Pyramid of Minto. Principles

When Herodotus wrote in the second volume of his History that the Great Pyramid of Giza was built from top to bottom, no one understood anything. People wondered how it was to first build at the top and then down? So she'll fall! The “smartest” ones got out of it by inventing that it was about the cladding, which was supposedly laid from top to bottom.

But if you use logic, this is also nonsense. So what did Herodotus mean?

The point is that when reading primary sources you need to understand what is being said. Herodotus wrote:

Thus, first the upper part of the pyramid was completed, then the middle and finally the lowest steps on earth were built.

For those who are familiar with the internal step structure of the pyramid, everything is clear. But even for others, Herodotus gave another hint:

This is how this pyramid was built. First, it goes in the form of a staircase with ledges, which others call platforms, or steps.

Even for the very best, everything is laid out on shelves, or rather steps. Herodotus speaks of the internal “step” structure of the pyramid, for it is this that determines its properties. And it is precisely the technology of its construction that he is talking about, and not about some abstract object with pyramidal proportions, which many of his readers imagine.

But since we are already familiar with the internal structure of the pyramid, we will reproduce this process construction of the pyramid.

1. In the beginning you need to have a source of energy. We talked about this in the articles Earth - Geocrystal and Ascending and descending currents in the pyramid. Let's briefly revive this knowledge.

That is, we are looking for places where the earth’s crust breaks or where geoenergy emerges in “places of power” or at points of the IDSZ, or on its edges. An example of such a place is the “Dancing Forest” on the Curonian Spit.

When there is a lot of energy, plants feel good. And when there is too much of it, similar “dances” begin. Where does so much energy come from on the Curonian Spit? The answer is simple. Let's look at the Earth's IDS in this place.

Exactly, an edge passes through it between points No. 2 and No. 11. And if you look closer, other details are visible.

Usually, the Earth's energy does not come out evenly, but where it is more convenient for it, where the resistance to its exit is minimal. Such places are called places of power. It was noticed that geoenergy goes around diamagnetic regions and exits into paramagnetic regions. The screenshot clearly shows that the edge of the IDSZ crosses the reservoir, and the water is diamagnetic, and only in the middle of it is there a place for energy to escape - the Curonian Spit. The theoretical line is separated from the real one in our case by 25 km. This is a normal error.

Moreover, a closer look also shows the area of this place.

We see a clear circle with a diameter of 350 meters through which energy comes out. These are the places that are suitable for building pyramids.

So, we sorted out the energy.

2. Orientation.

Why are all the pyramids oriented to the north - because their energy source is oriented. Since the Earth's energy comes through regular energy grids, in particular, the Hartmann grid, and it is oriented along the cardinal points, the pyramid will also be oriented. Otherwise, its effectiveness will be insignificant.

Well, can we build a pyramid? No. You need the right materials.

3. Materials laboratory.

U building materials is a property of magnetic permeability based on the magnetic reactivity of each material. Based on this, materials are divided into diamagnetic, paramagnetic, and ferromagnetic. If you don’t know these properties and make a pyramid with iron reinforcement, then this reinforcement will shield all geoenergy from the pyramid.

With such a “foundation” we are guaranteed to cut off the pyramid from the energy of the Earth.

And if before that we make a pillow of sand, not knowing that SiO2 is a diamagnetic

Then in such a pyramid no “upward flows” will ever appear. They will go around the pyramid along its perimeter. But we still have downward flows. But if we install steel ferromagnetic reinforcement there too,

then we reliably shield our pyramid from any energy in principle. And instead of a pyramid we get a bunker.

Therefore, you need to know the laws by which energy flows in the pyramid, plus you need a laboratory of materials to understand where to use each and how to change or synthesize their properties.

