Recently, I read a book called The Pyramid Principle. After finishing it, I realized I have a communication habit worth changing.
When I explain something, I often follow the order in which I learned it: what happened first, what happened next, then a detail suddenly comes to mind and I circle back to add it.
It feels complete to me. But after listening for a while, the other person may still ask: “So what exactly are you trying to say?”
How can we make ourselves easier to understand?
My biggest takeaway from The Pyramid Principle is this: answer the question the other person cares about most first, then explain the key points supporting that answer, one layer at a time, following their likely questions.
How do you do that?
There are three moves: align on the question and identify your main point; find the key points that support it; then arrange them in a clear order.
Align on the question and identify your main point
Let’s practice with a situation many people care about: asking your boss for a raise.
Suppose you work in operations. When you joined, you mainly handled copywriting and campaign execution. Over the past six months, you have begun managing projects independently and mentoring newer colleagues. You think it is time to discuss a salary adjustment.
But when you sit down with your boss, you might say something like:
“I’ve been with the company for two years now, and I’ve been pretty busy lately. When that last campaign ran into a last-minute issue, I stayed on it until the end. I’m also mentoring the new hires now. My living expenses have gone up too, and you said before that I was performing well, so I was wondering whether my salary could be adjusted…”
This communicates how you feel and mentions some of your work. But it does not answer your boss’s questions: Why should you receive a raise? And how much are you asking for?
Let’s use a pyramid structure to reorganize it.
The first move is to identify the main point. What is the core message here?
I think it is to state the decision you want your boss to make, then briefly explain the basis for your request.
For example:
“Starting next quarter, I’d like to adjust my monthly salary from RMB 15,000 to RMB 18,000 and have my compensation reassessed based on the responsibilities I now carry and the results I’ve delivered.”
This makes the subject of the conversation clear: you are requesting a salary adjustment, you have stated the level you are seeking, and you have explained what you intend to base the discussion on.
Would naming a number directly feel too abrupt?
There is a difference between “Could my salary be adjusted?” and “I’d like my salary to be adjusted to RMB 18,000 starting next quarter.” Only when you state your expectation clearly do both sides have a concrete proposal to discuss and evaluate.
You can first spend a few sentences establishing the work changes you both already know about, then make the request.
For example:
“When I joined, I mainly handled copywriting and campaign execution. Over the past six months, I’ve started managing projects independently, but my compensation has not yet been reassessed to reflect those expanded responsibilities. I’d like to discuss adjusting my monthly salary from RMB 15,000 to RMB 18,000 starting next quarter, based on my current responsibilities and results.”
This follows the book’s approach: use context and tension to raise the other person’s question, then offer your main point. The tension here is that your responsibilities have changed but your compensation has not. That naturally raises the question of whether you should receive a raise—and leads to your request to move from RMB 15,000 to RMB 18,000 next quarter.
Organize the key points
Once the core message is clear, the second move is to organize the key points that support it.
First, turn your work experience into a few evaluable claims, then prepare evidence for each one.
In this example, you could make your case from three angles: how your responsibilities have changed, what results you have delivered, and what supports the amount you are requesting.
Written as complete claims, they are:
- I have moved from executing individual tasks to independently owning projects.
- I have delivered verifiable results in these expanded responsibilities.
- The amount I am requesting is supported by the salary range for comparable roles.
Together, these three points support your raise request. Let’s look at how to develop each one.
First, how do you show that your responsibilities have genuinely changed?
Compare what you handled before with what you handle now, and show which responsibilities have been added.
For instance, in the past, someone else set the campaign plan while you wrote copy and followed through on execution. Now, you create the plan yourself, coordinate with design and sales, manage the timeline, and take responsibility for delivery. You have also begun mentoring new colleagues and reviewing their work. Together, these changes show that your scope of responsibility has expanded.
So instead of saying, “I’ve been doing a lot lately,” you can summarize it as: “I’ve moved from campaign execution to independently owning projects, while also taking on responsibility for mentoring new team members.”
How do you demonstrate results for the second point?
We need to move beyond “what I did” and explain “what result it produced.”
In this hypothetical example, the three campaigns you managed independently all launched on schedule and met their agreed registration targets. You also standardized how campaign data was organized, cutting preparation time for post-campaign reviews from two days to half a day.
Now you have two types of verifiable results: projects met their agreed goals, and the workflow became more efficient.
Once the first two points are clear, how do you explain why you are asking for RMB 18,000?
You need a reference point that makes the number understandable. To complete this example, let’s assume you have confirmed with HR that the salary range for a role matching your current responsibilities is RMB 17,000 to RMB 20,000 per month.
Then you could say:
“The RMB 18,000 I’m requesting falls within the confirmed salary range for the corresponding role. I hope my compensation can be evaluated against that standard, taking into account my actual responsibilities and results over the past six months.”
That connects the number to the responsibilities and results you have already laid out.
What if you do not know the company’s salary range?
State your target amount and the evidence you do have, then ask what evaluation criteria the company uses. Do not treat a number you have guessed as an already confirmed standard.
Sequence your explanation
Now that the structure is in place, the third move is deciding the order in which to present it when you actually speak with your boss.
Start with an introduction, summarize the main grounds for your request, then expand on them one at a time. Finish one area before moving to the next.
For example, a complete opening could be:
“I’d like to discuss a salary adjustment. Over the past six months, I’ve moved from campaign execution to independently managing projects, and I’d like to adjust my monthly salary from RMB 15,000 to RMB 18,000 starting next quarter.
“I’d appreciate it if you could evaluate this based on three areas: the responsibilities I now carry, the project results I’ve delivered, and the salary range for comparable roles.”
After those few sentences, the other person knows what you want to discuss and how you plan to support your case.
How do you connect those three areas naturally?
Start with responsibilities:
“In terms of responsibilities, I now own complete project plans, cross-functional coordination, and delivery, and I have also begun mentoring new colleagues. These have been ongoing responsibilities over the past six months.”
Then move to results:
“How have I performed in those responsibilities? The three most recent campaigns all launched on schedule and met their agreed registration targets. I also improved the data-organizing process, reducing preparation time for post-campaign reviews from two days to half a day.”
Finally, move to the number:
“Why am I requesting RMB 18,000? Based on the salary range for the corresponding role that I confirmed with HR, this amount falls within the range. I hope you can assess this adjustment in light of my responsibilities and results.”
Each section answers one specific question: What responsibilities have you taken on? How well have you performed? What is the basis for the amount you are requesting?
Why does this make it easier for the other person to evaluate?
Because you first state your request and the factors needed to assess it, then place the evidence under the relevant heading. If they want to verify the results, they can discuss the results directly. If they believe your responsibilities do not yet meet the requirements of the role, they can identify exactly where they disagree. That gives both of you a way to continue the conversation around specific issues.
Clear communication cannot guarantee that your raise will be approved, but it can help you identify the real question.
When you organize what you want to say into a pyramid structure that the other person can understand and evaluate, the conversation gains a clear thread.