Logical Thinking for Beginners: Build a Pyramid and Give Your Boss a 1-Minute Report

Learning & Education

Logical Thinking for Beginners: Build a Pyramid and Give Your Boss a 1-Minute Report

If your boss keeps asking "so what's your point?", this logical thinking practice template for beginners helps you rebuild a real report as a pyramid and a one-minute PREP script. Four boards: board 1 sets the aim, this week's report topic, and the remarks you hear most; board 2 builds a pyramid of one conclusion, three reasons, and examples from facts and numbers; board 3 asks "So What?" and "Why So?" to mark logic jumps and set the speaking order; board 4 writes the PREP script (point, reason, example, point) and picks where you will use it and which senior watches. The task board has four columns - gathering material, building it, checking with a senior, and used for real - with four parent tasks, one per board, and three subtasks each (16 tasks in all). For staff 1-3 years in, with a senior: following the board order lets even a first-timer try every step, from listing facts to a one-minute talk. A study group can co-edit it in a limited-visibility team.

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① Practice aim and this week's report... ② Remarks you hear and the situations ③ Agreements for the practice ④ Gather all the facts on the topic f... ⑤ State the conclusion in one sentenc... ⑥ Reason 1 (first support for the con... ⑦ Reason 2 (second support for the co... ⑧ Reason 3 (third support for the con... ⑨ Question the pyramid of ⑤ to ⑧ (mar... ⑩ Order the reasons to speak (importa... Important but weak evidence Important and strong evidence Neither important nor strong Strong evidence but less important ⑪ Write a one-minute PREP script in t... ⑫ Where you will use it next week and... ⑬ Show each other in a week Logical Thinking ... How to use (4 boa... Conclusion and wh... Agreements and de... Logic jumps and r... Reasons, examples... 1/4 Know your report ... Ctrl+F / ⌘F : 2/4... → 2/4 2/4 Build from the facts ↙ 3/4 Practice aime.g. Be able to state the conclusion in the first sentence of a report This week's report topice.g. Slow replies to customer inquiries, and how to fix them Who you report toe.g. Team leader (report at the weekly Friday meeting) What you were told How you spoke at ... What you should h... Progress report e.g. So, will it be done in time? e.g. I told everything in time order e.g. One line: it will be done by Friday Trouble report e.g. So what happened? e.g. I started with excuses e.g. What happened, and what is blocking me now Request or consul... e.g. What do you want me to do? e.g. I spent 3 minutes on background e.g. The request itself: please look at this Remark in a meeting e.g. So, are you for or against? e.g. I spoke in the order ideas came e.g. For or against, plus one reason Answer with questions, not blamee.g. Don't say "that's unclear"; ask "so what?" and "why so?" Keep to timee.g. One minute per talk, three minutes for questions What I saw or did Numbers What I heard (fro... Current situation e.g. Replies to inquiries now take until the next day or later e.g. Average reply time this month is 26 hours (8 hours last month) e.g. A customer said replies are slow (from Tanaka in sales) Clues to the cause e.g. The same questions keep coming in e.g. 5 common questions make up 60% of the total e.g. Replies stall waiting for answer checks (from Sato, a senior) Effect on others e.g. Other work keeps slipping e.g. Overtime is up 5 hours this week e.g. A customer is thinking of canceling (from Tanaka in sales) Conclusion (about 15 words)e.g. Sample answers for common questions will let us reply the same day What you want the listener to doe.g. Please let me spend 2 hours this week writing the sample answers e.g. The same questions are common, so sample answers let us reply in bulk Example: 5 common questions make up 60% (the number on ④) Example: The same questions keep coming in (what I saw on ④) Write each reason as one sentence that answers 'why?' e.g. Replies are late mainly because they stall waiting for answer checks Example: Stalled waiting for checks (Sato's remark on ④) Example: 26 hours on average, 8 last month (the number on ④) Don't repeat the same point as reason 1 e.g. If replies stay slow, customers may cancel Example: A customer is thinking of canceling (Tanaka's remark on ④) Example: Told 'replies are slow' (Tanaka's remark on ④) If you can't think of one, two is fine. Don't force it 3/4 Find the logic jumps → 4/4 4/4 Try it in one minute So What? Why So? Jump mark and how... Conclusion (⑤) e.g. Replies come back the same day and customer complaints drop e.g. Supported by reasons 1 to 3 (how firm each is, see the rows below) e.g. No jump Reason 1 (⑥) e.g. Sample answers let us reply fast to over half the questions e.g. There is a number: 60% e.g. No jump Reason 2 (⑦) e.g. With sample answers, less waiting for checks and faster replies e.g. No number shows it is the main cause e.g. Circle mark. Count the stalled checks and add the number Reason 3 (⑧) e.g. It is a reason to hurry e.g. Only one person, Tanaka, said so e.g. Circle mark. Ask a senior about other customers' feedback 縦軸: Importance to... e.g. Reason 3. Go back to ④ and add facts before speaking. If you can't, say it is still being checked. To dig into gaps and overlaps between reasons (MECE), use the MECE and Logic Tree board e.g. Reason 1. Speak about it first, with one number added e.g. An idea off the cuff. Don't use it in this report; just leave the sticky note e.g. Reason 2 (after adding the stalled-check count as fixed on ⑨). Add briefly at the end as a supplement, and answer in detail if asked P Point (about 10 sec)State it firste.g. Sample answers for common questions will let us reply the same day. R Reason (about 15 sec)The reason you put first on ⑩e.g. The same questions are common, so sample answers let us reply in bulk. E Example (about 25 sec)Facts and numbers from ④e.g. 60% of inquiries are repeats of 5 common questions. We answer the same question from scratch every time. P Point (about 10 sec)Close with your requeste.g. Please let me spend 2 hours this week writing the sample answers. Scene Day Senior to watch What to check 1st time e.g. Report at the Friday meeting e.g. This Friday e.g. Sato e.g. Did I state the conclusion in the first sentence? 2nd time e.g. Asking the leader in chat e.g. Next Tuesday e.g. Sato e.g. Is my request clear? 3rd time e.g. Progress report at the morning meeting e.g. Next Thursday e.g. Suzuki e.g. Did it fit in one minute? Day and placee.g. Friday next week, 6 p.m., 30 minutes on the study group's online call What to bringe.g. The script you used and one thing a senior told you What to fix nexte.g. Cut the examples down to one number to keep it short → 2/4 Build from the facts ↙ 3/4 Find the logic jumps → 4/4 Try it in one minute
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Task board contents

Gathering material 16 items

Know your habits
Build from facts
Find logic jumps
Try it in 1 minute
Write aim and topic
Note common remarks
Agree on the rules
List all facts
Write a conclusion
Add reasons
Ask So What?
Check with Why So?
Set speaking order
Write a PREP script
Pick where and who
Compare in a week

Building it 0 items

Checking with a senior 0 items

Used for real 0 items

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