Organizing

Information
and
Telling Stories

Rev. Sp. 2021 ||MBA Captstone

 They spend over half of their day (51%) just

A recent receiving and managing information, rather

than actually using information to do their job
(in the US, this is a 10% increase since 2008).
Lexis/Nexis
workplace
study of Yawzaa62% admit that the quality of their work
suffers because they can’t sort the
information they need quickly enough.
white-collar
professionals
shows 51% believe they are almost at the “breaking
point” at which they will be unable to handle
any more information.
Grice’s Four Maxims

Quantity
Quality
Make your contribution to the conversation as
Do not say what you believe to be false or cannot
informative as necessary without being more
prove with evidence.
informative.
Do not use your data to make false impression or
Make data contribution as informative as
lead to unsubstantiated conclusion.
necessary without being more informative.

Manner
Relevance Say things in a manner that is understandable to
Say things that are related to the topic. the audience.
Show only things related to the topic. Show data using the best choice: graph vs
table/graph type.
The Pyramid
Principle
Organizing Information the McKinsey Way
The SCQ Framework
What it is
How to Use it
The Minto
Pyramid The Minto Pyramid Principle concentrates on the
Principle creates thinking process that should precede writing
disciplined
thinking Uses unique Situation-Complication-Question
structure (SCQ Framework™)
The SCQ Framework helps you identify your
reader’s question – i.e., the purpose of the
document/presentation and then how to work
down the pyramid in a structured way to answer
that question

http://www.barbaraminto.com
Pyramid Background
Why Use it
 • Phrase coined by George A. Miller in his treatise, “The
It uses the Rule magical number seven, plus or minus two” is a pattern
governing the process of our mind.
of 7 by George • Whenever we encounter a number of items the mind
begins to group them into logical categories so they can
Miller to help be retained.

communicators • The mind will automatically impose order on everything

around it.

address the • This tendency of the mind is nicely illustrated by the

Greeks who grouped stars into figures instead of
audience pinpoints of lights.

* George Miller’s The Psychology of Communication: Seven Essays 1967

The Pyramid Principle: Logic in Thinking and Writing, Minto (2008)

 Roast Chips Cheddar
Chicken
Tender-
loin

Lamb
Chops Eggs
Kiwis

Sugar
Donuts
Pop Rye Oat
Tarts Bread Milk

Corn Peaches
Muffins
Cherries Salsa Siggis
Chips
How many can
you remember?
 Part 1:
Structure and
Roast Rye Oat
Synthesize Chicken Bread Milk
Kiwis
Pop
Tarts

(ordered list) Cluster

Tender- Sugar Siggis Cherries Chips
loin Donuts

Lamb Corn Cheddar Peaches Salsa

Chops Muffins

Eggs Chips
 Part 1: Sort Meat Bakery Dairy Fruits
Snack
Food
Structure
and Roast
Chicken
Rye
Bread
Oat
Milk
Kiwis
Pop
Tarts
Synthesize
Tender-
(sorted list) loin
Sugar
Donuts
Siggis Cherries Chips
Cluster
Lamb Corn Cheddar Peaches Salsa
Chops Muffins

Eggs Chips
 Summarize Shopping
List

Part 1:
Structure Sort Meat Bakery Dairy Fruits
Snack
Food

and Oat
Roast Rye Pop
Synthesize Chicken Bread Milk
Kiwis
Tarts

(synthesized Tender- Sugar Siggis Cherries Chips

loin
list)
Donuts
Cluster
Lamb Corn Cheddar Peaches Salsa
Chops Muffins

Eggs Chips
 The pyramid allows users to ask and
answer the questions their audience asks
• The pyramid is a hierarchically structured thinking and
communication technique used to precede good structured
communication
• It assumes that you already know how to write good sentences
and paragraphs
• It focuses on the thinking process that should precede the
writing
• The core of Minto’s thinking method is to group ideas in a
presenters thought process into small clusters that support the
main thesis in increasing detail (granularity)

http://www.12manage.com/methods_minto_pyramid_principle.html
 • The technique is most useful for those who need to
communicate analytically to enable senior managers must
make decisions
Applications • The model applies to every type of communication where
you need to present your thinking to recommend or elicit a
of the decision
• Specifically, it helps to:
Pyramid • Think creatively, reason lucidly, and express ideas with
Principle clarity
• Define complex problems and establish the objectives of
help decision any document or presentation
• Assess ideas and recognize their relative importance
making • Structure reasoning into a coherent and transparent
argument
• Analyze the argument to confirm its effectiveness
 Allows logical testing Accrues immediate
against a set of rules benefits to the audieince
Structure,
Ideas at any level of a pyramid Cuts down the time that is
benefits and must be summaries of the ideas normally needed to produce a
grouped below them first draft
limitations
Ideas in a grouping must be the Increases clarity
same kind of idea
Ideas in a group must be in a Decreases length
logical order Ideas jump off the page into the
readers mind with minimal effort
on the readers' part

Limitations
It takes a lot of discipline to both learn and apply the methods consistently

Some critics say the original book makes a less than compelling argument for
taking the time to use the methods
 Make sure you ask the right key questions

Question
Situation Complication Question
raised by analysis
We want to enter Uncertain whether to How should we acquire
What should be our
phosphates-free do it alone or by a company in this
cleaners market acquisition market? entry strategy?

