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Table of contents

Consulting firms like McKinsey, Bain, and BCG are notoriously secretive about both their clients and their slide decks.

Even so, there are a few publicly available McKinsey slides floating around the internet that can be fun to look at and get inspired by. For your convenience, we’ve rounded them up here and divided them into categories, along with short summaries of each deck.

But be warned: Many of the decks are older and for external purposes like presentations for industry conferences or extracts of McKinsey Global Institute reports. 

You can find similar lists of presentations for Bain here and BCG here .

If you want to see some recent real-life consulting slides used with corporate clients, go to our templates to get specific full-length case examples related to each topic.

Full list of available presentations:

Client projects:

• McKinsey - Helping Global Health Partnerships to increase their impact: Stop TB Partnership (2009)
• McKinsey - USPS Future Business Model (2010)
• McKinsey - Capturing the full electricity efficiency potential of the U.K. (2012)
• McKinsey - Modelling the potential of digitally-enabled processes, transparency and participation in the NHS (2014)
• McKinsey - Refueling the innovation engine in vaccines (2016)
• McKinsey - Lebanon Economic Vision - Full Report (2018)

Industry reports/market overviews:

• McKinsey - The changed agenda in the global sourcing industry: perspectives and developments (2009)
• McKinsey - What Makes Private Sector Partnership Works: some learnings from the field (2011)
• McKinsey - The Internet of Things and Big Data: Opportunities for Value Creation (2013)
• McKinsey - Laying the foundations for a financially sound industry (2013)
• McKinsey - Manufacturing the Future: The Next Era of Global Growth and Innovation (2013)
• McKinsey - Insurance trends and growth opportunities for Poland (2015)
• McKinsey - Challenges in Mining: Scarcity or Opportunity? (2015)
• McKinsey - Restoring Economic Health to the North Sea (2015)
• McKinsey - How will Internet of Things, mobile internet, data analytics and cloud transform public services by 2030? (2015)
• McKinsey - Overview of M&A, 2016 (2016)
• McKinsey - Five keys to unlocking growth in marketing’s “new golden age” (2017)
• McKinsey - Using Artificial Intelligence to prevent healthcare errors from occurring (2017)
• McKinsey - Digital Luxury Experience (2017)
• McKinsey - Technology’s role in mineral criticality (2017)
• McKinsey - The future energy landscape: Global trends and a closer look at the Netherlands (2017)
• McKinsey - European Banking Summit 2018 (2018)
• McKinsey - Current perspectives on Medical Affairs in Japan (2018)
• McKinsey - Investment and Industrial Policy: A Perspective on the Future (2018)
• McKinsey - Moving Laggards to Early Adopters (Maybe even innovators) (2018)
• McKinsey - Digital and Innovation Strategies for the Infrastructure Industry (2018)
• McKinsey - The Future of the Finance Function –Experiences from the U.S. public sector (2019)
• McKinsey - New horizons in transportation: mobility, innovation, economic development and funding implications (2020)
• McKinsey - Accelerating hybrid cloud adoption in banking and securities (2020)
• McKinsey - COVID-19 - Auto & Mobility Consumer Insights (2020)
• McKinsey - Race in the workplace: The Black experience in the U.S. private sector (2021)
• McKinsey - The top trends in tech - executive summary download (2021)
• McKinsey - Women in the Workplace (2022)
• McKinsey - Global Hydrogen Flows: Hydrogen trade as a key enabler for efficient decarbonization (2022)
• McKinsey - McKinsey Technology Trends Outlook 2022 (2022)
• McKinsey - Global Economics Intelligence; Global Summary Report (2023)
• McKinsey - Fab automation - Artificial Intelligence (date unknown)

McKinsey Global Institute reports (McKinsey’s business and economics research arm):

• McKinsey - Context for Global Growth and Development (2014)
• McKinsey - Perspectives on manufacturing, disruptive technologies, and Industry 4.0 (2014)
• McKinsey - From poverty to empowerment: India’s imperative for jobs, growth and effective basic services (2014)
• McKinsey - Attracting Responsible Mining Investment in Fragile and Conflict Affected Settings (2014)
• McKinsey - A blueprint for addressing the global affordable housing challenge (2015)
• McKinsey - Jobs lost, jobs gained: Workforce transitions in a time of automation (2017)
• McKinsey - Reinventing Construction: A Route To Higher Productivity (2017)
• McKinsey - Outperformers: High-growth emerging economies and the companies that propel them (2018)

Miscellaneous projects:

• McKinsey - How companies can capture the veteran opportunity (2012)
• McKinsey - The Five Frames – A Guide to Transformational Change (date unknown)

Helping Global Health Partnerships to increase their impact: McKinsey (2009)

54 page pre-read deck for a board meeting during a longer project. Describes project overview, key findings from current phase, as well as next steps. Detailed and systematic walk-through. Good inspiration for : How to divide a project into relevant phases. Presenting detailed findings for different areas and summarizing these in suggested next steps for each area.

Download the presentation here.

USPS Future Business Model (2010)

39 page deck describing the recent context and base case going forward for USPS, as well as potential change levers and what is required to change course short term. Good inspiration for: Structuring a coherent strategy document with a clear storyline.

Capturing the full electricity efficiency potential of the U.K. (2012)

61 page main deck + 68 page appendix covering a full analysis and recommendations for becoming more energy efficient. Appears to have been prepared for the UK government. Excellent deck with many good slide designs and the full end-to-end storyline from baseline calculation to potential efficiency measures to barriers to prioritization and recommendations of measures to take. Good inspiration for : Creating a full report of a project analysis and recommendations based on that analysis. Presenting data in clear slides. Presenting and analyzing potential measures systematically.

Modelling the potential of digitally-enabled processes, transparency and participation in the NHS (2014)

3 page deck + 13 page appendix describing the context, methodology, and outcome of a quantitative model to analyze the net benefits of various technology interventions for the NHS. Also includes an analysis of the net opportunities against the ease of implementation, and ends with a recommendation of the four most impactful actions to take. Good inspiration for: Structuring and explaining a quantitative model including drivers and expected impact.