In total, to build a pyramid, you need four types of materials:

A. A strong paramagnetic and durable structural material (granite, for example) for the construction of the base of the pyramid, pyramidion and internal chambers.
b. A weak paramagnetic, inexpensive in volume and strong enough material (sandstone, dolomite) to fill the internal structure of a step pyramid.
V. A weak diamagnetic, inexpensive in volume and relatively durable material (calcite, for example) for filling the space between the steps and the cladding.
d. Strong diamagnetic, relatively durable structural material (for example, marble) for cladding the pyramid.

These materials may not necessarily be natural. On the contrary, their properties can and should be programmed using modern binders and fillers. But for this you need a materials laboratory to take measurements directly from the supplier or at the construction site. IN as a last resort, made a series of materials and took measurements in a magnetic laboratory. These are available in many departments of research institutes, but you can also make these devices yourself.

Here is an excerpt from the monograph “INTRODUCTION TO MAGNETOCHEMISTRY OF PORTLAND CEMENT” by A. P. Nikolaev, 2011.

B) The Gouy method requires less complex equipment. Since the sample used in this method has a fairly large mass (1 – 10 g), an analytical balance can be used to determine the forces acting on it from the magnetic field. It is possible to study magnetic susceptibility in solutions. However, there are also limitations associated with a large sample mass. this method: It is not very easy to thermostate a sample, and when studying powdery substances, errors arise due to the heterogeneity of their packaging.
A) In the Faraday method, the big advantage is the small amount of the substance under study (two to three orders of magnitude less than for the Gouy method). The sample is easier to thermostate. It is possible to study the anisotropy of single crystals and magnets of any type, including ferro-, ferri- and antiferromagnets. Errors associated with sample packaging have been eliminated. However, small samples are less protected from the relative effects environment, create almost insoluble difficulties when studying solutions, and the force F, which is two to three orders of magnitude smaller, requires the use of extremely sensitive instruments for its registration, which complicates the installation for measuring magnetic susceptibility. Taking into account the above, it can be stated that, depending on the problems being solved, the Faraday and Gouy methods can be used with equal success and complement each other well.

In the process of carrying out the work, such a device was made, and studies were carried out based on its readings. This kind of apparatus is mandatory when building a pyramid, since it allows one to evaluate the magnetic qualities of materials on the spot.

3. Stages of construction.

Well, only now we get to Herodotus. So how was the pyramid built from top to bottom? Well, for starters, any pyramid needs a base - a foundation made of a durable paramagnetic material - granite or synthetic construction material with high paramagnetic and strength characteristics. But even before this, we need to resolve the issue of using downward flows - if we make a diamagnetic lining, as in the Cheops pyramid, then an underground chamber is not needed. And if the lining is paramagnetic, even partially, then it makes sense to make an underground chamber from paramagnetic durable material to concentrate the descending energy.

But this is already the aerobatics of pyramid building, so in the first case you can do without it and make a lining from a diamagnetic material.

Then, after establishing a strong paramagnetic zero cycle, you can proceed to the pyramid, namely its sixth stage. Yes, yes, not the first but the sixth. Herodotus spoke precisely about this. The pyramid is built starting from the sixth step, so it seems that it is from top to bottom. This is what this step looks like.

At the top we see two energy mirrors, made of a stronger paramagnetic material, which redirect our upward energy to the top of the pyramid. Here we need to add that if we want to have any chambers inside the pyramid, then they need to be made at the first stage of construction - in the 6th stage. The chambers are made structurally from a strong paramagnetic material with high strength, from which the base of the pyramid is made. The stage itself is made of a weak paramagnetic material.

We install it (a strong paramagnetic) and line the pyramid itself with a strong diamagnetic material.

And only then will our pyramid work and be beneficial.

But that's a completely different story :) All the best to us and useful pyramids. Thank you for your attention.

In life, we all face the need to convey our own thoughts and ideas, the results of reasoning, to other people. We communicate verbally, by phone, write short notes and business documents and at the same time we want to present our ideas in such a way that the interlocutor understands us immediately and unambiguously.

