The Pyramid Principle:Logic in Writing and Thinking

I bought this book around the time I started working as an ERP Consultant at Google. This is the best "how to write for business" book I have read. I have read this book twice and will probably read it many more times. I used what I learned in this book to write business requirements documents (BRD) and functional and technical documents (FDTD). The overriding concept is "logic in writing" and the author shows how we think in a "pyramid structure" and why our writing should have this pyramid structure. The second part of the book goes into "logic in thinking " which is also great though a little dense. This book is worth the money you spend on it - it SHOULD BE REQUIRED READING FOR EVERY CONSULTANT and PRODUCT MANAGER. Along with Strunk and White's Elements of Style this book is a perfect one-two punch for anyone who wants to read 2 books on how to write for business.

A once-hot and now unappreciated classic, one of the best how-to writing guides for technical and persuasive works in any language. Minto wove together the requirements that logic imposes on the structure and format of argumentative and technical written works. If you try the Minto techniques you will find that not only is your writing more persuasive, but that her techniques transform how you express yourself verbally, and you become much more effective in person. It is a shame that this is no longer in print; it really is best to highlight the heck out of this book.

I really like this book because it goes deep into its topic areas. It does not just say "you need three reasons" - it says what order they should be in, how they should be associated, etc. Really its a game changer of a book - that being said - a few more exercises would be nice as you really have to work hard to practice the advice in this book. either way - still a 5 star book - I highly recommend it

Great logic ideas how to structure your notes, mails or long essays! However language used and complicated examples given to explain ideas make getting the concepts very frustrating. The book describes very good basics how to structure your ideas - starting with story telling concepts, putting ideas first, applying pyramid concept to summarize your points and support main ideas etc. On the other hand the author loves using not frequently used words and jargon combined with excessive use of passive voice. This makes comprehending the ideas very difficult, especially for me, non-native English speaker. On top of these difficulties, examples used in the book are mostly way too technical that just understanding what is it all about completely distracts from absorbing the idea. I think if the ideas of the book is targeted to general public, language and examples should be so understandable that the reader easily focuses just on the main concepts. In summary, the book is full of great ideas very useful for any writer. Just the difficult wording makes you re-read the text couple of times to get to the roots. And be prepared for tough examples...

This book is well written and helps to understand written communication. It is a book you have to read several times to fully grasp the concepts but is worth the effort.

This edition of the book (3rd) published by Pearson is of such low quality in binding and material it actually makes it difficult to read it. The paper is see through (think newsprint quality) showing the text from the reverse side. The layout of the text is offset towards the spine so far that you cannot read the ends of words unless you tilt the book. There is a huge unused margin on the outer portion of the page. (See photo attached). If I were Barbara Minto I'd be exceedingly frustrated with the publishers shoddy work. The contents of the book is fair but a bit dated at this point referencing considerable pop-psychology from the 60s and early 70s. It's not bad, it's just dated. For example in it's steel hard assumption that "He" is at work and "She" needs him to get groceries. Understand the audience that she was writing for at the time, it just feels a bit like a book from the shelf of a Mad Men episode. All that said, her thesis and principles are well thought out and do have considerable merit in my opinion. However for a book about organizing thought in writing and lowering the effort of a reader to comprehend an author I find it lacking brevity.

This book gives you an excelent base for improving the structure of your presentations, letters and speeches. The core concept of how to set up a good story is explained very clearly in the first pages. The remainder of the book helps you to apply the core concept. Currently I am carrying the book with me and continuously checking and improving my communication.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone that need to improve their professional writing skills. It is well structured with many useful examples to illustrate the main points. However, I believe that it could have been shorter as the bulk of the illustrations were redundant and unnecessary - particularly in the latter half of the book.

Livre essentiel pour la schématisation de la pensée. Avant tout technique, il est construit dans un sens pratique et peut être ennuyeux a lire par simple curiosité .

Book Quality: 1. Hard cover 2. Print is good 3. Font is clear and clean to read Book contents: I haven't finished this book yet, but whatever I read it is worth the money spent. Those who want to improve their thinking and writing logic, should read this book and implement it.

Essential reading for anyone who wants to improve their writing for professional purposes. A must for consultants, and quite helpful for anyone in management or executive positions.

Great book with plenty of advice and real life examples.

I am still reading the book, and I like what I have read so far. This book has been written in a clear and concise style, which makes it even better.