Refueling the innovation engine in vaccines (2016)

40 page discussion document for NVAC as part of a longer project. The deck goes over the state of the industry, challenges to innovation and potential solutions, as well as what role NVAC can play. Good inspiration for: Creating a clear and structured storyline that balances data-heavy slides with verbal/abstract slides.

Industry reports & market overviews:

The changed agenda in the global sourcing industry: perspectives and developments (2009) 35 page dense deck presented at a Global ICT services sourcing conference. Covers the development of the onshore-offshore industry, what it is expected to look like going forward, and the imperatives for management to successfully navigate the future. Good inspiration for: Creating a complete and comprehensive market picture, as well as framing recommendations.

​​What Makes Private Sector Partnership Works: some learnings from the field (2011) 12 page deck describing public-private partnerships around agriculture in Africa. The deck identifies where in the value chain there could be partnership possibilities, as well as examples of successful partnerships and what is needed to succeed. Good inspiration for: Presenting a value chain. Visually representing different partnership models (or other types of models).

The Internet of Things and Big Data: Opportunities for Value Creation (2013) 18 page picture-heavy deck used in an oral presentation around the topic of IoT and big data. The deck first describes IoT’s growth in recent years before moving into how IoT works on a high level and what the possibilities and challenges are.

Good inspiration for: Using quotes to enhance a storyline.

Laying the foundations for a financially sound industry (2013) 17 page deck going over the current financial situation of the global steel industry before briefly touching on the outlook and then discussing possible measures to become more financially stable. Contains a fairly detailed and interesting EBITDA model with different drivers of EBITDA laid out. Presented at a Steel Committee meeting. Good inspiration for: Creating clear graph slides. Visually representing a quantitative model.

Manufacturing the Future: The Next Era of Global Growth and Innovation (2013) 38 page deck covering the current state of US manufacturing and five disruptive trends that are reshaping the industry. Good inspiration for: Summarizing trends and relating them to a specific value chain. Many good graphs and ways of presenting data (both quantitative and qualitative) visually.

Insurance trends and growth opportunities for Poland (2015) 25 page deck covering the status of the Polish insurance market and five main trends shaping the market, as well as a case of a different market and how that has changed. Presented in connection with the Polish Insurance Association. Good inspiration for: Systematically presenting various trends and their expected impact without becoming too monotonous visually.

Challenges in Mining: Scarcity or Opportunity? (2015) 10 page main deck + 30 page appendix describing the current status of mining and how the value chain will potentially change due to new innovations. Presented during World Materials Forum. Good inspiration for: Presenting a value chain in different ways, as well as which areas of the value chain will change/can be innovated.

Restoring Economic Health to the North Sea (2015) 28 page deck used for an oral presentation about the cost increases in the UK oil industry and potential ways to mitigate these. Good inspiration for: Creating a simple and clear storyline with a strong narrative arc that works well for a live presentation.

How will Internet of Things, mobile internet, data analytics and cloud transform public services by 2030? (2015) 15 page fairly high-level deck describing IoT and other digital trends and how they will potentially impact various industries and current ways of doing things. Good inspiration for: Presenting a trend and following with a good example/case study.

Five keys to unlocking growth in marketing’s “new golden age” (2017) 26 page deck going over five main levers to pull in marketing; science, substance, story, speed, and simplicity. Describes each lever in a few slides using mainly images, icons, and other graphics. Good inspiration for: Creating light, image-based slides that still tell a story and get the message across.

Using Artificial Intelligence to prevent healthcare errors from occurring (2017) 25 page dense deck describing how AI/ML (machine learning) is changing industries, the possible use cases in healthcare, and what barriers exists/which key things need to be in place to enable an advanced analytics implementation. Good inspiration for: Showing quantitative potentials for different use cases/levers and summarizing these in a visually clear way. Creating one-pagers on specific use cases.

Digital Luxury Experience 2017 (2017) 24-page support deck for an oral presentation going over three areas of change for the luxury industry, hosted by a luxury goods umbrella organization. Good inspiration for: Using simple graphs and numbers to illustrate a point.

Technology’s role in mineral criticality (2017) 28 page deck first describing some overall technology trends and how they may impact the minerals industry including potential opportunities. Then going into productivity issues in mining and potential fixes, as well as a deep dive into two commodities. Presented at the World Materials Forum. Good inspiration for: Presenting complex data on relatively simple slides and making the message visually clear.

The future energy landscape: Global trends and a closer look at the Netherlands (2017) 38 page graph-heavy deck describing the current energy landscape and three major trends expected to impact it going forward, as well as how it specifically applies to the Netherlands. Presentation to the Dutch financial sector. Good inspiration for: Different ways of presenting numbers and graphs in clear, compelling visuals.

European Banking Summit 2018 (2018) 10-page deck going over the status of European capital markets, particularly concerning the US. Mainly focused on current numbers, not a lot on the path forward. Good inspiration for: Making classic consulting-style graph slides.

Current perspectives on Medical Affairs in Japan (2018) 20 page deck covering the current status and trends impacting Medical Affairs in Japan, as well as four priorities for leadership going forward. Good inspiration for: Creating divider slides that also function as executive summaries.

Investment and Industrial Policy: A Perspective on the Future (2018) 16-page main deck + 7-page appendix describing the rise of globalization, its impact on economic growth, and recommendations for policy-makers. Fairly high-level, although with some good data slides. Presented as part of a panel discussion at the UNCTAD Trade And Development Board. Good inspiration for: Creating visually clear data-heavy slides. Condensing a potentially long storyline into a few key slides.

Moving Laggards to Early Adopters (Maybe even innovators) (2018) 18 page word-heavy deck used in an oral presentation on the topic of digitalization in manufacturing. Covers the challenges of digital manufacturing, then goes over survey output from the industry, before ending with three recommendations for businesses. Good inspiration for: Presenting verbal findings and recommendations in simple slides with icons.

