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Summary: Minto Pyramid Principle
Review: I have organised a course given by Barbara for my direct reports at a major US computer company. The course reviews were all above 90%. From a selfish viewpoint, the major benefit was not having to plough through badly written memos, documents or presentations that failed to make any point clearly or concisely. From an organisational viewpoint, my staff learnt how to save huge amounts of time developing documents and presentations, which were also measurably more effective.
I have made this book a standard present to anyone I know who writes or makes presentations during the course of their lives. Minto'ised documents written by graduate and PhD students, lawyers, marketeers, sales-people, entrepreneurs, etc. are both shorter and much better at conveying their message. In the meanwhile, their authors save considerable time in getting to a final winning version.
Buy it, understand it and use it for future reference. The world belongs to people who can communicate their ideas effectively.
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Summary: Excellence in thinking methods
Review: I just cannot believe how on earth this book could have gone out of print, I mean, it isn't as if these skills were anything like common currency in the business world.This book should be compulsory reading for any manager, executive or aspiring entrepreneur - and anyone whose thinking of being a politician, a lawyer or a doctor. This book is simply the best thing I have across in a very long time. It encourages clean and clear thought, the considered arrangement of ideas, the balanced approach to dynamics and perspective and importance. I still can't get over the fact that this book is out of print, anyway. If you want a good, very good, primer on Logic in Writing and Thinking then Barbara Minto has something very special for you. regards, martyn_jones@iniciativas.com
Rating:
Summary: Superb
Review: I've been in consulting for over ten years and in that time have found few resources as powerful or useful in day to day business as the Minto Pyramid Principle. Its laughable to suggest that the "McKinsey mystique" is the driving force behind this book's sales or consultants' motivation for using it. The book succeeds on its merits, its value flows from the insights, techniques and practical advice it provides for improving your written communications. The fact is that while the Minto system does take some time and effort to learn, the rewards of using it are substantial. At $95, I consider this book a bargain and only wish that I had discovered it earlier in my career.
Rating:
Summary: Superb
Review: I've been in consulting for over ten years and in that time have found few resources as powerful or useful in day to day business as the Minto Pyramid Principle. Its laughable to suggest that the "McKinsey mystique" is the driving force behind this book's sales or consultants' motivation for using it. The book succeeds on its merits, its value flows from the insights, techniques and practical advice it provides for improving your written communications. The fact is that while the Minto system does take some time and effort to learn, the rewards of using it are substantial. At $95, I consider this book a bargain and only wish that I had discovered it earlier in my career.
Rating: 
Summary: Misunderstood
Review: I've been in management consulting for four years have have met several consultants who swear by this book. Many firms purchase this book for their new consultants and incorporate it in their training. Unfortunately, I have not met a single consultant who has been able to accurately describe or apply the concepts in the book! Most consultants who swear by the Minto Principle are actually not applying it, but rather applying a simplified (mis)-interpretation of the Principle. Also, even professional communication experts that my consulting firm employed could not apply the Principle in their training program in a consistent and logical fashion. I agree with the reader from Hong Kong. The Minto Principle is extremely hard to learn, which I think lessens its value to the average reader. This is not to say that it does not work. However, I think you would be better off simply using the principles of good writing you should have learned in school. (Contrary to what some consulting partners want to believe, there is nothing intrinsically special about business writing that requires new skills.) The book has gotten a lot of mileage out of the McKinsey mystique (it must be good because it was written by a former McKinsey consultant and is used by McKinsey). Many consultants expound the Minto Principle to make themselves seem superior (i.e. they are using a McKinsey concept). Save your money. The book is not worth anywhere near its $95 price. At best, it's a $11.95 paperback.
Rating:
Summary: Getting to the heart of the matter
Review: I've used this book again and again and it never fails to yield up some new insight. It's simply the best book in its field. It's particularly good, of course, on structure; it gives you a way in to virtually every business communication. It has a very stringent rationale and fairly tough samples to go with it. Toward the end it mentions 'images' - I'd like this aspect of business writing to be dealt with in far greater depth. I haven't yet seen the 1996 edition, but I'll try to get a copy.
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Summary: this book will make you a better writer and communicator
Review: If you don't feel confident about communicating through writing (ex. writing an essay) then this book is for you. It is not about improving your style. But it teaches you how to rearrange the ideas you want to present to the reader into a direct and effective form. It improved my writing tremendously. If you think about the ideas presented in the book, they make a lot of sense. They are all after one goal: make it easier for the reader to get your point. The reader will appreciate it! I hadn't written any formal essays since highschool about 10 years. (I am an engineer so go figure!) When I was applying to B-schools a friend who works in consulting recommended this book when he saw me struggling with the essays. The book was not available at amazon. I contacted Barbara, the author, and she was kind to send me the book. She was also very responsive when I had questions on the subject material! Although i struggled with the book because it uses some pretty technical examples from consulting, I was able to transform my essay writing style. And if I get into the B-schools I applied to (top 5), then I owe it to this book, because I believe my weakest point in the application process was writing the essays. I like the part where she talks about the psychology of the reader and how the writer has a responsibility to make the writing as easy as possible for the reader. The parts I found especially useful in my case: arranging ideas in a pyramid, the idea of heirarchy (called induction), causation (deduction), and using titles and subtitles. Oh! and there is a chapter about how to write an effective introduction that I really liked. I was frustrated reading some parts because I didn't understand the examples. But hey! the book is targeted for consultants. But I am certain a person who is not exposed to consulting can benefit from this book. After reading the book once and fast (because I gave myself only 2 days to get done with it and start writing my essays) I understood about a quarter of it well. But that was enough for what I wanted to do. All in all, I feel that after reading this book I am now equipped with skills that make me a better and more confident writer.
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Summary: As basic as ten commandments, and as hard to follow as them
Review: In my professional life in consulting, I have read two or three books as basic and fundamental as this. Unfortunately, just because the Minto system is so basic and logical, it does not allow for being vague, for fudging statements and being political -- inevitable factors of any project I have seen. It calls for being explicit and transparent. A few individuals can afford that, and those are usually not senior managers. Minto's system is an ideal to apire to but never to achieve. Everyone should read this book if they want to understand what it's all about, but I am sorry to say we may never see it used properly in business life.
Rating:
Summary: An Excellent Guide on how to Think
Review: Ms Minto teachs you how to orginize and sharpen your thoughts,step by step.She also demonstrates how to convert a poorly written memo into a great one by showing many examples. I am sure that I will refer to this book many times, until I can practice what she presents in this excellent book.
Rating: 
Summary: It's your choice; build a rubble pile or a pyramid...
Review: Ms. Minto's book is a classic example of a gem in the rough. Yes, it isn't visually impressive, and yes it is well worth using. Note that I said using, not reading. You won't realize the value of the methods Ms. Minto presents if you don't try them out; repeatedly. My suggestion? Go to the chapters that contain examples first, and read them thoroughly. Then find a short report or memo you find particularly opaque, and read the book cover to cover, occasionally referring to your example. Finally, go back to those sections of The Pyramid Principle that apply to the example you found and start re-working it per Ms. Minto's methods. When you're done, do it again, with another piece. Then re-read the book at least once a year. It's worth it. Anyone can build a jumbled pile of stones. It takes time and practice to build an orderly structure that will stand on its own merits. The Pyramid Principle will help you become a verbal architect. I think it is well worth using!
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