We want to enter Concerned about the

What should be our Should we enter the
phosphates-free risks
entry strategy? market?
cleaners market

We want to launch new Lead time is long and Should we launch this How can we shorten
product increasing product? time to market?

Source: www.strategy-execution-heroes.com
Goal is to synthesize information in a way that produces insights

Insight

Summary

Value or
impact of
information

Information or data
Disaggregat Form of Aggregated
ed
The Pyramid Principle: Logic in Thinking and Writing, Minto (2008)
information
 MECE
•Everything is mutually exclusive and collectively exhaustive
•No flap or overlap

•Should we sell our house?

• The house is too small for our family
• It needs a lot of expensive repairs
• The school district is not as good as it was once
• There is too much traffic on the street for the kids
The Famous
Pyramid
How to build it
The long-winded way
Dear Shirley,
We’ve been friends for a long time ... but
about a month ago, you said something I
didn’t like ... Then, 2 weeks ago, you didn’t
show up at my party ... and then at work
Sam told me you went into my desk and
took my cookies...
The Pyramid Way
•Dear Shirley,
•I hate you. Here’s why
• Clunk 1
• Clunk 2
• Clunk 3
 The Pyramid Way
Governing I hate you
thought

Key line
support

You said
You didn’t show You ate my
something I
up at my party cookies
didn’t like
 There’s a problem with your hotel booking for the
Try this…. conference in Cologne. I could only book Tuesday
and Wednesday night; the hotel is already full on
Break this Monday night. I’ve tried several others, but
into a two-tier there’s nothing to be had anywhere because of
the electronics fair (I haven’t tried guest-houses
pyramid yet). According to the new summer timetable,
there’s a flight on Tuesday morning at 9:30. The
arrival time in Cologne is 10:30 local time. As the
conference begins at midday and the journey
from the airport will take you about one hour,
you will still arrive on time. The travel office has
booked a seat for you already, just in case. And
by the way: Isn’t it your wedding anniversary on
Monday?
 So when do you travel?

Travel Tuesday
morning, not
Monday night

Accommodations Your wedding

You will still be on
will be less of a anniversary is
time
problem Monday night.
 • Cheap
• Rolling curves of fat
• Live in garden

The • Can learn their names

• Pigs make great pets

Famous Pig • Eat leftovers

• Can learn to do tricks

Pyramid • Beautiful
• Never get sick
• Deep soulful eyes
• Intelligent
 The “Famous” Pig Pyramid
• Vertically and horizontally
integrated
• Each level supports the level Pigs make
above great pets
• Each level under a box is
a parallel construction

They’re
They’re beautiful
beautiful They’re
They’re cheap
cheap They’re
They’re intelligent
intelligent

Rolling Deep Eat Never get Live in Learn Do tricks

curves of soulful leftovers sick garden name
fat eyes
 Famous Pig again…

Pigs should be
kept as pets
Notice
Why?
• Ideas at any level should
They could be bred
They are beautiful to fascinating
variations
be summaries of the
In what How? ideas below
way? • Ideas in each grouping
They are
marvelously fat
They are
typically English
In types In size
In perso-
nality
should be of the same
kind
How is fat
beautiful? • Ideas in each grouping
should be logically
ordered
Symbolizes that
Present lovely
Create
modesty in
Are linked to the power is not
So English they
deserve to be the
• Inductive/deductive
curves to the land inconsistent with
onlooker
the
possessor
kindness
national symbol
reasoning can be used at
same level to support
www.strategy-execution-heroes.com
what is above it.
EXERCISE 2 – BERT PYRAMID

40
 FIND THE GOVERNING THOUGHT AND
STRUCTURE
•He has very large dishes
•He fries all his food
•He is not active inside his
home
•He is not active outside
his home
•He eats fattening foods
•His chairs all have wheels
on them
•He has a natural tendency
to gain weight
•He uses escalators and
elevators
•He eats large quantity of
food
•He takes advantage of 2x1
offers
•His TV has a remote
control
•He ingests a lot of
calories
•He collects fast food
menus
•He does very little
physical exercise
•Bert is 50 pounds
overweight
•He always takes his car
 Bert’s pyramid
Bert is 50 pounds
overweight

He has a natural
He ingests a He does very little
tendency to gain
lot of calories physical exercise
weight

