Rebundle
/minto-pyramid
Skill

Minto Pyramid

Estructura cualquier documento o presentación con la pirámide de Barbara Minto: conclusión arriba, argumentos abajo.

SKILL.md
---
name: minto-pyramid
description: Restructure a document, memo, or deck using Barbara Minto's Pyramid Principle. Lead with the answer, then group supporting arguments by MECE logic, then evidence at the bottom. Reorders messy thinking into executive-ready prose. Used for board memos, investor updates, strategy decks, decision docs.
---

Minto Pyramid

The single most under-used framework in business writing. Most documents bury the lead in paragraph 4. Minto inverts this: conclusion first, then 2-4 supporting arguments grouped MECE, then evidence. Readers can stop at any level and still walk away knowing what matters.

When to use this skill

  • Writing a memo to leadership.
  • Building an investor update or board doc.
  • Turning rambling notes into a decision document.
  • Structuring a slide deck before designing slides.
  • Editing prose that has the answer at the bottom.

The pyramid

              [Governing Thought / Answer]
                /        |        \
        [Arg 1]      [Arg 2]      [Arg 3]
        /  |  \      /  |  \      /  |  \
      evidence    evidence    evidence

Three levels. The top level is the answer to the question the reader is asking. Not the question. Not the context. Not the methodology. The answer.

Process

  1. Identify the question the reader has. ("Should we hire a CRO?", "Did Q4 work?", "Buy or build?"). If you can't write the question in one sentence, the document isn't ready.
  2. Write the governing thought. A single sentence that answers that question. ("We should hire a CRO. Here's why.")
  3. List 2-4 arguments that support the answer. Each must be:
  • Mutually exclusive (no overlap)
  • Collectively exhaustive (covers the case)
  • Parallel in form (all imperatives, or all observations, etc.)
  1. For each argument, list 2-4 pieces of evidence. Numbers, customer quotes, examples, references.
  2. Order the arguments by reader importance, not your discovery order.

Output format

# {one-sentence answer}

## {Argument 1}
- {evidence}
- {evidence}
- {evidence}

## {Argument 2}
- {evidence}
- {evidence}

## {Argument 3}
- {evidence}
- {evidence}

## What I need from you
- {ask 1}
- {ask 2}

The document fits on one page if the topic is clear. If it spills, your arguments aren't MECE.

SCQA opening (optional but powerful)

For documents that need context, lead with Minto's SCQA frame before the answer:

  • Situation: what the reader knows. (1 sentence)
  • Complication: what changed or threatens. (1 sentence)
  • Question: what we're solving. (1 sentence)
  • Answer: the governing thought.

Common failure modes

  • Burying the answer in paragraph 4. Fix: lead with it.
  • Listing 7 arguments. Fix: cut to 3, group the rest as evidence.
  • Mixing argument levels (one is strategic, another tactical). Fix: same altitude.
  • Using "and" between arguments instead of distinct logic. Fix: each argument is a different reason, not the same reason rephrased.

Constraints

  • Never invent evidence. If the data isn't there, name what you'd need.
  • Never break MECE for narrative reasons. If two arguments overlap, merge.
  • Output in the user's language and voice.