Most of us were taught to communicate the way we think. You set the scene, explain the context, walk through your reasoning, and arrive at your conclusion. It feels logical because it mirrors how you actually arrived at the answer yourself.
The problem is that your audience did not take the same journey. They are busy, they are distracted, and by the time you get to the point, you have already lost half of them.
A 2006 study by Jakob Nielsen and the Nielsen Norman Group found that people do not read written communication top to bottom. They scan, looking for the main point first, and if they cannot find it quickly they move on. Not because they do not care, but because their attention is finite. The Minto Pyramid is built around exactly this insight.
The Minto Pyramid
Developed by Barbara Minto, a former McKinsey consultant, the Minto Pyramid is a communication framework that flips the conventional structure. Instead of building to your conclusion, you lead with it and then support it.
Minimalist Minto Pyramid diagram with three sections labeled Conclusion, Key arguments, and Detailed information.
The structure has three levels:
1. Conclusion or Recommendation
Lead with your main point. The single most important thing you want your audience to know or do. Do not make them wait for it.
2. Key Arguments
Support your conclusion with two to four key reasons or findings. These should be summaries, each one a clear and standalone point that explains the why behind your conclusion.
3. Detailed Information
Back each key argument with evidence, data, or examples. This is the layer your audience can choose to read or skip depending on how much they need to be convinced.
The power of this structure is that it works at every level of attention. A busy person reads the top and gets everything they need. Someone who needs convincing can go deeper. Nobody has to wade through background to find the point.
How to use it
Start by asking yourself: if my audience only remembered one thing from this, what would I want it to be? That is your conclusion. Write it first, even if it feels abrupt.
Then ask: what are the two or three reasons this is true or the right course of action? Those are your key arguments.
Finally, for each argument: what evidence or detail would make this credible? That is your supporting layer.
A useful gut check: if you removed the bottom two layers, would the conclusion and key arguments still stand on their own? If yes, your pyramid is solid. If not, your key arguments are probably too vague.
Example
Say you have just finished a product research study and need to share the findings with your team.
Without the Minto Pyramid you might write:
"Hi team, we just finished our strategic product research study and here are our results. We talked to 10 buyers and 20 users from our customer base, and 4 buyers and 12 users from churned customers. The NPS among buyers is significantly lower than among users..."
By the time you get to any recommendation, most people have already skimmed past it.
With the Minto Pyramid:
"Hi team, our recommendation based on our findings: shift the focus of our product efforts to the buyer persona. Our main findings: buyers are underserved with the current product, users are pretty happy with the current feature set, and internally our sales struggles in bigger deals because of product gaps for buyers. Here is how we arrived at this..."
The recommendation lands immediately. The key findings support it and the detail is there for anyone who needs it.
When to use it
Emails where you need a decision or action.
Written updates to stakeholders or leadership.
Slack messages on complex topics.
Proposals, briefs, or recommendation documents.
Any situation where you have caught yourself burying the headline.
Common mistake to avoid
Do not confuse your conclusion with your topic. "This email is about our product research findings" is a topic. "We should shift the focus of our product efforts to the buyer persona" is a conclusion. Lead with the latter. The former is just throat-clearing.
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You can read the full Untools Minto Pyramid article here.
The Minto Pyramid works for anything written: an email, a Slack message, a proposal, a brief. Pick something you need to send this week and try leading with the conclusion first. You will find that the rest of the message almost writes itself once the main point is clear.
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