He eats He is not He is not His

He eats He has a
large active inside active outside mother
fattening thyroid
quantity his home his home is
foods disorder
obese

He has
He has He takes He fries He collects
casters His TV He He uses
very advantage all his fastfood
on all of has always escalators
large of 2x1 food menus remote
his takes and
dishes offers chairs control his car elevators
at home

42
Type of reasoning
Inductive
VS
Deductive
Inductive Reasoning
Thinking process in which the
premises of an argument support the
conclusion but do not ensure it
Each of the elements in row two of the
pyramid answers a question (e.g. why,
how, how do you know) about the
thesis above it
Pros
• Effective for layout of reasons
• Effective for implementation steps
• If one reason rejected, others
support governing though
Cons
• May be too forceful
 Deductive Reasoning

Thinking process in which the conclusion is Pros

necessitated by previously known facts, ie. • Covers both reasoning and actions when you
one element logically leads to the next. have only one chance to persuade
• Can be effective for controversial messages
or those needing common ground

Cons
• Falls apart if audience disagrees with
situation or comment
• Can create disjoined structures and may
overlap at lower levels
• If extremely hard to do well
Reason v Reasoning
Action v Need for Action
Inductive Grouping Structure
Deductive Grouping Structure
 Introduction
Sets up the pyramid and the communication
 The Introduction Should Convey the
Situation, Complication and Resolution
Develop the
Introduce the Summarize the
Supporting
Hypothesis Argument
Arguments
• Directs the readers’ Builds the logic to Draw logical
attention to the question support the hypothesis conclusions and/or
that does or should exist “prove” the hypothesis
in his/her mind
•States a hypothesis to • Introduce facts
answer that question • Draw conclusions
Develops the context for
the more detailed
information to come
 The Introduction Should Convey the
Situation, Complication and Resolution
Situation: Complication / Question: Resolution / Hypothesis*:
• Revenue growth for the • The FCC is considering an • The RBOCs should invest in
Regional Bell Operating auction of additional radio the PCS market to improve
Companies (RBOCs) has been spectrum to be used for their growth prospects and
slowing over the past five short-distance cellular avoid losing additional market
years telephone service (personal share
• The majority of the RBOCs communication service -- PCS)
revenues come from access • This additional radio spectrum
fees paid by long-distance will allow long-distance
service providers carriers to bypass the RBOCs
in gaining access to customers
• The RBOCs must improve their
growth prospects to increase
their stock price
 Stars Wars
Story or Pyramid
How a Pyramid Can Help Create a Persuasive Storyline
 Rising Falling
Exposition Climax Resolution
Action Action

The rebels revel The rebels

Empire has a Death Luke finds a hidden There is a big
they know a secret celebrate but
Star and destroys message from celebration where
vulnerability to the realize there is a
the planet Alderaan Princess Leia a bunch of people
Death Star long way to go
get medals
before the Empire
Luke Skywalker and Luke and Obi Wan
Han comes back is defeated
Ben Kenobi live on get a ride from Han sticks around
a desert planet Han Solo and saves Luke who because he likes
in turn destroys the Princess Leia
Death Star using
the force
 The rebels should attack the
Death Star

The empire will not stop Never has there been a

Death Star tilts the better chance to destroy
until the rebellion is
balance of power it
crushed

Rebels
Able to Rebels Rebels Luke The Force
Dissolved Killed know the
destroy have no unable to discovers ready to
Senate Aldernaan design
planet counter match The Force attack
flaw
 Tips for Better
PowerPoint
Decks
Using McKinsey Style

Prepared by Nora Gold for Bus 9601 | Business Consulting

 Keep the Decks Stay Organized

• It’s common for consulting presentations

to have table of content pages
• Many times it is re-introduced at the
front of each section
• Tells the audience where in the flow
Functions as road markers
• Example: Part 2 of 4
introduces the base case section
 Use parallel structure in titles

• Titles are the most valuable real estate – use

them wisely
• Its storytelling, so the titles should come
together cohesively
• The titles should read well – similar
structure, tense, tone, format
• Like an essay, the points should be clear with
transitions between the arguments
• Note the story flow on the example
(read back to front)
 Show credibility through data and
documentation
• Unless it is a straight marketing or
organizational design piece, there are
numbers on the majority of pages
• Data is created through surveys,
research, modeling, etc.
• Clear footnotes indicate where the
data comes from and builds credibility
(even if it coyly says “McKinsey
Research” or other internal source)
 Make sure each slide has a point

• Each slide needs to say something clearly

to the audience (if not, take it out)
• A kicker box or call out can It function as a
quick summary of data or a takeaway for
the slide
• Example: there is a kicker box which says
55% of the reduction came from overtime
and non-career cuts
 Create a simple framework for the
problem

