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Communicating for Impact
Structure your
argument:
Try it now

2. McKinsey & Company 2
10 minutes
You were just introduced to the Pyramid Principle, which can be applied to everyday
communications as much as it can to complex presentations. The pyramid can help you
communicate in a quick and easy manner.
 Goal: Use the Pyramid Principle framework to structure an email that you recently
sent to a colleague (longer than two paragraphs)
 Logistics: This is an individual exercise to be completed as soon as possible
 Estimated time: 10 minutes
Identify an email that you sent to a colleague in the last week which covered a
substantial amount of information (i.e., longer than two paragraphs). Take 10 minutes to
re-write your email using the Pyramid Principle worksheet to structure your email in a
more compelling way.
Questions to consider:
 What is your governing
thought (which you lead
with)?
 What are your few
supporting arguments
below the governing
thought?
 What is your call to
action (which you close
with)?
Structure your argument – Try it now
Instructions
Section 4 – Structure your argument

3. McKinsey & Company 3
To: Entire company
From: Leader
Subject: Modest revision to pricing structure
All: I hope everyone had a great weekend and that you’re ready to
go on this Monday morning! I wanted to let you know about a small
change to our pricing structure. We have given the topic careful
consideration and the change will take effect immediately. Please
keep this in mind as you communicate to our clients and vendors.
Beginning immediately, the usual 5% discount only applies to orders
of $150K and over; all orders under $150K will be charged at full
price. Orders over $500K will be eligible for a 10% discount, but this
is subject to review by me, or, in my absence, Stephanie. There are
a few other minor details that we are ironing out, and I will schedule
a meeting for the middle of next month to discuss. In the meantime,
contact any of us with questions.
Thanks, and have a great week!
To: Entire company
From: Leader
Subject: [Important] Client implications for new pricing structure
All - I hope everyone had a great weekend.
I want to share a change taking effect immediately on our pricing structure that will
affect how you communicate to our clients and vendors.
There are 2 major changes to be aware of:
• Our small-medium clients have a new threshold for a 5% discount
- The usual 5% discount will only apply to orders of $150K and over
- All orders under $150K will be charged at full price
• Our large clients may be eligible for a more favorable discount
• Orders over $500K may be eligible for a 10% discount
• The 10% discount is subject to review by me, or in my absence, Stephanie
We will loop back with more details, and I will schedule a meeting for the middle of
next month to discuss. In the meantime, contact any of us with questions.
Thanks and have a great week!
This email does not follow a structured approach. There is no “so what”
to support the key facts that are listed. The governing thought is
unclear and leaves the reader with a limited sense of implications.
Example of a common unstructured email Example of a well structured email
Pyramid Principle for emails
Illustrative example
Section 4 – Structure your argument

4. McKinsey & Company 4
Supporting data
 All data is relevant, sufficient, and fact-based
 Says enough about implications to enable decision
making
 Items in each set are MECE
Key line statements
 Underpins the governing thought with no gaps, no
overlaps (MECE)
 Each point synthesizes the points beneath it
 Points are at the same level of abstraction and in a
logical order
 In a grouping, ideas are of the same logical kind
(e.g., reasons, causes, steps, parts)
Governing thought
 Answers the central question, providing direction for
a decision or action
 Makes an overarching point that is a synthesis, not
a summary
 Is stated powerfully in short, sharp, plain language
COURSE CONTENT REFRESHER
Pyramid Principle worksheet
Worksheet
Section 4 – Structure your argument
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here…
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here…
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here…
Enter text
here…
Enter text
here…

5. McKinsey & Company 5
Governing thought: The one-sentence
answer or solution to a problem
Key line statements: The why and
how to implement the solution
Supporting data: The supporting
evidence
What should the pyramid contain?
 A single governing thought which is the key takeaway the audience must hear during
the first 2 minutes of your communication event
 3-5 key line statements that act as the underlying arguments that support the
governing thought
 3-5 supporting facts per key line statement which build the foundation of your pyramid
and support both the key line statements and the governing thought
How to get started with building your pyramid
Step 1: Begin by reviewing the facts you have collected and create logical fact groupings
Step 2: Strive to create groupings that have no gaps or overlaps. That is, they are
 Mutually exclusive: The groups address unique issues with no overlap
 Collectively exhaustive: As a set, the groups represent the spectrum of issues at play,
leaving no gaps
Step 3: Write a key line statement to synthesize each logical fact grouping
Step 4: Write a governing thought to synthesize the key line statements
COURSE CONTENT REFRESHER
Pyramid Principle
Framework
Section 4 – Structure your argument

6. McKinsey & Company 6
Building a pyramid top
down answers how,
what, or why
Building a pyramid
bottom up answers
“so what”
Groupings should follow a logical order, have no
gaps or overlaps, and synthesize the level below
COURSE CONTENT REFRESHER
Pyramid Principle diagram
Framework
Section 4 – Structure your argument