The Future of the Finance Function –Experiences from the U.S. public sector (2019) 14 page deck used in an oral presentation for a government finance function conference. The deck goes over what challenges CFOs etc. face in the current environment and five ways to move from transaction to value management going forward. Good inspiration for: Presenting different levels of maturity of a given function and supporting this with data.

Fab automation - Artificial Intelligence (date unknown) 17 page deck discussing the potential for AI in the semiconductor industry by first describing what AI is, then how it applies to fab, and finally what is required to unlock that potential. Good inspiration for: Creating different types of slide designs that balance text and numbers to avoid a monotonous or boring storyline.

McKinsey Global Institute reports:

Context for Global Growth and Development (2014) Sub-title: Extracts from McKinsey Global Institute research for UN Session on “Financing for global sustainable development”. 11-page deck focusing mainly on key findings from a longer research report put out by McKinsey Global Institute. Good inspiration for: Creating different slide designs for graphs and numbers.

Perspectives on manufacturing, disruptive technologies, and Industry 4.0 (2014) 17-page slightly ad hoc deck with extracts of a longer report put out by the McKinsey Global Institute on manufacturing. Goes over why manufacturing is important, how the boundaries of industry and services are blurring, how digital manufacturing is growing, and finally where governments can support from a policy perspective. Good inspiration for: Different slide designs and presenting data in a visually appealing and clear way.

From poverty to empowerment: India’s imperative for jobs, growth and effective basic services (2014) 13-page deck + 8-page appendix going over India’s poverty issues and potential change levers. Extract of a longer report put out by the McKinsey Global Institute. Good inspiration for: Creating clear and compelling quantitative slides in different formats.

Attracting Responsible Mining Investment in Fragile and Conflict Affected Settings (2014) 8 page deck describing the development of resource-driven countries and six dimensions for governments to focus on to realize the full potential going forward. Extract from a longer report put out by the McKinsey Global Institute. Good inspiration for: Creating a short and to-the-point storyline following the SCQA framework (situation-complication-question-answer), although the “Q” is implied.

A blueprint for addressing the global affordable housing challenge (2015) 49 page deck going into first what the affordable housing challenge looks like in numbers, followed by levers to narrow the affordability gap. The deck is a summation of a longer report put out by the McKinsey Global Institute. Good inspiration for: Illustrating change levers and their quantitative impact, both collectively and separately.

Jobs lost, jobs gained: Workforce transitions in a time of automation (2017) 16-page deck going over how automation and computers have historically affected jobs, and what potential impact it will have in the future. Summary of a longer report put out by the McKinsey Global Institute. Good inspiration for: Creating data-heavy slides. Keeping the storyline simple and to-the-point.

​​Reinventing Construction: A Route To Higher Productivity (2017) 14-page deck describing the current state of construction, in particular productivity, before briefly going over seven potential improvement areas and how government intervention might help. Very high-level deck summarizing a longer report by the McKinsey Global Institute. Good inspiration for: Using an agenda or divider slide actively to both summarize and outline the storyline.

Outperformers: High-growth emerging economies and the companies that propel them (2018) 16-page deck describing the main highlights of a research report by McKinsey Global Institute on high-growth emerging economies. The deck first goes over the data on how these economies are performing, followed by the proposed reasons why, and the outlook going forward. Good inspiration for: Creating different graph-heavy slide designs.

How companies can capture the veteran opportunity (2012)

34-page main deck + 12 page appendix going into how employers can leverage veteran talent. The document is divided into three main sections; 1) what is the business case for hiring veterans, 2) what are the best practices are for finding, hiring, onboarding, and retaining veterans, 3) what resources are available to assist employers’ veteran recruiting efforts. Good inspiration for: Systematically presenting an opportunity and how to best leverage that opportunity. Creating slides to show processes and decision trees.

The Five Frames – A Guide to Transformational Change (date unknown)

33-page deck discussing organizational “health” and diving into a five-step approach to transformation. The deck is structured as a kind of simple playbook to use when undertaking e.g. a digital transformation. Good inspiration for: Directly applicable high-level playbook when embarking on a small or large transformation. Structuring a process.

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Mastering McKinsey presentation storytelling

Become a storyteller.

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McKinsey presentations captivate by mastering the art of storytelling, transforming complex information into persuasive narratives. Their SCQA framework—Situation, Complication, Question, Answer—structures compelling journeys that resonate deeply, making every message not just heard but felt and… ... read more McKinsey presentations captivate by mastering the art of storytelling, transforming complex information into persuasive narratives. Their SCQA framework—Situation, Complication, Question, Answer—structures compelling journeys that resonate deeply, making every message not just heard but felt and remembered. close

What makes McKinsey presentations so compelling and persuasive? Beyond mere narration, storytelling is an art, and it’s an art that McKinsey presentations have mastered thanks to their genius framework. Through McKinsey’s storytelling approach, we will understand how to weave complex information into persuasive stories to resonate with audiences.

Why Stories? The Power of Narrative in Presentations:

Within professional communication, storytelling allows presenters to forge meaningful connections and lasting influence. Aside from tale-telling, storytelling is a strategic form of communication that, when used well, can amplify the impact of your message. Stories craft a compelling journey for the audience to follow, one that conveys information while also inspiring action and driving change. Leveraging narratives can ensure that your message is not only heard but also felt and remembered.

Mastering the McKinsey Storytelling Approach:

The McKinsey approach to storytelling requires rethinking your professional communications for the best. This renowned method emphasizes clarity and precision, offering a structured framework for creating compelling narratives out of complex information. Through the McKinsey approach of the SCQA method, you can transform your messaging into persuasive stories that accurately outline the problems and solutions in a way that is engaging for an audience.

The SCQA Framework: 

Using tried-and-true storytelling frameworks can help you follow a structured path to creating effective narratives. The foundational framework embraced by McKinsey’s consultants is the SCQA framework. This method, which stands for Situation, Complication, Question, and Answer, is a cornerstone for constructing a story that resonates. Each step plays a role in breaking down and outlining the problem at hand and turning them into persuasive journeys that compel the audience.

