YOUR LIFE DEPENDS ON THE RIGHT THINKING

ABSTRACT

The article reveals the features of thinking and describes of a “pyramid” that directly affects him. The rules of the pyramid and its principle are analyzed in detail. Various examples and arguments of the authors will help to find out how important it is to think correctly, and what influence images have on our thinking.

Keywords: features of our thinking, pyramid, images, “Golden Rules”.

Introduction

Is it difficult for you to perceive the information of the interlocutor? Or is it difficult for you to express your thoughts clearly and consistently? Then this article is a must-read.

I’ll try to make life easier for you and teach you the right way of thinking.

The goal of the article is to learn about the features of our thinking and learn how to correctly present and perceive information.

We’ll find out what a “pyramid” is and what is its principle? Let's look at the images and find out how important it is sometimes to imagine. And, of course, we’ll study the “golden rules of the pyramid” of Minto.

If you care about your thinking and are interested in how the brain works, then the article will be useful to you. I assure, you will not regret it when you read it and answer your questions together with me.

The main body

What’s a pyramid?

The features of our thinking are such that we are able to perceive any information as a group of ideas connected into one whole. When we analyze this information, our brain breaks it down into words, phrases, paragraphs, and then groups’ ideas again. And this grouping takes place according to the pyramid principle. Our brain starts from the top, that is, the main idea, then goes down to the bottom: explanations, arguments, details. This is how Barbara Minto describes our thinking in her book "The Principle of the Minto Pyramid".

Let's analyze Barbara's reasoning in more detail. Imagine when we listen to the news, read a books or talk to someone, we always want to understand the main thing as quickly as possible, what they want to tell us. After that, we easily perceive all the secondary information: proofs, explanations, examples.

It is important to know that when we perceive information, we build a mental pyramid and start from the top. Therefore, don’t be lazy and strain your brain, train it to think correctly. If you don’t sort out the information on the shelves, following the “pyramid”, then it will be difficult for you to understand your interlocutor. Chaotically constructed sentences will not allow us to immediately understand the main thing, so sometimes it is not easy for us to perceive certain information, as a result of which our brain gets tired quickly.

Let's illustrate the above with an example:

Let's say your friend asks you if you are going on a trip, because you have a vacation soon? Obviously, he is primarily concerned about the answer to the question – “yes” or “no”, and only then plans, desires, explanations, etc.

Example of a dialogue without a mental pyramid

Your reply to a friend: "I can't agree with my husband about our joint vacation. I've been so tired lately; I'd like to go on a trip to the islands. I planned to relax, sunbathe, and see various sights. And my husband insists that we stay at home and relax in a quiet family circle, on the couch, watching TV. But I continue to insist on my own".

Has your friend received an answer to his question? I think he was expecting a slightly different answer.

Example of a dialogue in the form of a mental pyramid

In your answer to a friend, you should start with the main thing, let's say: "We're going on vacation, but we haven't decided on a place yet. I would like to take a break from the daily routine on the islands, where the sun, the beach and the ocean. And the husband doesn't really want to get out of the house. But he understands that we need a reboot, so we are slowly looking for an interesting place".

In the second option, the friend immediately heard the answer to his question, and then additional information on the situation.

The conclusion is that your task is to take care of the interlocutor / reader and save him from unnecessary efforts.

The pyramid principle

In general, all the information that is stored in our head is a network of interconnected pyramids. We instinctively group any information in our head according to the pyramid principle.

For example, you need to buy groceries. Try to remember this list: buckwheat, kefir, apples, sour cream, cheese, pasta, pears, bananas, cottage cheese.

It's not easy, is it?

And now let's try to correlate all products with three generalizing categories:

Products:

1. Grocery – buckwheat, pasta.

2. Dairy products – kefir, sour cream, cheese, cottage cheese.

3. Fruits – apples, pears, bananas.

Isn't it much easier to remember the list now? So what's the problem, always stick to such groupings, and life will become much easier.

Deal with imagination

  I'm sure you've heard about images and for sure many of you use images to memorize certain information. This is true, because our thinking is based directly on images. With the help of an image, you can combine a large number of facts into a single structure. It is the images that help to understand and remember the information read.

Here's a note for you! When you write, mentally imagine what exactly you want to convey, and then verbally describe this image as accurately as possible. Then the person reading your message, in any case, will be able to recreate it in his imagination.

And again we return to a detailed analysis of the above, or rather to examples. Did you know that you can express the same thought “in order to feel good, we need to replenish our energy reserves” in two ways?

So:

“In order to feel good, you should not forget about rest, go to bed on time, take breaks during the working day, and rest on weekends. Otherwise, you will have little strength and you will get tired”.

Or so:

“We, like batteries, need energy. To feel good, you need to recharge in time. Charging methods are simple: good sleep, regular switching and proper rest”.

Well, how do you like it? Which message is easier to understand and remember?

Barbara Minto argues about another feature of our perception. It turns out that our brain cannot remember more than 7 subjects ± 2 at a time, so in this case we need to remember about the images. After all, it is the images that help to remember more information. It's no coincidence that good authors use them all the time.

Minto pyramid rules

The “Golden Rules” of the Barbara Minto pyramid will help you express your thoughts correctly and consistently.

The three “Golden Rules” of the pyramid:

1. Ideas of any level should summarize the ideas grouped below. When we think, we generalize all the time to get to the main point.

2. The ideas of each group should be logically interrelated. In order for you to summarize the ideas of one level, you first need to select the ideas correctly. All of them should correspond to certain categories.

For example, you can combine pears, apples, bananas into the “fruit” category. But you will not be able to combine pears, jeans and a stool into one category. Thus, when selecting ideas for your pyramid, you are already pre-sorting them.

3. The ideas of each group should be presented in a logical sequence. There are four kinds of logical chains available to our thinking. Let's list them:

– deductive (main idea, secondary idea, conclusion);

– chronological (yesterday, today, tomorrow);

– structural (pear, apple, banana);

– comparative (dad, mom, kids, cat).

Conclusion

In conclusion, I would like to say that our goal has been fulfilled, we have learned about the peculiarities of our thinking, and I hope we have learned and understood how to correctly present and perceive information. I understand this is not an easy process, but we have taken the first step and are now on the right track. I hope you have received answers to your questions from our detailed analyses and various examples.

Remember that our brain is unique. And our thinking is able to perceive any information by grouping it. Do not forget about the “pyramid”, first we highlight the main idea, and then we move on to the details.

All the information that is stored in our head is interconnected; the main thing is to give it the right sequence.

Imagine! Try to use vivid images more, because they help you understand and remember the information you need. And in no case overload your speech, because your listener or reader can perceive 7 ± 2 units of information at a time.

Apply the “Golden Rules” of the pyramid. And then it will not only be easier for you to express your thoughts, but it will also be easier for you to perceive the thoughts of the interlocutor.

References:

1. Minto Barbara. The Pyramid Principle: Logic in Writing and Thinking / Barbara Minto. – New Jersey: Prentice Hall; 3rd edition, 2010. – 177 p.
2. Rutherford Albert. Elements of Critical Thinking: A Fundamental Guide to Effective Decision Making, Deep Analysis, Intelligent Reasoning, and Independent Thinking / Albert Rutherford. – London: ARB Publication; 1st edition, 2018. – 278 p.