Minto Pyramid Flashcards
what is the method of grouping ideas together?
- ideas at any level in the pyramid must alway be the summaries of the ideas grouped below hem
- ideas in each grouping must always be the same kind of idea
- ideas in each grouping must always be logical ordered.
How to logically determine the proper oder of ideas?
4 ways, in alignment of your analytical process
- deductively (major premise, minor premise, conclusion) when you reason deductively
- chronologically (1st, 2nd, 3rd..) to work out cause-and-effect relationship with a time order
- structurally (Boston, NYC, DC) to comment on an existing structure
- Comparatively (first most important, second most important) in order of important
How to build a minto pyramid?
the writing should have an introductory flow, starting with situation, complication, then questions. this part set the right background and trigger interests of audience.
for part of answers:
vertical: through the question/answer dialogue
horizontal: inductive or deductive sequence to arrange the points
What do we need to watch out when we write the “situation”?
we need to write non-controversial things in the situation that the audience will not question and accept as fact.
what is the next step after we identify the situation?
we need to develop “so what?”, in other words, develop the complication - what happened in the situation to trigger the following question. the complication should immediately raise the question. if it doesn’t, change it to the one it does raise. either you have wrong complication or wrong question.
what are the steps of top-down approach to build a pyramid?
- what subject are we discussing?
- what questions to answer?
- what is the answer?
- what is the situation?
- what is the complication?
- what new questions are rated by the answer?
- will you answer it deductively or inductively?
what are the steps of bottom-up approach to build a pyramid?
- list all the points (problems and solutions)
- work out the relationship between each point
- draw conclusion
what to watch about an introduction section?
- length
depending on the context and the needs, no more than 2 paragraph in general. it should get the read to the same page as you are. - it’s to remind, not to inform, so it should not use exhibit to prove
- it should always include situation, complication and solution. don’t have to be in the same narrative order all the time. in longer document, it should also include “what to expect next?”
what to watch about the pivotal question in the document?
the pivot on which the document depends on is the beginning question, of which there is always only one to the document. if there are two, they should be related. i.e. “should we do xxx?” “ then “how shall we do it?”
when to use deductive order at writing?
when audience has no prior knowledge and have to be taken through the reasoning process, deductive order is okay. but in most cases, even the thinking process is in deductive but the writing can follow inductive order. and in each part of deductive argument should have less than 4 points to be digestible.
Grouping a few pieces of “news” instead of thinking is a watch out when we write inductively. can you explain what is the listing of “news”?
it means that a few unrelated facts are listed under a grouping but there is no logic or similarity between these facts and they cannot be summarized to support the above grouping idea, in other words, the grouping idea cannot be inferred from these listed facts.
this statement has cause-and-effect error (by mixing causes and effects), how to revise it?
The traditional focus of investment evaluation-comparing future returns and probable costs
1. 1s often technically unsound
2. Rests on simplistic concepts
3. Results in misleading prescriptions
The traditional focus of investment evaluation results in misleading prescriptions:
- It rests on simplistic concepts
- It is often technically unsound
so the revision moves the effect up to the top statement and then list two causes.
However, to go from the first grouping to the second, you will have had to visualize the process that served as the source of the grouping. “Establish a suitable concept” –> “Develop a technique based
on the concept” –> “Apply the technique”.
You can now see that the author makes a comment on the first and second steps in the process, but not on the third. maybe he forgot. But you as the person checking the thinking would know to ask, “Is there anything wrong with the way they apply the technique?”because you would have traced the thinking back to its source.
What types of logical orders?
typically three: time order (for processes), structural order (MECE), degree order.
This statement is unclear about purpose. any better way to organize the think?
The objectives for the assignment, as we understand them, are:
1. To review and analyze field operations in maintenance and construction areas
2. To determine if adequate organizational and managerial flexibility exists to allow
field engineers to properly respond to day-to-day operating problems and demands from the public
3. To review and analyze the areas of preliminary engineering, road and bridge design, environmental process, right-of-way acquisition and traffic management
4. To review and analyze the organization structure of the Department
5. To identify the strengths and weaknesses within each study area
First, we summary the key activities here.
1. Maintenance Construction
2. Day-to-day operations
3. Preliminary engineering Road and bridge design
Environmental process Right-of-way acquisition
Traffic management
4. Organization structure
it seems like a process of roadbuilding: design –> construct –> operate –> maintain
so, we can change it to be “Determine whether the Department is properly organized and managed to
carry out its activities, of which there are four.”
to enable you to see flaws of arguments especially the ones have complexities under it, you have to impose a structure on top of the points and simplify it into a clear structure in your head, then you can see what is missing or what is misstated.
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