The Situation

In the initial phases of the SCQA framework, you need to set the scene to provide them with the necessary context. The “situation” offers a detailed background on the current scenario you are dealing with; for example, it can outline the business landscape and market dynamics. This helps ground the audience in the reality of the circumstances but also highlights the importance of the matter.

The Complication

The “complication” is where “the plot thickens.” This is where you bring attention to the challenge or hurdle you are facing in your situation. Here, you pinpoint the issues and obstacles and offer a clear exposition of what went wrong and its effects on the project. It is about stating the problem but also making clear what the impact has been. Being detailed and explicit here helps emphasize the need for a resolution and engages the audience further in the narrative.

The Question

Even though the “question” is a section within this framework, it is actually often an implied question. It steers the narrative towards the key issues or decisions that await resolution. This step is really about framing the problem and leading the listener towards striving for a solution. In a McKinsey-style presentation, this is a strategic pivot that engages the audience’s problem-solving skills by highlighting the challenge at hand.

The Resolution

Just as the climax of any compelling narrative, the “resolution” presents the solutions to the challenges. The presenter here would unveil the proposed course of action along with the steps and strategies to overcome the main obstacle. Clarity and conciseness are essential here as the solution is articulated, ensuring it addresses all the issues highlighted in earlier phases. The “resolution” is where the narrative culminates, persuading the audience of the effectiveness of your plan.

How does the McKinsey presentation style help?

Every presentation is meant to answer a question or concern. All in all, the SCQA is a framework that helps craft a persuasive McKinsey-style story and presentation around the information you want to present.

Think of the SCQA framework as a tool to organize thoughts into a streamlined guide to reach a useful solution or recommendation. Not only does this tool lay the foundation for a narrative, but it also allows you to explore different pathways for reaching your resolution. The challenge with the SCQA approach is decision-making, yet it still provides an outline for making informed decisions.

The McKinsey approach to presentation storytelling provides an outline for organizing thoughts into impactful narratives. Aside from structuring your information, they help craft and frame messages that are relatable and profound to your audience. By setting the stage, addressing complications, posing questions, and sharing resolutions, you can create presentation journeys that lead to informed decisions. Mark a new era with impactful professional communications, with Prezlab , we can help you shape your presentation to reach audiences’ hearts and minds.

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How to create consulting decks like McKinsey Consultants

Importance of consulting decks.

Consulting decks play a crucial role in the consulting industry as they serve as a means for consultants to effectively communicate their findings, recommendations, and strategies to clients. These consulting decks are typically data-driven and include analysis, visuals, and insights to help clients understand complex information and make informed decisions. While the structure and formatting may vary between consulting firms such as McKinsey, BCG, or Bain, the principles remain similar.

Role of Business Consulting Firms

Business consulting firms help shape success of global companies. Top firms like McKinsey, Bain, Boston Consulting Group, and Deloitte known for strategic advice, analytical approach, and industry knowledge. McKinsey has skilled consultants for tackling business challenges and driving growth across industries. Firms like McKinsey offer insights to optimize performance. Top consulting firms have a strong track record in helping organizations improve performance. Management consulting firms help businesses enhance performance and reach goals. Business management consulting firms focus on advising businesses on management practices like finance, HR, and marketing.

Basic guidelines for structuring consulting decks and key sections in a McKinsey presentation should be covered. This article explores the elements of an MBB-standard slide deck: structure, components, and formatting tips.

Building strategy consulting slide decks

When making a slide deck for strategy consulting, structure it clearly. Define the objective, build a compelling argument, and create the body slides to support your points. Write an executive summary with key takeaways. Review the deck for clarity before finalizing. Decks for corporate or management consulting are detailed and data-heavy, crucial for decisions. They differ from keynotes or design presentations. In consulting, spreadsheets and slides are vital for client communication during pitches, updates, and results.

The importance of creating storyline

Creating a presentation requires a clear storyline. Start by outlining sections and all action titles. Print slides or use Slide Sorter in PowerPoint to check the flow. Write the storyline in a doc, focusing on action titles and supporting data. Keep a library of past cases and presentations for inspiration and saving time.

The structure of a McKinsey presentation

When creating a presentation for McKinsey, it is important to follow a specific structure. A typical McKinsey presentation consists of five main sections:

• Executive summary
• Body of slides
• Recommendation/next steps

Each section serves a specific purpose and contributes to the overall effectiveness of the presentation. Let us see each each section in detail.

1. Frontpage

The front page sets the tone with a concise title in less than 10 words. It answers, “What is the presentation about?” An optional headline elaborates, and branding reflects the organization.

2. Executive summary

The executive summary, or “At A Glance,” is the first slide of a presentation and is usually the most time-consuming to create. Consulting firms such as McKinsey, Bain, and BCG commonly use the Situation-Complication-Resolution (SCR) Framework for their summaries, offering a structured approach to convey the main storyline of the presentation. The executive summary serves as a snapshot of key initiatives in a strategic plan, company capabilities in a business proposal , customer profile, business updates in review meetings, or simply a project summary. Purpose: Quick overview of presentation, key insights, and recommendations.

3. Body of slides

Let’s start by taking a look at the way McKinsey consultants create individual slides.