In the business environment, written communication is most used: we prepare letters and analytical notes, presentations and reports and do not always have the opportunity to be present when the interlocutor reads the documents and give the necessary explanations.

How to prepare documents so that they are clear and understandable to the reader?

I read her book, which was published in Russia under the title “The Golden Rules of Harvard and McKinsey. Magic pyramid rules for business letter“And today I offer you a synopsis of this book.

Minto's Pyramid Principle

Barbara says that if the reader is not controlled and given a pre-thought-out structure for presenting his thoughts, he will be forced to come up with it himself. And it is in this imaginary structure that your reader will locate and arrange the ideas coming to him, and combine them into groups. What he will succeed is completely unclear, and there is a high probability that both you and your interlocutor will waste time.

To organize your ideas, Barbara Minto suggests using a pyramid. At the top level of the pyramid is your key idea, the conclusion, and at the next levels of the pyramid the main idea finds its justification.

The construction of the pyramid must begin with the introduction

The structure of the introduction consists of the following sections:

Situation. This is a judgment about an object that is self-sufficient and indisputable.
Difficulty/Problem
Question which arises in the reader after realizing the problem
Answer to the question= key idea of the document

There are two main approaches to building a pyramid: top-down and bottom-up. In a top-down approach:

1. Complete the top block of the pyramid by answering the questions:

What exactly are you discussing?
What question about the topic (object) facing the reader are you answering?
What's your answer?

2. Formulate and clarify your entry question

What is the situation?
What are the difficulties?
Are the question and its answer formulated?

3. Define the line of key statements

What new question is raised by the above answer?
Shall we answer it inductively or deductively?
If inductively, what is the plural noun?

4. Structure supporting considerations.

I recently structured the key ideas of one presentation using this principle. Here's what happened:

When building “Bottom-up”:

Write down all the ideas you would like to express.
Think about how they relate to each other.
Draw conclusions from ideas and connections.

Bottom-up construction can begin when all the arguments and ideas are known and it is necessary to build a logic of presentation based on them - the Minto pyramid.

When you choose words for titles and tables of contents, try to reflect essential ideas rather than general categories or stages of comprehension
Try to start building the pyramid from the top
Use the description of the situation as the beginning of the process of thinking about the introduction.
Don't forget to justify your entry
Always include information about the occurrence of the situation in the introduction.
The information in the introduction should only be that which the reader believes to be true.
Be sure to justify each position of the key line. Statements must be substantiated until new questions no longer arise.
Build bridges between structural units text. To do this, you can refer to what was said earlier, BUT: do not repeat what you DID in the chapter, say main idea chapter/section.

A separate section of the book is devoted to the differences in inductive and deductive methods of building logical relationships, as well as recommendations on when it is advisable to use each of these methods. I won’t describe all the recommendations here, but the essence of the methods can be easily understood from the picture:

Structure your document:

Reflect the structure of the document in the text, using:
- Headings. Headings should reflect the flow of reasoning and include the main ideas. Do not use simple numbers or impersonal headers (such as Section 1)
- Bold and underline for key ideas
- Hierarchical numbering (in addition to section titles).

I thought the ideas in the book were very sound. Due to my line of work, I often need to prepare presentations and other business documents, and last week I tried the principle of the Minto pyramid when preparing a presentation - and was very pleased with the result.

I made a summary of the book in the format of mental maps - mind maps:

Summary of the book “The Pyramid Principle” by Barbara Minto

While working as a McKinsey consultant, Barbara Minto created her own method for writing policy papers based on how people perceive information.
Business text is well perceived when ideas are logically interconnected and built according to the principle of a hierarchical pyramid. Ideas at a lower level of the hierarchy serve to reveal the content of ideas at a higher level. high level hierarchy.

