The Pyramid Principle is a method for doing convincing presentations that always starts with the answer. It was created by Barbara Minto and makes a lot of content easy to digest. I created a simple powerpoint template based on the Pyramid Principle with some example content taken from the famous Steve Jobs MacWorld 2007 presentation of the first iPhone. Use the template as a starting point to create your own convincing presentations and let me know if you like it. Appreciate if you give me some kind of credit if you use it. Thanks! Created by Oskar Glauser, Glauser Creative. Glauser Creative helps startups, businesses and global companies to innovate using design, strategy and technology. https://glauser.com

1. Date
Your answer:
"iPhone: A revolutionary touch
screen smart phone"
Supporting argument or the question for the answer "What kind of
product can Apple create that is truly revolutionary?"
To communicate in a structured way, you should start with the answer that you propose first. This "top-
down" structure is counter-intuitive for many of us. But it's a way of maximizing your time with the audience
as well as stopping any wandering alternative answers based on your arguments. It's also a very effective
way of being more persuasive by being more direct. In this fictive example I have simulated an internal
presentation of the first iPhone based on how it was presented by Steve Jobs in 2007. glauser.com

2. The three main arguments
for your answer
This presents your three (always use three) main arguments for your answer. Under each argument there
will be three supporting ideas that belongs together. This form a pyramid of of ideas with the top answer
being a summary of all the ideas below it and so on. Creating the so called Pyramid Principle.
Argument #1 Argument #2 Argument #3
It's a widescreen iPod
with touch controls
It's a revolutionary
mobile phone
It's a breakthrough
internet communication
device
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3. Argument #1 "It's a widescreen iPod with touch
controls"
There are different ways of logically ordering supporting ideas. You can do it by Time order (a sequence of
events that form a cause-effect relationship), Structural order (break a singular thought into parts) or Degree
order (rank of importance) for example. Here the examples are structural supporting arguments. Remember
that these supporting ideas needs to strenghten the argument above.
Supporting idea #1.A "It's like having a thousand songs in
your pocket"
Supporting idea #1.B "It's the ultimate portable video device"
Supporting idea #1.C "Touch controls enables the best UI on
the market"
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4. Argument #1 "It's a widescreen iPod with touch controls"
Supporting idea #1.A "It's like having a thousand songs in your
pocket"
For every supporting idea you can have three (or more but try to keep it short) supporting ideas for the
supporting idea to really make it convincing. These needs to make the case for the idea even stronger.
• Supporting idea #1.AA "Listen to music everywhere
you go"
• Supporting idea #1.AB "No clumsy big CD player"
• Supporting idea #1.AC "Store all the music you love
on one device"
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5. Argument #1 "It's a widescreen iPod with touch controls"
Supporting idea #1.B "It's the ultimate portable video device"
Every supporting idea should be really tight and convincing.
• Supporting idea #1.BA "The widescreen is perfect for
watching full screen HD video"
• Supporting idea #1.BB "Store your favourite movies
or TV-shows and watch on the go"
• Supporting idea #1.BC "Stream video anywhere
using your Internet connection"
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6. Argument #1 "It's a widescreen iPod with touch controls"
Supporting idea #1.C "Touch controls enables the best UI on the market"
You get the point so I won't add more of these screens.
• Supporting idea #1.CA "Quickly change songs, scrub
music and search for your favourites"
• Supporting idea #1.CB "Pinch to zoom, swipe and
scroll using your fingers"
• Supporting idea #1.CC "A software keyboard
enables easy typing while still having a full screen
smartphone"
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7. Argument #2 "It's a revolutionary mobile phone"
Take these examples with a grain of salt as they are just picked from the original Steve Jobs MacWorld
Keynote of the original iPhone launch.
Supporting idea #2.A "It has a revolutionary user interface"
Supporting idea #2.B "It has desktop class software"
Supporting idea #2.C "It syncs with your Mac"
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8. Argument #3 "It's a breakthrough internet
communication device"
Every supporting idea should be strong enough to stand on its own. If one of them feels weak try to find
another one or at least another way of presenting it.
Supporting idea #3.A "It has high resolution screen"
Supporting idea #3.B "It has a great full screen web browser"
Supporting idea #3.C "It has the best email software"
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9. End by summarizing:
"iPhone: A revolutionary touch
screen smart phone"
By this time there shouldn't really be much left to question when it comes to your answer. It's so obvious that
there can't be any other outcome of all these supporting ideas than what you just presented.
Argument #1 Argument #2 Argument #3
It's a widescreen iPod
with touch controls
It's a revolutionary
mobile phone
It's a breakthrough
internet communication
device
glauser.com

10. The Pyramid Principle Presentation
The summary. This almost look like a pyramid.
The answer
Argument #1
Idea A
Idea AA
Idea AB
Idea AC
Idea B
Idea BA
Idea BB
Idea BC
Idea C
Idea CA
Idea CB
Idea CC
Argument #2 Argument #3
Idea A
Idea AA
Idea AB
Idea AC
Idea B
Idea BA
Idea BB
Idea BC
Idea C
Idea CA
Idea CB
Idea CC
Idea A
Idea AA
Idea AB
Idea AC
Idea B
Idea BA
Idea BB
Idea BC
Idea C
Idea CA
Idea CB
Idea CC
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