The anatomy of a slide  

When creating a slide, it is important to include three main parts namely

• Action Title
• Sub-Headings

Action title should show key implication of slide. Subheadings outline the data. Slide body contains data, visuals, or a footer. Ensure title relates to body & only relevant info included.

i. Action title

In management consulting, use action titles for concise slide main takeaways. Important when presenting to busy executives. Action titles help audience grasp key message without detailed analysis. Clear, concise slide titles crucial for presentation storyline. Action titles summarize main conclusions and analysis for audience understanding. Ensure cohesive, readable story.

ii. Subheadings

Subheadings summarize the data used to support the main point or add context to the main takeaway. They should be brief and to the point. Headlines, on the other hand, are a 10-word description that further supplements or explains the context of the slide or provides units of data.

iii. Slide body – Key elements to include

To effectively communicate insights, a clear and concise slide body is crucial. The main insight in the title should be supported by relevant, simple information. Avoid including all data; focus on facts that support the key insight. The slide body presents most of the content, organized in a captivating way for an engaging presentation. The main goal of a slide deck is to present data in an easy-to-understand and visually appealing way. In a presentation, data can be quantitative (shown with charts) or qualitative (represented with diagrams and concept maps).

a. Using of Charts in individual slides

When making slides, charts visually represent data. Types include bar/column, line, percentage, Mekko, scatter, and waterfall. Each chart family has unique features selected based on the data presented.

A legend in a chart provides info about the metrics. It appears as a box to the right or left of the graph.

c. Bubble (or callout)

A bubble, or callout, is a message with extra info attached to an element. It highlights what’s needed in analysis.

d. Stickers

Stickers in presentations give extra info, at top right of slides, as notes. Some include ‘For Discussion’ for controversial data or statements needing audience input. ‘Preliminary’ and ‘Highly preliminary’ stickers used for slides not yet final. ‘Indicative’ implies numbers not completely accurate but give direction or overall picture. ‘Illustrative’ used to show data not precise, but demonstrate relationship among variables.

The creation date on slides gives context, crucial for internal sharing. It shows timeliness and relevance for viewers.

f. Footnote

A footnote is extra info at the bottom of a page for additional context or details not needed for presentation, but can be referenced.

g. Page numbers and On-page trackers

Page numbers & on-page trackers help readers follow presentations, referencing specific sections easily. Footnotes cite sources, lending credibility & giving credit to authors, aiding further research.

Managing the content flow

Consulting is crucial for business success, offering expert guidance. Management consulting advises on performance improvement, while business consulting targets specific areas like marketing, operations, and finance. Consulting firms provide tailored services to meet client needs. IT consultants offer tech solutions for business success in a digital world.

Top management consulting firms use a structured approach for information flow within slides. Horizontal flow organizes ideas logically, while Vertical Flow influences slide design. Creating slides involves managing content flow by starting with the title, gathering supporting data, and iterating for cohesive storytelling.

The Content and Exhibits section is crucial for presentation quality. Maintain smooth flow in each slide and the entire deck for engagement. Two main flows: Vertical and Horizontal.

1. Vertical flow

The vertical flow concept is used in slide design, focusing on each slide’s purpose and data significance. The Pyramid principle structures slides for content organization in a MECE manner.

i. The Pyramid Principle

The Pyramid Principle is a method for creating a well-organized storyline with evidence and data. It’s like an Issue Tree, starting with an introduction stating the issue and answer, and supporting arguments. This method provides a logical presentation of information.

MECE stands for “Mutually Exclusive Collectively Exhaustive.” It breaks down items or info into small, distinct parts without overlap or gaps. Each slide should have a key message, main arguments, and sub-arguments with supporting data like charts. Rather than a long list of bullets, group them into categories with sub-arguments, creating a MECE and strategic structure for the presentation.

2. Horizontal flow

Horizontal flow: storytelling technique for cohesive slide deck. Organize ideas chronologically to create flow. Two steps: draft data by sketching ideas in order, then create slides based on sketch. Consultants create slides or delegate design to specialized team.

In consulting, “storyline” means the structure of a slide deck. McKinsey, Bain, and BCG customize it for each use case. Consulting storylines usually follow an SCR framework with three main components:

i. Situation

The situation includes initial circumstances or context surrounding the issue. It covers current state, background info, and factors for understanding. It may focus on an opportunity or threat.

ii. Complication

In a situation, a complication is a challenge or problem that needs attention. It might be an unexpected obstacle, impeding impediment, or significant hurdle requiring strategic resolution.

iii. Resolution

A resolution is a proposed solution to a complication or problem. It outlines steps to be taken, resources needed, and other details to overcome challenges and achieve success.

4. Conclusion/Recommendation

The ‘Take Action’ or ‘Recommendation’ section concludes by providing solutions for identified issues. It includes slides with quantitative and qualitative data, an implementation plan, and immediate next steps for the client to take action. To make effective recommendations, follow three guidelines. 1. Group recommendations into categories for reader understanding. 2. Label or number groups and recommendations for structure and coherence. 3. Use action words in active voice to increase impact and actionability.

5. Appendix

Maintaining a clear main deck involves including supporting documentation in the appendix. The appendix, placed at the end, includes extra slides and information not in the pitch. It’s optional and provides detailed data, process clarifications, charts, and testimonials for research.

Key aspects in building a slide deck content.

I. crafting effective storyline.

When making a consulting slide deck, avoid errors like no clear plan leading to disorganized delivery. Also, establish a hypothesis for analysis and recommendations. Align with manager and lead with answer, not just analysis. Organize document logically to convey message clearly. Avoid common work planning mistakes to create polished consulting slide deck for lasting impact.

ii. Consistent Formatting

Key aspects to pay attention to include consistent formatting – same PowerPoint template, font, font size, chart and textbox colors. Important details are chart titles, axis titles, legends, sources, footnotes, page numbers, and client’s logo. Avoid mistakes and maintain consistency for a professional and appealing consulting slide deck.

iii. Professionalism

Top mistake: overcrowding slides with info can overwhelm audience. Focus on strong action titles. Use relevant visuals to avoid detracting from message. Consistent formatting key for professional appearance. Don’t overlook essential details. Avoid unprofessional visuals that weaken message. Avoid common mistakes for compelling slide deck showcasing consulting expertise.

