Seesnote #701 – Communication
Why is it important?
What answer is the most insightful to “What should I wear next Saturday?”:
a) “Here is temperature distribution and hygrometry”.
b) “You should wear a white rain jacket, sweater, jeans, and sneakers, because (1) it will be 50°F, (2) it will be raining and (3) the dress-code is casual white; here are the details”.
Stakeholders in your business will reward you for helping them solve problems, identify and leverage opportunities, and more generally, make decisions.
Crafting insightful content and communicating it from a top-down approach is vital for clarity, credibility and influencing actions.
What to do
Deliver the key message in the title: what is the main “so what”, what is influencing decision making, answering a question, moving the needle, etc.?
Explain the key insights / takeaways: what are the key insights, the implications of the facts observed, measured or created?
Show the supporting facts: what are the objective pieces of evidence, the data, etc. that justify your take aways and key message?
Notes
This communication structure relies on the Pyramid Principle, popularized since the 1980s by B. Minto. It is often coupled with the MECE principle (Mutually Exclusive, Collectively Exhaustive), originally coined by Minto for consulting in the 1960s but rooted in early developments of logical thinking.
These frameworks have been widely adopted by leading consulting firms to facilitate problem-solving and effectively present complex information.
References
- Minto, B. (2009). The pyramid principle: Logic in writing and thinking. Pearson Education
- Rusche, H. (2023). Effective Top-Management Communication for Consultants and Other Practitioners. In: Pfeffermann, N., Schaller, M. (eds) New Leadership Communication
Seesoc & Co. 