Inverted Pyramid Style

Journalists write news articles according to what’s called the “inverted pyramid” style, where the lead paragraph contains all the key information readers must know. Because every paragraph after that fills in the details in decreasing order of importance, the summary is the first paragraph, not the last.

The inverted pyramid gets you the key takeaway no matter your attention span, because you get the main point in seconds. It also makes it faster to edit the article to be shorter. You just delete paragraphs in order from the bottom up.

Here’s the iconic Nielsen Norman Group’s take on inverted pyramid.

The inverted pyramid also works extremely well in exhibitions, and not just for writing: it applies to how we lay out entire shows.

Like journalists, we organize experiences according to the variable attention span of our audience. We want them to get the message, regardless of whether they are streakers, strollers, or scholars. We make sure the key content is clear from the start, so no matter how much time a visitor has, they leave with the main takeaway.

Here’s the thing:
This is usually where the summary goes in an MtM article.

But you already got the summary, because this article was written in inverted pyramid style.

Warmly,
Jonathan

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MtM Word of the Day:
Inverted pyramid. A writing style where information is presented in descending order of importance, with the most critical details at the top (the lead) and supporting details following. Also works well in exhibition writing, and even for organizing whole exhibitions.