Start with the Answer: The Minto Pyramid Principle

In this episode of Conversations on Careers and Professional Life, I explire one of the most powerful frameworks for structuring clear, persuasive business communication: the Minto Pyramid Principle.

The framework, created by Barbara Minto at McKinsey, is a simple but transformative way to organize ideas. Think of your communication as a pyramid:

• At the top is your main point — your recommendation, your answer, your “so what.”

• Beneath that are the supporting arguments — the key reasons your audience should agree with or believe your main point.

• At the base are the evidence and details — the facts, data, and analysis that give those arguments weight.

The beauty of the Pyramid Principle is that it works at every level. Your entire presentation can follow it, each section within your presentation can follow it, and even each individual slide can follow it. Every idea should ladder up neatly to the one above it.

Why does this matter? Because most presentations and meetings fail not because the ideas are bad, but because the structure is confusing. When you cram multiple ideas into a single slide, include disconnected data, or bury the lead, your audience can’t follow the story.

If everything is important, nothing is important.

The Pyramid Principle forces you to make choices. It asks: What’s the single most important point I want my audience to remember if they leave after five minutes? That’s the point that belongs at the top of the pyramid. Everything else exists to serve that idea—or it doesn’t belong.

Here’s how to apply it. Start with your answer—your key recommendation. Imagine that the most senior person in the room gets a phone call and leaves six minutes into your presentation. If they walk out then, will they know what you’re recommending? Don’t make your audience wait until slide 17 to find out your point. Put it right up front.

Then, support it with your major premises—ideally three. There’s a reason consultants love the “rule of three.” Research shows that once you go beyond three supporting points, credibility actually drops. Four or five reasons feel like overkill; three feels complete.

For example:

“We recommend launching the pilot in Austin—because customer adoption is highest, operational costs are lowest, and the competitive landscape is still open.”

That single sentence is a mini pyramid: a clear main point supported by three reasons. Each reason could then become a section, a slide, or even a paragraph of an email—each with its own evidence and analysis.

Finally, check that every piece of content—every chart, bullet, and image—supports one of those reasons. If it doesn’t, cut it. Anton Chekhov said, “If there’s a gun on the wall in Act I, it must go off by Act III. If it’s not going to be fired, take it down.” The same is true for your slides: if it doesn’t serve your main point, it shouldn’t be there.

Common pitfalls?

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