Ideas within the pyramid are subject to three “golden rules”:

ideas at each level must generalize ideas grouped at the level below;
ideas in each group should always be of the same type / interrelated
The ideas in each group must follow a logical sequence, which can be one of the following types:
- deductive (major premise, minor premise, conclusion),
- chronological (first, second, third),
- structural (Boston, New York, Washington),
- classification and comparative (the first most important subject, the second most important subject, etc.).
To form a pyramidal structure of the text, you can use the question “Why?”.
For example, “Buying a large English company Leyland under a franchise agreement" breaks down into three components that answer the question "Why?":
“The company’s growth rate will exceed the industry growth rate”
"The company will have positive financial results»
“It won’t be difficult to get things going.”
These three components break down into three or two more sub-items.

The construction of a pyramid must begin with “Leading”
The introduction is written in narrative form; it should formulate the main question to which the answer is given later in the document. The introduction describes the situation and the development of this situation. Both of these elements must be familiar to the reader. The development of the situation initiates a question that is answered in the document. The question should not arise ahead of time, but only as a result of the development of the situation.

The structure of the introduction consists of the following sections:

Situation. This is a judgment about an object that is self-sufficient and indisputable.
Difficulty/Problem
The question that arises in the reader’s mind after realizing the problem
Answer to question = key idea of the document

There are two main approaches to building a pyramid: top-down and bottom-up.

"Top down":

1. Complete the top block of the pyramid by answering the questions:

What exactly are you discussing?
What question about the topic (object) facing the reader are you answering?
What's your answer?

2. Formulate and clarify your entry question

What is the situation?
What are the difficulties?
Are the question and its answer formulated?

3. Define the line of key statements

What new question is raised by the above answer?
Shall we answer it inductively or deductively?
If inductively, what is the plural noun?

4. Structure supporting considerations.

“Bottom-up” (the most effective method):

Write down all the ideas you would like to express.
Think about how they relate to each other.
Draw conclusions from ideas and connections.

Bottom-up construction can begin when all the arguments and ideas are known and it is necessary to build a logic of presentation based on them - the Minto pyramid.

When you choose words for titles and tables of contents, try to reflect essential ideas rather than general categories or stages of comprehension
Try to start building the pyramid from the top
Use the description of the situation as the beginning of the process of thinking about the introduction.
Don't forget to justify your entry
Always include information about the occurrence of the situation in the introduction.
The information in the introduction should only be that which the reader believes to be true.
Be sure to justify each position of the key line. Statements must be substantiated until new questions no longer arise.
Build bridges between structural units of the text. To do this, you can refer to what was said earlier, BUT: do not repeat what you DID.

Structure your document:

Reflect the structure of the document in the text, using:

Headings. Headings should reflect the flow of reasoning and include the main ideas. Do not use simple numbers or impersonal headings (such as Section 1)
Bold and underline for key ideas
Hierarchical numbering (in addition to section titles).

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Imagine that there are some secret principles, using which you are doomed to success. You manage to convey information to a client, partner, boss, spouse, your child, an opponent, a neighbor... or any person so that he signs an agreement, makes a purchase, raises your salary or gives you new position, agrees to all your terms and so on, in general, you get the desired result. Is this possible? Yes. Your secret weapon is the Minto Pyramid. Use it in negotiations, correspondence, polemics, your publications, in any form of communication with other people, and the consequences will pleasantly surprise you.

Minto Pyramid Principles

The author of this method, Barbara Minto, worked for more than 20 years in the American consulting company number one McKinsey. Not all deals were successful, and she wanted to understand why, understand the reasons for success or failure in negotiations with clients, and what to do about it. As a result, she concluded that it was not at all a matter of the qualifications of the company’s employee. The main reason for obtaining a particular result is the way the information is conveyed to the client.

Barbara Minto started with the basics - the features of thinking. Based on how a person perceives information, she developed her own pyramid system. Thanks to it, people can clearly, concisely, competently and effectively structure their speech, compose reports, write letters or other texts, give presentations... And, of course, you yourself understand how all this can increase your efficiency and, accordingly, the quality of life...

