There is a lot of noise in the world, and there are many people with attention. You have to grab their attention quickly, or they will be gone. =
Well cover the following:
- The Communication Pyramid model defines how people will use different types of Communication in order to get the job done.
- What Is a Governing Thought?
- The article states that when drafting a team, it is best to build your roster with the following three rules in mind:1. Draft players who are healthy and can play as many games as possible2. Draft for consistency – not only from week to week but season over season3. If you draft an injury risk or inconsistent player, at least be sure they have upside potential.
- The Communication Pyramid Principle is a way to create an organizational structure for your business.
- In a communication pyramid, one person is at the top, and they have people underneath them. The pyramids are arranged in an upside-down triangle shape, with each level being smaller than the last. The bottom of this example would be you who work for these higher levels to make their job easier by doing tasks that help get things done efficiently or making sure everything runs smoothly without any problems occurring. Each time someone goes up a level on this chain, there were no other candidates available, so what happens when everyone has gone up?
- This article discusses how to apply the “Pyramid Principle” in order to be successful when pitching an idea. The first step is figuring out what kind of opportunity you want and then deciding on a goal for that particular area.
Need Help Automating Your Sales Prospecting Process?
LeadFuze gives you all the data you need to find ideal leads, including full contact information.
Go through a variety of filters to zero in on the leads you want to reach. This is crazy specific, but you could find all the people that match the following:
- A company in the Financial Services or Banking industry
- Who have more than 10 employees
- That spend money on Adwords
- Who use Hubspot
- Who currently have job openings for marketing help
- With the role of HR Manager
- That has only been in this role for less than 1 year
Just to give you an idea. 
What is the Communication Pyramind?
The Communication Pyramid Principle is a concept in Communication that follows an inverted pyramid approach. It was created by Barbara Minto while at McKinsey and it still applies today.
The communication pyramid principle is applicable not only in the executive scene but also when you are crafting a persuasive argument. The idea behind it is to start with your conclusion and work backward, providing data as needed.
In order to make your content as clear and understandable as possible, it is important to cut through the noise.
Distinguishing the Noise
The Communication Pyramid Principle was created by Barbara Minto at McKinsey as a method of structuring communications for maximum impact. The idea is to start with your main point and then use logically grouped arguments to support it. Put in simpler terms; the principle starts off with asking what you want before explaining why.
The Communication Pyramid Principle is a management philosophy that can help you get the most out of your time and effectiveness by using top-down Communication. Executives are often people who like to be direct, which makes this style effective.
Principles of Alternative Communication Competitors Employ
There are other theories on motivation that may also be in use, such as the 7 Cs of Communication and the Iceberg Principle. We will cover both briefly below.
The 7Cs of Effective Communication
Effective Communication is critical. The 7Cs of Communication is a model that was first created by Scott M. Cutlip and Allen H. Center in 1952, which has since been shown to be the most effective form of communication for business purposes due to its clarity and conciseness.
With the 7Cs, your messages are easier to understand and more persuasive. This is because it follows a straightforward structure that makes sense.
- Clear: The point of the memo should be clear and it should make sense.
- Use concise wording to avoid repetition.
- When it comes to concrete, credibility is essential. It needs facts and data in order for the reader’s mind to be convinced.
- Complete: It should be made up of information that is relevant to the topic.
- When it comes to grammar and spelling, there are a few basic rules that need to be followed.
- It is important that the incentives be connected to an achievable goal and can also help with overall success.
- A courteous tone should be friendly and free of any hostility or passive aggression.
The Iceberg Principle
The Iceberg Principle is a concept of Communication that states 90% of what you say is how its said and not the content.
When communicating with your audience, you should be aware of how the how affects them. Gestures and facial expressions are a huge part in connecting to people as well as tonal variation which can help create a positive tone.
What Is a Governing Thought?
The Communication Pyramid Principle is the governing thought of your story. It’s what you want to get across, and it should be clear in an introduction as well.
It turns out that the SCQ framework is an explanation of how to use incentives in order to motivate employees. The theory follows this general idea: People are motivated by four things, which are salary, commission structure, benefits, and career opportunities.
- This is the governing thought contained within a simple truth.
- The complication is the reason behind the dilemma or difficulty. It addresses what you need to do next in order to resolve it.
- Question: What is the best way to handle an infection?
The sum of these parts is the answer, which can be a governing thought.
Supporting Thoughts
A governing thought is followed by supporting thoughts. These are facts and data that support the main point (governing thought). The MECE Principle, which stands for mutually exclusive but complementary components, states that a component should be independent of another while still making an argument.
When presenting, do not just give your thoughts without support. Try to include at least three supporting facts in every paragraph.
Data and Facts
You should always back up your points with evidence and facts. The more you can explain, the better, but don’t overwhelm them by providing too much information.
Three Rules of Building a Communication Pyramid Draft
1. Start with the answer first
The Minto Pyramid Principle is an inverted format. You can start by stating your answer, then moving on to support it with arguments and reasons.
When answering an executive’s question, always start with the answer followed by 3 reasons to support your opinion.
2. Compile a summary of your arguments
When arguing for or against an idea, the strongest point should come first. If you are making a pro argument then your reasons will be in 3 parts: I believe because of
1) ______________________
2)__________________________
and finally 3) _________________.
When it comes to arguments that disagree with yours, they would follow this same rule but reverse order-the weakest points will go last.
The rule of 3 is an excellent strategy to use during sales pitches. There are many reasons for this, but here are just a few: it’s easy to remember, the number has significance in human nature, and it demonstrates empathy.
