Category 07 · 10 frameworks
Communication & Writing
Structures and principles for getting your point across clearly, quickly and in a form people remember.
01
Pyramid Principle
Barbara Minto, developed at McKinsey & Company; book The Pyramid Principle A way of structuring documents and arguments with the main conclusion first, supported by grouped arguments, each supported by evidence. 02SCQA
Barbara Minto; part of The Pyramid Principle An opening structure of Situation, Complication, Question and Answer that frames why your message matters before you deliver it. 03BLUF (Bottom Line Up Front)
No single originator; a long-standing convention in US military writing A writing rule that puts the conclusion, request or decision in the first line, followed by only the background needed. 04Rule of Three
No single originator; a principle of classical rhetoric used since antiquity Grouping ideas in threes makes them easier to follow and remember than longer lists. 05Monroe's Motivated Sequence
Alan H. Monroe, Purdue University, developed in the 1930s A five-step speech structure designed to move an audience to action: Attention, Need, Satisfaction, Visualisation and Action. 06STAR
No single confirmed originator; widely used in behavioural interviewing and competency-based assessment A structure for telling a concise example story: Situation, Task, Action and Result. 07PREP
No single confirmed originator; a common public-speaking and training structure A quick structure for making a point: Point, Reason, Example, Point. 08SUCCESs Checklist
Chip Heath and Dan Heath; book Made to Stick (2007) Six qualities that make ideas memorable: Simple, Unexpected, Concrete, Credible, Emotional and Stories. 09Plain English
Plain English Campaign, founded in the UK in 1979 by Chrissie Maher; the principles also appear in many government style guides A set of writing principles that favour short sentences, everyday words and active verbs so readers understand on first reading. 10What? So What? Now What?
Gary Rolfe, Dawn Freshwater and Melanie Jasper (2001), building on earlier work by Terry Borton (1970) A three-question reflective model that moves from describing events to interpreting them to deciding what to do next.Not sure where to start?
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