So, the Minto Pyramid is a way in which information is presented in a strict hierarchy according to the pyramid principle, where at the top - main idea, and at the base - clarifying details. And this is not without reason - the human brain perceives data this way, it is designed this way, and, you see, it would be unreasonable not to use such knowledge to achieve your goals.

The success of presenting information in a pyramidal way also lies in the fact that the essence is indicated at the beginning, and then everything else. By doing this, you save time for yourself and your interlocutor - for various reasons, he may not listen or read to the end of your work, or you may be interrupted, but the main idea will already be conveyed, which means your goal will be achieved.

The Minto Pyramid is a multi-level system. The first level, the peak, as we have already defined, is the main idea, the essence of your narrative. At the second level, you divide the idea stated “above” into parts. At the third stage, the postulates of the second level are decomposed into more detailed components. On the fourth - third and so on.

An important point is that at each individual level, thoughts must be interconnected and proceed in a logical sequence (deductive or inductive, chronological, structural, classification and comparative).

The pyramid can have as many “tiers” as you like, as long as you have something to say. However, keep in mind that human perception has limits, the brain can get tired and lose concentration, so do not overuse it. 3-4 levels of the pyramid are considered optimal for a small performance.

How to build a Minto Pyramid

Let's move on from theory to practice. So where to start and how to present information according to Barbara Minto's principles?

It is customary to build a pyramid in two ways: “top down” and “bottom up”. It is believed that the first is the most effective. However, if your thoughts are confused and you don’t know where to start, act in the second way and, first of all, decide on the details and details that will ultimately lead you to the “top”.

At first glance, the system may seem complicated. In fact, in order for your information to line up in a pyramid, you just need to answer a series of questions.

To create a top-down pyramid, you can ask yourself the following questions (they are very approximate, general, they need to be adapted to your specific topic):

First level

What will we talk about? (Item).
What problem are you solving? (Question).
What is the solution to your problem? (The answer is the main idea of the speech).

Second level

What is the current situation in this area?
What are the difficulties?
Has the problem been identified and is it being resolved somehow?

Third level

What new questions arise after answering the previous one?
What is the best way to answer, inductive or deductive?
For the inductive method, what is the unifying feature of grouping thoughts?

For the next levels you can use questions from the third...

Building a bottom-up pyramid is justified when you have all the information, a lot of ideas, and you find it difficult to put them into a coherent narrative. Therefore you need:

If you are preparing information according to the principles of the Minto Pyramid, do not neglect the following recommendations:

Put the postulates of the main idea in the title, avoid generalizations here.
Building a pyramid “from top to bottom” is the most effective.
The first level should contain information whose truth is obvious to the reader/listener (situation, problem, question).
All statements require justification until questions about them disappear.
Information must be structured (divided into subheadings, in italics or bold, use hierarchical numbering).
If possible, you need to visually formulate the postulates of the narrative according to the principle of a pyramid.

Remember, using these simple principles, you will easily master presentation and general communication skills, and even become a master.

Chip Scanlan, journalist, writer, columnist. Translation Olga Dobrovidova.

Invented more than a century ago to take advantage of new communications technologies, the inverted pyramid remains a controversial but widespread method of news reporting - and journalists across all media agree it has a future well into the 21st century.

The inverted pyramid places the most valuable information in the news at the top, followed by details in descending order of importance, ending with the least important at the very end. Historians argue when exactly this form of presenting news was invented, but they agree that the invention of the telegraph pushed its development so that by the beginning of the 20th century it was widely used in newspapers and then relatively young news agencies.

Journalism historian David T. Z. Mindich believes that one of the first inverted pyramid leads was written by a correspondent reporting on the assassination attempt on Abraham Lincoln in April 1865:

In the Associated Press

The President was shot at a theater this evening and may be mortally wounded.