• Slides often present solutions to complex

problems
• Slides need to show complex thinking in a
simple way
• Be careful when making assumptions about
the audience as they may understand a
formula but not the logic in how it was
applied
• Using boxes and shapes are a good way to
present text heavy information and allow for
easy comparison
• Example: The color coding that there are
several unfavorable revenue AND cost trends
Find the right data

• Use the right data and the best data

• Example: McKinsey actually refers to
BCG research on the topic
(acknowledging their competitors’ work
when appropriate)
Make charts easy to understand

• Use simple chart

• Make them easy to understand
• Label charts clearly
• Be direct and precise
• Example: Look at the call outs and
the the narration so the reader
doesn’t have to compute the
numbers
Show a clear case for change
Make the recommendation stick

• Make recommendations in-

your-face clear
• Be emphatic and show why
action is needed.
• Example: McKinsey shows that
$18 billion can be saved if
these actions are taken, or
$123 billion total.
 Use details in even high-level
recommendations

• Make sure all recommendations have

back-up pages with specific action steps.

• Example: The $10 billion in savings is

broken into 4 initiatives and a few action
steps:
Question – not sure how the argument
on the right -hand side supports this $10
billion target. McKinsey notes that the
USPS already automates 90%+ of its
processing, thereby questioning the
feasibility of really improving that much.
As a reader – my question is. . .is it
possible or not?
Go beyond the obvious

• Use creativity (the left-side of the

brain)
• Demonstrate thoughtful inquiry,
rigorous intellectual curiosity, and
creativity
• Remember that
clients/constituencies are smart too

• Example: McKinsey is proposing 30

new revenue streams for the USPS to
consider, and the methodology to
filter out the ones which are not
profitable, or not controllable and
the use of infographics to drive the
point home
 Determine the
Determine
Analyze
your
Identify the most
the
data
message comparison appropriate
chart form

COMPARISONS CHART FORMS

COMPONENT
COMPONENT ITEM TIME SERIES FREQUENCY CORRELATION
Percentage of total
(share, percentage of total, accounted for)
From Data To
ITEM

PIE
Ranking of items
(rank, larger than, smaller than, equal)

TIME SERIES

BAR
Changes over time
(trend, change, grow, rise, decline,
increase, decrease, fluctuate)

COLUMN
FREQUENCY
DISTRIBUTION
Items within
Chart

numerical
ranges (x to y range, concentration,

LINE
frequency, distribution)

CORRELATION
Relationship
between variables DOT

(related to, increases with, decreases

with, changes with, doesn’t increase with)

 Gene Zelazny, Say It With Charts, 1996

Analysis of the
McKinsey
Slide Deck
Some best practical advice
What’s the so what?
• You will hear this phrase used on projects a fair amount. It is certainly
not the best usage or even politely worded, but it is critical?
• You are paid for insights, recommendations and results
• The client/group is thinking, “I could have told you that. Come on! Get
on with it already.”
Don’t put lipstick on a pig
• Don’t try to “spice up” presentations with animation, photos, or
colorful font in lieu of content
• Clip art is not going to impress. It’s like putting lipstick on a pig, or
putting a leather-bound cover on a poorly written essay
• Since most of us consume 10+ hours of media daily with all our
computers, iPads, TVs, smart phones, we are a pretty jaded group
Improve the content or flow
• Analysis: Get off the couch and dig deeper into the data. Link it to other data,
group it differently, run regression, look for outliers, find the “a ha” insight
• Storytelling: Take a step back and see how this slide fits in the overall narrative.
Does it belong somewhere in the presentation? Is it even necessary? Does it
further the overall recommendation being made?
Make it easier to understand

• Writing: Write tighter bullets. Get rid of the

jargon, long-winded prose, strange
sentence fragments and other poor writing
hygiene
• Title: Rewrite the title so it says exactly
what you want the reader to understand
(See example)
Highlight key information

• Emphasize your point by using

different colors
• Use a call-out box (sometimes
called “kicker box”) to reiterate
the point at the bottom of the
slide
Appendix

• Don’t fall in love with your work

so much that everything is
important
• If the slide is informative, but
does not have a compelling
point. . . worst case, move it to
the appendix
 In the end, keep it simple

• Simple is often the most

effective.
• Example: Home Depot at
the Raymond James investor
conference on 3/16/12.
• Even the casual viewer can
see the main points of the
slide within 10 seconds:
• Dividends were flat for
several year, but were up in
2011
• Home Depot dividends are
almost double of their retail
competitors
Resources
• The Pyramid Principle: Logic in Thinking and Writing by Barbara Minto
• BarbaraMinto.com
• Say It With Charts by Gene Zelazny (former world-wide director of
graphics for McKinsey)
• Theconsultantsmind.com
(Yes, there is a theme here for resources)