7 amazing tips for crafting consulting decks

• Adopt a top-down perspective when developing your presentation
• Begin with a Ghost Deck to establish the structure and flow
• Use concise and professional language throughout your content
• Maintain a Vertical Flow within individual slides and a Horizontal Flow across the entire deck
• Ensure all information presented is supported by reliable data
• Be specific and detail-oriented when crafting titles for each slide
• Include clear measurement units and source citations for all charts and data points

Formatting tips – Consulting decks

I. slide design training.

When creating a consulting presentation, follow professional guidelines for slide formatting. Firms like McKinsey, Bain, and BCG are known for compelling presentations that structure slides effectively. Rigorous training in slide design and formatting is crucial for great results.

ii. Consistent Slides

When making consulting decks, consultants must retain high formatting standards. This involves keeping bullet points, spacing, and details accurate and consistent. One approach is duplicating slides and modifying elements. Another is copying elements to new slides to keep their position. Bold formatting highlights key points, attracting readers. Consistent color schemes, fonts, and sizes create a cohesive look.

iii. Design scheme

The specific format scheme varies based on the consulting firm or client’s preferences. Sometimes the client gives a template for the firm to insert data. It’s important to keep alignment and leave margins on slides.

iv. Visual content strategy

Slide text must be clear, concise, and organized. Avoid unnecessary words. Use bullets over numbers. Keep titles short with a consistent font size. Use a simple color palette sparingly for emphasis. Establish a color hierarchy, stick to one or two fonts. Always use ‘PowerPoint Guides’ to view margins in design view. Enhance text slides with icons, replacing bullets with meaningful icons. Use consistent bold icon style. Avoid fancy graphics and animations; they distract from the main message. Add slide numbers and sources for credibility. Use call-outs or highlights to emphasize key points. Keep colors, fonts, and layout consistent for a professional look.

v. Alignment

Key aspect: Content alignment is crucial. Consistent alignment across slides is key – for titles, subheadings, logos, and page numbers. A master template aids in alignment accuracy. Proper line spacing enhances readability.

Think-cell plugin for effective charts in PowerPoint

The Think-cell plugin is a powerful tool that is widely used by management consultants to create visually appealing charts in PowerPoint presentations. It offers a variety of chart types, allowing consultants to choose the most suitable chart for their data. Some of the popular chart types available in Think-cell include bar charts, waterfall charts, and Gantt charts. With the help of Think-cell, consultants can create effective and professional-looking charts to enhance their presentations.

12 amazing charts created using think-cell in consulting decks

1. waterfall chart.

Think-Cell Waterfall Chart – Consulting decks

A waterfall chart is a visual representation of how an initial value is affected by a series of positive and negative values. It is commonly used to show the cumulative effect of positive and negative changes over time. It is particularly useful for analyzing financial data and understanding the impact of various factors on a final outcome.

2. Gantt Chart

Think-Cell Gantt Chart – Consulting decks

A Gantt chart is a visual tool used to plan, schedule, and track projects. It provides a timeline view of tasks, their dependencies, and their progress. Gantt charts are commonly used in project management to help teams stay organized, allocate resources, and meet deadlines.

3. Mekko Chart /  Marimekko chart / Mosaic Plot

Think-Cell Mekko Chart – Consulting decks

A Mekko Chart, also known as a Marimekko Chart, is a type of chart that combines a bar chart and a stacked bar chart to display data in two dimensions. It is commonly used to show the distribution of different variables across categories and can be helpful in analyzing market share, sales data, and other business metrics.

4. Scatter and Bubble Chart

Think-Cell Scatter And Bubble Chart – Consulting decks

Scatter and Bubble charts are used to display and compare data points on a two-dimensional graph. They are commonly used in statistics and data analysis to show the relationship between two variables. Scatter charts show individual data points as dots on the graph, while bubble charts add an additional dimension by varying the size of the dots to represent a third variable. These charts are useful for identifying patterns, trends, and correlations in the data.

5. Pie Chart

Think-Cell Pie Chart – Consulting decks

A pie chart is a circular graphical representation that is used to display data in proportions or percentages. It is commonly used to show the distribution of a whole into its individual parts. Pie charts are useful for comparing different categories or showing the relationship between parts and the whole. They are often used in business presentations, market research, and data analysis.

6. Line Chart

Think-Cell Line Chart – Consulting decks

Line charts are used to display data trends over time. They are particularly useful for showing the progression of data points and identifying patterns or changes in the data. Line charts are commonly used in various fields such as finance, economics, and scientific research to visualize data and make informed decisions based on the trends observed.

7. Clustered Chart

Think-Cell Clustered Column Chart – Consulting decks

A clustered chart is a type of chart that is used to compare multiple data sets or categories. It is commonly used to show the relationship between different variables or to compare data over time. Clustered charts are particularly useful for visualizing data in a clear and organized manner, allowing for easy comparison and analysis.

8. 100% Chart

Think-Cell 100% Chart – Consulting decks

A 100% chart is a visual representation that shows the distribution of a whole into its individual parts. It is commonly used to display percentages or proportions of different categories or variables. This chart helps to easily compare the relative sizes or contributions of each category to the whole.

9. Stacked Column and Bar Chart

Think-Cell – Stacked Column And Bar Chart – Consulting decks

Stacked column and bar charts are used to compare the total sizes of different categories, while also showing the composition of each category. They are commonly used to visualize data that has multiple sub-categories or to show the progression of a variable over time.

10. Area Chart

Think-Cell Area Chart – Consulting decks

An area chart is a type of chart that is used to display quantitative data over time. It is commonly used to show the trend or pattern of data over a specific period. Area charts are particularly useful for comparing multiple data sets and identifying the overall distribution of values. They are often used in finance, economics, and other fields where tracking changes over time is important.

11. Area 100% Chart

Think-Cell – Area 100% Chart – Consulting decks

The Area 100% Chart is a visual representation that shows the distribution of a whole into its various parts. It is commonly used to compare the proportions or percentages of different categories within a dataset. This chart helps to easily understand the relative sizes of each category and their contribution to the whole.

