Delivering to the Client
The best analysis is worthless if the client cannot follow your reasoning or act on it. Delivering to the client means presenting your findings and recommendations in a way that a busy decision-maker can absorb quickly and trust. The Minto Pyramid Principle, developed by Barbara Minto at McKinsey, captures the core idea: start with your main conclusion, then support it with a small number of logically grouped arguments, each backed by data. This is the opposite of how most people naturally present, walking the client through the whole analysis before arriving at the answer. Clients want the destination first, and only then decide whether they need the supporting detail. Good delivery also means managing the conversation around the message: anticipating the client's questions and objections, being clear about assumptions and limitations, and checking that the recommendation is actually something the client can act on. As a Digital Business Engineer, this skill decides whether your advice gets adopted or filed away.
Starting Points
- Consultant's Mind – What is the Minto Pyramid Principle?
- Barbara Minto – The Pyramid Principle: Logic in Writing and Thinking (the original book)
Key Points
- You structure a recommendation using the Pyramid Principle: main message first, followed by grouped supporting arguments and data.
- You prepare a short executive summary that captures the core recommendation on its own.
- You anticipate likely questions or objections from the client and prepare a response.
- You adapt the level of detail and language to the audience you are presenting to.