What's the So What? - "The Pyramid Principle" by Barbara Minto

The Pyramid Principle: Logic in Writing and Thinking by Barbara Minto

"What's the So What" in 100 Words?

We all write a lot at work. And understand crisp comms is important. Even more so as remote-first or hybrid work becomes the norm. And data proliferate and attention spans shorten. But many of us struggle to convey a clear, concise So What. We show all our analysis before we get to our recommendation. And we create rambling docs and scattered presentations. Instead, once we've set the scene with our audience, we need to get to the main point. The Answer. Like Allen Iverson, it's all about The Answer. And like a pyramid, our main Answer is based on logical supporting arguments. Which are based upon supporting data. It's easier and better for us to structure our comms this way. And, more important, it's easier and better for our audience too. Let's do it.

Why and when did I read The Pyramid Principle?

If you've ever worked in consulting or wanted to - I was at Bain 2004-2010 - this book is akin to the Declaration of Independence or Bitcoin white paper, the founding document of how a consultant breaks apart problems and communicates. I didn't read it at Bain, although its ideas were embedded in all our training and day-to-day. Instead, I read it in late 2019, seeking out the original source material as I looked to share its core ideas with teammates.

Overall, this book is not an easy read: the prose is highly dense, formal and semi-stilted, and it uses out-of-date business examples from 1970s UK & Europe. Therefore this is my first WTSW where I'm hoping there's enough "So What" here that you don't need to slog through the original. Unless you're especially motivated. I'll also add a couple So Whats below not covered in the book, but that are closely connected ideas learned at Bain.

Ten So Whats that stuck with me

1. Start with the main Answer: it's easier for a reader to grasp our ideas if we organize them as a pyramid under a single point. We start with the main idea. Which is based upon supporting arguments. Which are based upon supporting data and insights. In Minto-speak, "Ideas at any level in the pyramid must always be summaries of the ideas grouped below them." Audiences - especially exec audiences - usually only care about the main Answer, so while our analysis may go down several layers, our comms work better starting top-down.

2. The framework that leads to the Answer is Situation > Complication > Resolution: for any Pixar film fan - who isn't? - it's like their "Once upon a time" framework: first introduce the initial circumstances - the Situation; then explain what's changed or changing - the Complication; then get to the action needed to adapt to this change - the Resolution.

3. I prefer a similar and simpler And > But > Therefore framework: Situation-Complication-Resolution becomes And-But-Therefore: any story is either "Here's some good news AND more good news BUT there's also bad news THEREFORE we should do X"; or to start with bad news (see image below) followed by BUT and THEREFORE to improve the situation. I learned the South Park creators use a very similar framework too; if Pixar and South Park tell stories this way, perhaps we business folks can too?

4. Introductions are meant to remind rather than to inform or drive to action: this is a big one; we can't start immediately with "Do this!" before we briefly set the scene. The initial introduction always tells the reader a story she already knows: we're not getting to The Answer yet. We're setting known context, so the person is nodding before we start to change her mind and drive her to action. We can shorten our intro if we know the person well, but can't eliminate it. This is what tees up the transition to the "But" or "Complication."

5. As we move to the Action-Taking step, start with the "Answer-First": after we tee up the initial situation and what's changed/changing, then we share the "Do This." Generally, it's best to go straight to the Answer unless we think a) the reader will instinctively hate it or b) it's an unusually complex topic. In those rare cases, it can make more sense to build-up the argument, one step at a time, unveiling the Answer at the end.

6. Tied to "Answer-First," make sure the "Caveman Answer" is clear: I wrote about Caveman Communication years ago, ideas from Josh Rutberg, then a Bain partner. Distilling down to the Caveman Answer, the basics are "Good or Bad? Happy or Sad?" As in, is the news good or bad? And will the audience feel happy or sad? If the audience were cavemen, would they nod happily and peacefully or shake their heads angrily and become agitated?

7. For any doc, always include an Executive Summary AND always draft it first: Bain drilled us to draft the executive summary on day 1. Often on a piece of paper vs a screen. To this day, I keep paper on my desk to quickly structure a problem or layout a storyline. Once we've outlined and organized early hypotheses, this informs the analysis and arguments we need to prove or disprove them. We waste less effort and clarify our thinking. And a 1-page, bigger-font-is-better, exec summ Answer is what the time-starved audience wants anyway.

8. For slides, put the So What in the title and tell a story: "Findings" or "Conclusion" tells the audience nothing. Instead, write "Sales dipped 6% due to weakness in APAC" or "If we launch this new product, we project 5M users by end of 2024." An easy test of clear PPT is "If we ONLY read the slide titles - no looking at graphs or body-text - can we get 80% of the story." We want to offer "scanning value": each slide is one sentence in a narrative, and our audience can easily understand the whole story in 2 minutes of just scanning the titles.

9. Seemingly tiny details in written comms can distract and lose trust in the audience: minor typos, fonts or slide title locations that change for no reason. These all seem tiny. And they are. But like the tip of an iceberg, they're all the audience can see. And they can disorient, distract, and sow tiny doubts. At Bain, I learned, "If the client can't trust us on the little things, how can they trust us on the underlying analysis?" A number of execs were once consultants, so be aware they may notice. And if you work with me, I may notice ;)

10. Overall, ask "What do you need to believe" to pursue a course of action: what are the 3-4 foundational elements that must be true to make a larger decision true. The arguments or assertions that sit one level below The Answer at the top of the pyramid. This framing works universally: whether to acquire a company; to hire an individual; to launch a new product - as my Bain & LinkedIn colleague Dan Shapero wrote about here. Perhaps even to select the right life partner - where, NO, I didn't map this out on a piece of paper!

So what do I think or do differently today?

Practically everything is different post my time at Bain: I use the "What would I need to believe?" framing for every decision I make. I use the "And-But-Therefore" framework for every doc I write. I put the "So What" in the header and tell a story with every slide I create.

And I invest to ensure others live these principles: I partnered with Mike Derezin and Eda Gultekin to create Data Driven University 10 years ago, an internal training that teaches these ideas to emerging leaders at LinkedIn. I help edit colleagues' docs or presentations almost daily. And I ask "What's the So What?" so often that sometimes teammates pre-empt me by smiling and saying "James, X is the So What" before I can open my mouth :)

I've even called this Newsletter "What's the So What?" so I can now preach what I hope I already regularly practice!

Want to go deeper with the ideas from this book and others?

• To dig in more, here is a good summary from LinkedIn colleague Nitin Julka, and here is another from former McKinsey consultant Ameet Ranadive. If you're at university or grad school, one way to go deeper is to work in consulting; not all sunshine and rainbows, but many upsides, as I shared in 10 benefits from a stint in consulting.
• Coming soon WTSWs: Atomic Habits by James Clear + Radical Candor by Kim Scott + Never Split the Difference by Chris Voss.
• Recent WTSWs: Think Again by Adam Grant + You're Not Listening by Kate Murphy.
• Finally, here is a complete list, with ratings, of 600+ books I’ve read. Message me or comment below if there's one you'd suggest for an upcoming "What's the So What?”