zcbot/skills/ppt/references/modes/pyramid.md

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Mode: pyramid

Conclusion-first argumentation. State the answer, then support it with mutually-exclusive, collectively-exhaustive evidence — every claim earns its place, every number carries a comparison. For audiences who want the result before the process: executives, boards, investors, decision-makers.


1. Narrative skeleton

Conclusion first: the page title is the conclusion, not a label. The body develops the supporting arguments beneath it.

SCQA opening, pyramid body:

Stage Role Where
Situation establish shared context cover / first 1-2 pages
Complication the tension / problem early pages
Question the implicit question to resolve transition
Answer the recommendation, developed MECE all body pages

Assertion titles — write the finding, not the topic:

Weak (topic) Strong (assertion)
"Market Overview" "Domestic market grows 23% YoY, outpacing the global average"
"Challenges" "Three structural contradictions block scaled deployment"
"Our Solution" "Three-phase path: Focus, Expand, Scale"

Data never stands alone — every figure pairs with a comparison (prior period / benchmark / competitor / target / rank) and a "so what". A bare number is an incomplete thought in this mode.

MECE — when decomposing (drivers, segments, options), branches are mutually exclusive and collectively exhaustive; parts sum to the whole (or label "Other").


2. Page-structure tendencies

  • Title (the conclusion) → one-line takeaway → supporting evidence beneath.
  • Each body page answers one question and states its own one-sentence conclusion.
  • Decomposition pages (driver tree / MECE breakdown / 2×2 matrix) carry the analytical load.
  • Source attribution on every data page.

Page structure is a tendency, not a coordinate template. Card / tree / chart / KPI geometry lives in templates/charts/ — adapt those skeletons, do not reinvent. This mode decides what argument each page makes, not pixel positions.


3. Speaker-notes register

Conclusion-driven: the first sentence of each page's notes is the takeaway, then 2-3 supporting facts in flowing prose. Composed, authoritative. Every number paired with its comparison in the same sentence ("23% — nearly double the industry's 12%"). Spell percentages as words where the spoken form reads more naturally. (Common framework: executor-base.md §8.)


4. Page skeleton example

Title:    "Retention, not acquisition, now drives growth"   ← the conclusion
Takeaway: one line — "CAC up 40% YoY, yet repurchase lifted 60% of revenue growth"
Body:     3 MECE arguments, each with one contextualized datum
Footer:   Source: … | page #