12. Butterfly chart

Think-Cell – Butterfly Chart – Consulting decks

A Butterfly chart is used to compare two sets of data side by side. It is often used to show the before and after effects of a particular event or action. The chart is divided into four sections, with the middle section representing the baseline data and the outer sections representing the two sets of data being compared. This type of chart is useful for visualizing changes and trends over time.

10 creative ideas of data visualization used in Consulting decks

1. chord diagram.

Chord Diagram – Consulting decks

Chord diagrams are used to visualize relationships and connections between different entities or categories. They are often used in data analysis, network analysis, and social sciences to show the flow of information, interactions, or connections between different variables or groups.

Image source:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chord_diagram_(mathematics)

2. Sunburst chart

Sunburst Chart – Consulting decks

A sunburst chart is a visualization tool that is used to display hierarchical data in a circular format. It is particularly useful for showing the proportions of different categories within a larger category. Sunburst charts are commonly used in data analysis, business presentations, and information visualization.

3. Radial Bar chart

Radial Bar Chart – Consulting decks

A radial bar chart is a type of data visualization that is used to display categorical data in a circular format. It is particularly useful for comparing multiple categories or variables at a glance. The length of each bar represents the value of the category, and the bars are arranged in a circular pattern around a central point. This type of chart is often used to show proportions, percentages, or rankings.

4. Nightingale Rose chart

Nightingale Rose Chart – Consulting decks

Nightingale Rose chart, also known as a polar area diagram, is a visualization tool used to display data in a circular format. It is commonly used in healthcare to show the distribution of different causes of mortality or morbidity. The chart is divided into segments, with each segment representing a category or variable. The length of each segment corresponds to the magnitude of the variable being measured, allowing for easy comparison and analysis of data.

Image source:  https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Nightingale_Rose_Chart.png

5. Parallel Coordinates Plot

Parallel Coordinates Plot – Consulting decks

Parallel Coordinates Plots are used to visualize and analyze multivariate data. They are particularly useful for identifying patterns and relationships between multiple variables. This type of plot allows for the comparison of different data points across multiple dimensions, making it a valuable tool in data analysis and visualization.

Image source:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parallel_coordinates

6. Histogram Chart

Histogram – Symmetric – Consulting decks

A histogram chart is used to visually represent the distribution of data. It displays the frequency of data within specific intervals or bins. Histogram charts are commonly used in statistics and data analysis to understand the shape, spread, and central tendency of a dataset. They are particularly useful for identifying patterns, trends, and outliers in data.

Image source:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Histogram

7. Frequency Table

A frequency table is a helpful tool for organizing data in a clear and concise way. It includes two columns, one listing the possible outcomes and the other listing the frequency of each outcome observed in a sample. By using a frequency table, it becomes easier to identify and analyze patterns and trends in the data.

A treemap is a visual representation of hierarchical data that uses nested rectangles. Each rectangle represents a different level of the hierarchy, and the size and color of the rectangle convey the relative size or significance of the data it represents. Treemaps are commonly used to visualize complex data sets such as financial data and website traffic.

9. Bullet Graph

A bullet graph is a visual tool used to track progress towards a specific goal or target. It was created by Stephen Few as a more effective alternative to traditional bar charts. The graph consists of a horizontal bar that represents the target or goal, and a vertical line that indicates the current progress. To provide additional context and information, the graph also incorporates color coding and other visual elements.

10. Funnel Chart

A funnel chart is a visual representation commonly used to illustrate different stages in a process, particularly in sales pipelines. The chart takes the shape of a funnel, with the widest part at the top representing the initial stage and the narrowest part at the bottom representing the final stage. Funnel charts are valuable tools for identifying potential bottlenecks or inefficiencies within a process.

10 creative ideas used in building professional layouts for consulting decks

Online consulting is a fast-growing industry that allows clients to receive professional advice remotely for convenience and flexibility. Company management consulting aims to enhance organizational performance through various strategies. Strategy consulting specializes in helping businesses identify and implement strategic initiatives for success. Corporate consulting firms bring experienced consultants together to offer tailored solutions for businesses of all sizes. Consultants commonly present their solutions in consulting slide decks.

We shall now see top 10 creative design layouts that are frequently used in a typical consulting style deck. These layouts help simplify the content idea and thoughtfully condense and present the information in a logical and easy-to-understand manner.

1. Pillar Diagram

Consulting decks – Pillar Diagram

Pillar Diagrams are commonly used in consulting decks to visually represent the key pillars or components of a strategy, plan, or concept. They are often used to break down complex ideas into simpler, more digestible parts and to show the relationships between these parts. Pillar Diagrams can help consultants and clients understand the different elements that contribute to a larger goal or objective and can serve as a framework for decision-making and problem-solving.

2. Matrix design

Consulting decks – Matrix Design

Matrix design is commonly used in consulting decks to visually organize and present complex information. It allows for easy comparison and analysis of different variables, making it an effective tool for decision-making and problem-solving.

3. Process Flow Diagram

Consulting decks – Process Flow Diagram

Process Flow Diagrams are used in consulting decks to visually represent the steps and sequence of a process. They help to provide a clear and concise overview of how a process works, allowing consultants to analyze and identify areas for improvement or optimization. Process Flow Diagrams can also be used to communicate complex processes to clients or stakeholders in a simplified and easy-to-understand format.

4. Harvey Balls

Consulting decks – Harvey Balls Design

Harvey Balls are used in consulting decks as a visual tool to represent and communicate levels of completion, progress, or ratings. They are often used to visually represent data or information in a clear and concise manner, making it easier for clients and stakeholders to understand and interpret.

5. Venn Diagram

Consulting decks – Venn Diagram

Venn diagrams are commonly used in consulting decks to visually represent the relationships and overlaps between different sets of data or concepts. They are effective tools for illustrating complex ideas, identifying commonalities and differences, and presenting information in a clear and concise manner.

6. SWOT analysis

Consulting decks – SWOT Analysis

SWOT analysis is commonly used in consulting decks to assess the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats of a business or project. It helps consultants identify areas of improvement, develop strategies, and make informed decisions. SWOT analysis provides a comprehensive overview of the internal and external factors that can impact the success of a business, making it a valuable tool in consulting presentations.

