The Pyramid Principal for Business Writing

Background

I was asked to read and write a review on The Pyramid Principal. The purpose of this document is to summarise the 180 page book in 420 words, using the tips recommended in the book.

Have a structure that is easy to follow

• Open with an Introduction and if it's going to be a long document signpost the key headings. This one is so short there is no need for text which says 'I have used the following headings...'
• Use easy to follow headings and format. Use of bold, bullets and numbering really help group ideas into bite-size chunks that can easily be understood.

Explain the situation, complication and considerations

• Explain the purpose of a document so they know the aim of the document and their reason (and reward) for reading it.
• Open with a succinct introduction that the reader will agree so as to engage them on common ground.
• Pose a challenge, question or complication which will provoke interest or questioning.
• Put forward your ideas and reasoning in a structured way, answering one question at a time.

Make an impact, then follow with the detail, one point at a time.

• Too many documents start with lots of waffle before they get to the point. Structure the document so that they could get the point only if they read the headlines
• Give answers to questions as they arise, making it easy to see the problem and resolution within a couple of lines of each-other.
• Use additional bullets only to offer detail to support the headline. If a different point needs to be made, start a new headline.

Avoid conclusions, and use Next Steps instead.

• If the document is so long and complex that it needs a conclusion to explain what has just been said, then you need to re-think your document!
• However it can be useful, having presented your proposal, to suggest immediate steps which the reader can implement in order to achieve this goal.

Next Steps.

• Most of Project Management documents are excellent, principally because we do use structure and logic.

• Our Proposals use a SPIN (Situation, Problem, Implication and Need) approach.

• Our Project Management approach uses all sort of tools to group and analyse data; 4Ds (Data, Diagnosis, Decision and Do), or 4Ps (Problem, Prognosis, Possibilities and Plan), or AIDA ( Attention, Interest, Desire and Action).

• There is however always room for improvement, and perhaps more of these techniques could be build into future documentation.

See http://www.amazon.co.uk/Pyramid-Principle-Logic-Writing-Thinking/dp/0273710516/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1321002006&sr=1-1