(V English this example is more slender, The President was shot in a theater tonight and is perhaps mortally wounded, because “the president” acts as a subject with a passive voice in both parts of the sentence - this emphasizes that who exactly shot the president is not important at this stage. If you're interested, you can see what all the material looked like on the NYT website - approx. lane)

(More historical information can be found in my article “Birth of the Inverted Pyramid: Child of Technology, Business and History” (eng))

The pyramid should be big on top because it should answer all the readers' questions. The remaining details are arranged in descending order of importance. The rules of the inverted pyramid require the reporter to summarize the story, get to its heart and meaning, and quickly and concisely present the answer to the question “what’s the news?” This approach answers the most important questions at the very beginning of the story, it gives a thesis and then expands on it with supporting material.

Journalism is “complicated” with an inverted pyramid. Proponents of this form find it useful, especially for breaking news. The inverted pyramid, or at least its most important part, the lead summary, is used very widely - it is one of the most recognizable forms in modern communications. You'll find it on the front and back pages of most newspapers, the Associated Press and around the world on other online news resources.

“The inverted pyramid organizes material not around ideas or chronology, but around facts. It weighs and mixes various pieces of information, focusing with remarkable singleness on their relative eventual value,” writes journalism historian Mitchell Stevens in his History of the News.

Critics of the inverted pyramid say it is stilted, boring and unsophisticated, outdated and one of the reasons for the declining readership that newspapers have had to contend with in recent decades.

The inverted pyramid, according to critics, is anti-history. It presents the material backwards and conflicts with traditional storytelling practice, where there is a beginning, middle and end. Instead of rewarding the reader with a satisfying ending, the pyramid loses steam and fizzles out, as if challenging readers to see if they can stay awake, much less read to the end.

Despite decades under attack, the inverted pyramid lives on. As Bruce DeSilva of the Associated Press once famously said, “The inverted pyramid remains the Dracula of journalism: it never stops rising from the grave and sneaking into the newspaper.”

There are good reasons for this persistence. Many readers are impatient and want material to get straight to the point. In breaking news situations, when events and circumstances change quickly, the inverted pyramid allows the writer of the news to constantly rewrite the story's beginning, maintaining its relevance.

It is also a very useful tool for organized thinking, since the pyramid forces the journalist to express the meaning of the entire story in one paragraph. Journalism students who learn the inverted pyramid and go on to work in other industries say it's useful for writing everything from legal briefs to grant applications.

The inverted pyramid and lead resume can be a difficult shape for some journalists. At least, it was difficult for me when I first started working. Retell three hours of a school board meeting or answer five W-questions (who, did what, where, when, why; in English, all these question words begin with the letter W - approx. lane) about a fatal car accident, and then deciding what other information was needed in the text and in what order - it took a lot of effort and was annoying, especially under the pressure of a deadline.

Also, as a newbie, I usually didn't know the topics I was covering well enough to answer questions easily. main question: What will be the news stories in this event and in what order of importance? I resisted the disciplined thinking that the inverted pyramid requires and, like many colleagues, considered the form uncreative and unnatural. I preferred the writer's approach to stories to the "just the facts" style of reporting.

Over time it became easier and I began to understand how this form helps develop skills critical thinking, analysis and synthesis, that is, the basis for clarity of thinking and text. The inverted pyramid is the basic “building block” of journalistic style.

During the times of printing on cast typesetting machines (hot type; invented around the 1880-1890s - approx. lane) when materials needed to be fit into a limited space, the inverted pyramid allowed editors and even typesetters laying out the page in the back room to trim text from the bottom if necessary - without requiring any journalistic judgment. Technology continues to make its impact: Research shows that those who read news on a computer are reluctant to view more than one screen at a time, so it is not surprising that online media continues to make extensive use of the inverted pyramid. (In 1996, Jakob Nielsen, an influential Internet usability expert, wrote about "inverted pyramids in cyberspace"). Whether we like it or not, journalists in the 21st century need to master this form.

Excerpt from the book (Oxford University Press; the original link to the book does not work, another one is provided - approx. lane)