemented.

Example:
In your presentation, you state that you want to invest your company in a nature conservation project and thereby improve your image.

Next, explain your key statements with four arguments:

• Technical solution
• Procedure
• resources
• Time organization

You can further subdivide these key statements into supporting statements and thereby optimize your structure with interdependent elements.

Other important tips for your pyramid-style presentation:

1.) Do not write complete sentences on the slides.

An important tip for your presentation is to avoid fully formulated sentences whenever possible. Instead, use a short and concise telegram style. This way, you don't have to read your text monotonously, but can instead engage with your audience and bring your presentation to life through facial expressions and gestures.

One exception to this rule is the headings, which are best written out in full. This has the advantage that if you happen to lose your train of thought, you can quickly reorient yourself by referring to the heading. If the audience's mind wanders, they only need to glance at the heading to immediately get back on track.

Use icons instead of long texts! These small pictograms are visually appealing and convey your content in a simple way. You can find all the information you need in the article " PowerPoint Icons ".

Feel free to use professionally designed icons from PresentationLoad. We have a wide selection of pictograms in our shop. For example, these:

2.) Only explain one idea or group of ideas per slide.

Break down a complex issue into more understandable sections. This allows you and your audience to initially focus on one idea and better understand your point.

3.) Stay focused, consistent, and precise.

When giving a presentation, you should always be as focused as possible. Consider what goal you want to achieve and align all further steps accordingly. Maintain consistency and avoid contradictions in your explanations. Good preparation increases the chances that you will deliver your presentation precisely and without being criticized.

4.) Design the slides for the presentation and the handout differently.

While it's not always easy, you should avoid extensive numerical examples and excessive text in your presentation whenever possible. As mentioned above, the slides should be designed in shorthand style. Reinforce your points with clear and impactful graphics.

Here too, the motto is: "Less is more." Avoid bright colors and varying fonts. The handout, on the other hand, can be a bit more detailed. Here you can use complete sentences and embellish your statements with calculations or tables. Of course, you shouldn't overdo it here either.

Tips on how to design your handout can be found in the article "Creating a handout" .

5.) Present briefly and to the point

Time is money, and this saying applies not only to management. Therefore, keep your pyramidal presentation as short as possible without cramming in too much information. The more relaxed you appear, the more relaxed your audience will be. Most business presentations typically last between ten and 45 minutes.

These articles offer tips on how to keep your presentation short while still conveying all the important content:

If you suspect that delivering your message will take longer than 45 minutes, it suggests that your message isn't entirely clear or that you're focusing too much on too many details. Remember: you don't need to inform your audience about every aspect of the topic.

6.) Involve your audience

Even in shorter presentations, pure monologues aren't very engaging. Therefore, focus on active interaction with your audience. Ask them for a relevant example or work together to find a solution to a problem.

Helpful tips on audience engagement can be found in the article "Interactive Presentations" .

7.) Don't forget the transition.

Unlike your audience, you already know what you're going to say next. Using your slide sequence to build suspense will help keep your audience engaged. Therefore, before moving on to the next chart, it makes sense to convey your thoughts with a suitable transition. For example, you could say, "After analyzing price trends, we will now look at the expected results."

8.) A complete conclusion

Your goal should be to give your audience a clear overview of the points achieved and the next steps at the end of your presentation. This way, your audience can leave the room with a positive feeling.

Tips for the right way to end a presentation can be found in the article "Ending a presentation - 20 ideas for a successful presentation conclusion" .

Conclusion: The pyramidal principle cannot always be applied to presentations.

The communication concept, developed in 1991, is now part of the standard training program at many consulting firms. The phrase "To make it Minto" has become established in some corporate cultures. However, it cannot be used in all presentations.

If you anticipate rejection from a large portion of your audience from the outset, you should n't place the core message at the beginning . Doing so risks making your listeners less receptive to the supporting arguments that follow. Therefore, depending on the topic and target group, you should reconsider whether you prefer a pyramid or funnel approach.

There's no one-size-fits-all solution, and the more practiced and experienced you become in preparing your presentations, the easier the decision will be. The size of your pyramid also depends on the topic, the target audience, and the time you have available . For example, in a short, introductory presentation, you obviously won't have the opportunity to delve deeply into your subject matter and expand on your details. Pyramidal presentations are also not recommended in the context of a lecture or seminar.

If you explain the final result right at the beginning, the topic can no longer develop and be elaborated upon step by step until the solution is reached. The same applies to emotionally charged presentations. Here, too, the final result should not be placed at the beginning of the presentation , otherwise it will lose its impact.

Do you have questions about the 10 secrets to a perfect presentation or about PowerPoint in general? Don't hesitate to contact us at info@presentationload.de . We're happy to help!

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