2. You can make sure your message is heard
The time allotted to sales representatives is very brief. To keep the attention of your audience, you should structure and present your argument within a short period of time.
It is necessary to prioritize.
The rule of 3 forces you to pick the top three answers and make a strong argument for them.
I want to be decisive and confident, but I’m not sure how.
The rule of 3 is a great way to boost confidence in presentations. Start your pitch by listing the reasons for what you are saying; this strategy makes it seem like you have already considered all options and that there’s no doubt about what will happen. It also helps audience members remember points.
Summarizing your arguments is important because it allows you to better organize the points that are relevant. This will help with the flow during a presentation and make for an easier transition between topics.
3. Arrange your arguments in a logical order and support them with data points
Ensure that your supporting points are related and create a sense of logical order. This can be done by;
- How much time each one takes
- Structure and components
- Importance/ rank
The rule of 3 strategies is a way to hook your audience. It can be used for communicating with senior executives and clients alike.
How Do You Use the Communication Pyramid Principle?
When I first began writing articles, I used a formula to create the introduction. It started with my governing thought and then went into the SCQA sequence before finishing up by using both deductive reasoning as well as inductive logic.
Setting the Stage with Introductory Flow
When you are introducing your communication pyramid, make sure to include the takeaway at the very top. The introduction sets up what will be discussed and should get people excited about it.
One thing that all people agree on is the context of a situation. Context includes time and place.
Complication: The problem is that we don’t understand the relevance or sense of urgency.
Question: What are the pros and cons of hourly pay?Answer: Hourly wages have many advantages. One benefit is that employees feel more rewarded for their time, especially if they work overtime or on weekends.
Answer: Your main idea.
The SCQA Approach
The Communication Pyramid Principle is a framework that has been created by John Collins, who calls it the SCQA Framework. The letters stand for:
- Situation
- Complication
- Question
- Answer
Situation
This is the context of your problem, and it consists of a simple truth that answers why you are struggling. This step requires looking beyond symptoms to find the cause.
Complication
The second step in the process is to figure out why we are having this problem. We call it the so what of a problem because its answers our question: how did we get here?
Question
This is where you start asking questions about the situation. Eventually, your answers will lead to a hypothesis.
Answer
After confirming your hypothesis to be true, you can start arranging the information in chronological order. This way, it will be easier for an audience to understand.
In order to get the most out of our teams, we need a solid foundation that is based on horizontal and vertical logic.
Utilizing Horizontal and Vertical Logic
When you’re making a point, your goal is to make it as actionable and persuasive as possible. To do this, start with the most important part of what you want people to take away from your argument–the key takeaway. Below are three reasons why the top-level idea should be acted on; these supporting arguments must all have their own explanations for being true.
When presenting your arguments, make sure to rank them in order of importance and keep the separate topics you are discussing. It’s also best to apply the inverted pyramid strategy. If I am talking about metrics or automation tools for salespeople, do not go from one subject matter to another without establishing a connection between the two.
Presenting your ideas in this order lets, you use both vertical and horizontal logic. As the Communication Pyramid is structured, it follows a logical pattern from top to bottom: start with your main idea, pose questions about that topic which are answered by supporting arguments at lower levels of the pyramid.
The logic of the communication pyramid is horizontal, which means that it can either be inductive or deductive. Deductive reasoning makes a general statement and then uses specific pyramid principle examples to validate this statement: Birds fly; I am able to fly. Therefore I must also be a bird.
Inductive reasoning is when you draw a conclusion from specific evidence that supports it.
Making the Argument Pyramid: An Example
The Situation
We’ve seen a drop in sales over the years, even though we introduced new features two years ago and relaunched our product. These changes required us to build a factory which increased costs for production – so now it’s time to increase market share.
Communication Pyramid Principle Applied
To regain profitability, we have to cut prices in order to increase market share.
- When you lower prices, sales increase.
- If we can offer a lower price than our competitors, then it will increase the number of people who come to us for their products.
- We need to produce more in order for us to be able to have the opportunity to save money on production costs.
Using the Information Pyramid Principle, you can tell your story in a direct and effective way. It’s not necessarily only the pyramid method for telling a story, but it is an effective approach that eliminates any room for fluff by focusing on what you want to say without distractions.
How to Utilize the Communication Pyramid Principle to Pitching Ideas
It’s easy to motivate your salespeople. All you have to do is follow these three steps:
1) Increase base pay that works for the company and individual.
2) Create incentives such as contests, trips, awards, etc., which will keep them motivated throughout their career
3) Give recognition when it’s deserved, so they know how much impact their hard work has on the business.
1. Start with your conclusion
The conclusion is the one sentence that sums up your entire argument. It’s what you want to leave with them, and it should be powerful enough for people to remember.
2. Make a list of your supporting arguments.
The second step is to compile a list of your reasons. Don’t go overboard with explanations; these are the supporting facts that will back up what you say and make it sound more confident.
3. Accompany your supporting facts with data
Provide supporting information to back up your claims with charts, statistics, and graphs. This will help support the argument you are making.
This is where I should have known better. After all, it’s not the first time that I was in a business meeting and realized how much clearer my ideas were when spoken than written.
Need Help Automating Your Sales Prospecting Process?
LeadFuze gives you all the data you need to find ideal leads, including full contact information.
Go through a variety of filters to zero in on the leads you want to reach. This is crazy specific, but you could find all the people that match the following:
- A company in the Financial Services or Banking industry
- Who have more than 10 employees
- That spend money on Adwords
- Who use Hubspot
- Who currently have job openings for marketing help
- With the role of HR Manager
- That has only been in this role for less than 1 year
Just to give you an idea.