Books like The Minto Pyramid Principle: Logic in Writing, Thinking, & Problem Solving

A generation ago, this was an important bestselling book about structured informational writing. It shows how to organise information clearly and persuasively. Nowadays, it is of historical interest, more than practical use.Start with your Conclusion“Ideas at any level in the pyramid must always be summaries of the ideas grouped below them.” That is the main concept of this. It’s one long known and followed by any competent journalist, but equally applicable in business and technical writing. Image: Rob Atkinson’s illustration In practice:1. Start with the answer: the top of the pyramid summarises what’s below.2. Group and summarise supporting arguments: the same kind of idea in each group.3. Logically order supporting ideas within each group.• Time: use to show cause and effect sequence.• Structural: break a singular thought into components.• Degree: rank from most to least important.General TipsThe magic number of ideas in a group is three.Seven plus or minus two is the max ideas one can hold in short-term memory - George A MillerIntroduction should tell a story: 1. Situation2. Complication3. Solution (question and answer)Q&A dialogue:1. Topic - what is subject/question?2. Various answers below3. Lead to next level questions (can also refer back up)Deduction and InductionThere’s also a whole chapter on the differences between deductive and inductive reasoning. I confess I didn’t really get it:• Deduction leads from a summary to a “therefore” conclusion. The points derive from each other.• Induction starts with facts or ideas that are defined as similar or related in some way and then explains that sameness.Most of us default to deductive. Inductive is more creative, but it is harder to do well. Old-FashionedMy edition is from 2002, which looks identical to the latest on Amazon from 2009. But it reads like a book from 1987, when it was first published. Back then, word-processing barely existed, let alone templates and stylesheets, with multi-level headings, dozens of fonts, and myriad formatting effects. The pages here would have looked clear and innovative, with navigation cues of headings, numbers, indents, shading, and lots of diagram. Nowadays, the advice about headings, fonts, and numberings is too simple, basic, and out of date. Being old is not an excuse for a technical book lacking an index. (Pet hate.)What This is NotIt’s about documents: analyses, reports, reviews, proposals, presentations, and memos. There is no advice about delivering presentations, let alone the dreaded PowerPoint, which was released the same year as this book.If you want tips on creating and delivering presentations, try:• Andi Lightheart's Presentation Now• Tim Stockil's Start With An Earthquake