7. Market sizing visualization

Consulting decks – Market Sizing Visualization

Market sizing visualization is used in consulting decks to provide a clear and concise representation of the market potential and opportunity. It helps consultants and clients understand the size and growth of a specific market, identify key trends and segments, and make informed business decisions.

By visually presenting data and insights, market sizing visualization enhances communication and facilitates strategic planning.

8. Map Slide

Consulting decks – Map Slide

Map slides are commonly used in consulting decks to visually represent data and information related to geographic locations. They can be used to show market trends, customer distribution, competitor analysis, and other relevant data.

Map slides help consultants present complex information in a clear and concise manner, making it easier for clients to understand and make informed decisions.

9. Organization Chart

Consulting decks – Organization Chart

Organization charts are essential in consulting decks as they provide a visual representation of the company’s structure and hierarchy. They help consultants and clients understand the relationships between different departments, teams, and individuals within the organization.

This information is crucial for analyzing workflows, identifying bottlenecks, and making strategic recommendations for improvement.

10. Heat Map Visualization

Consulting decks – Heat Map

A heat map is a data visualization tool that uses color-coding to represent different values in a dataset. It is often used to show the distribution of data across a geographic area or to highlight patterns in large datasets.

Heat maps can be used in various industries, including business, finance, and healthcare, to help identify trends and make data-driven decisions.

Image source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heat_map

Still have questions?

If you want to enhance your consulting decks, ask your questions in the comments. Expert designers are ready to discuss the key design principles used in creating McKinsey-style presentation designs for consulting decks.

Wrapping it up

Consultants draw sketches for production staff to make final products, and specialists create presentation slides. A well-organized and thoughtful presentation is more impactful than one just focused on appearance.

You can visit our portfolio to get an idea of a typical consultant style . Our team of  Ex-McKinsey Presentation Designers  (Ex-VGI Visual Graphics India) meticulously follow the best practices of formatting and data visualization techniques to come up with suitable chart types. If you require a professionally designed presentation with formatted charts in  MS Graph or Thinkcell , please contact us and we would be delighted to discuss your design needs.

• What is a deck in consulting?

A deck in consulting refers to a presentation or slide deck that consultants create to communicate their findings, recommendations, and insights to clients. It typically includes data, analysis, visuals, and key points to support the consultant’s recommendations and help the client understand the information more easily. Decks are often used in client meetings, pitches, and project updates.

2. What are the 4 types of consulting firms?

The four types of consulting firms are strategy consulting firms, management consulting firms, operations consulting firms, and IT consulting firms. Each type focuses on different areas of expertise and provides unique services to clients.

3. What are the 4 pillars of McKinsey’s approach?

The four pillars of McKinsey’s approach are problem-solving, client impact, leadership, and personal growth. These pillars form the foundation of McKinsey’s consulting methodology and guide their consultants in delivering value to their clients.

4. What is a pitch deck consultant?

A pitch deck consultant is a professional who specializes in helping businesses create and refine their pitch decks. A pitch deck is a presentation that outlines a business idea or proposal, typically used to attract investors or secure funding. A pitch deck consultant can provide guidance on content, design, and overall strategy to ensure that the pitch deck effectively communicates the value and potential of the business.

5. What is the difference between pitch and deck?

In the business world, a pitch refers to a presentation or proposal that is used to persuade investors or clients to buy into an idea or product. It is typically a concise and persuasive presentation that highlights the key points and benefits. On the other hand, a deck refers to a slide presentation or document that provides more detailed information about a business or project. It is often used as a supporting document for a pitch or as a standalone presentation.

Related posts

Building consulting slide decks- Mastering the McKinsey PPT style

Learn to Design Your Slides like a McKinsey Presentation Deck

Visual Sculptors Design Services – Company Overview

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The Advanced Guide to McKinsey-style Business Presentations

Introduction to business presentations, why we wrote this guide.

350 PowerPoint presentations are given per second. The vast majority of them suck.

They are too long, too dull, too full of useless detail, too generic. And these bad powerpoint presentations matter a lot.

They are how we represent ourselves and our work to the world, they are the culmination of our analysis and our thinking. They are our value-add.

And they are terrible.

FREE  eBook

Receive a pdf copy of this 10,000-word ' Advanced Guide to McKinsey-style Business Presentations' as part of our Accelerator Kit .

The disturbing challenge for many of us is that 'terrible' simply isn't good enough. Our careers depend on our business presentations not being terrible.

We wrote this guide in the hopes that, in our own way, we can have a disproportionate impact on your success - your success in presenting yourself, your ideas, and your value add. We hope you find this guide useful.

Our goal was to create the most comprehensive online guide to writing McKinsey-style business presentations on the web. At over 10,000 words, we think it is safe to say - job done!

Who is this guide for?

If you need to write a business report, update a team, complete a consulting assignment, or develop an investor pitch deck, and you are not sure where to start, this guide is for you.

If you need to write a senior executive presentation and are struggling to collect your thoughts, then this guide is for you.

If you are looking for tips, tools and resources to create your presentations faster and make them better, you are going to love this guide.

From PowerPoint newbie to strategy consulting veteran, you'll definitely learn something new that you can use to make your presentations sing.

How to use this Guide

Use The Advanced Guide to Writing McKinsey-Style Presentations in the way that works best for you. We have formatted and structured the Guide to take advantage of the web. You can use it for reference, inspiration, or as a how-to-guide. Be sure to bookmark the guide so that you can reference it in the future.

If you feel that you have a handle on writing business presentations - and just want to learn a new tip or two - then jump to the relevant section of the guide and dive in! We’re sure you'll find some new tricks and tips to add to your arsenal.

If you have a basic grasp of writing business presentations, but are looking to add a layer of depth to your knowledge - then you should read the guide in order.

Here is an overview of each of the chapters in this Advanced Guide to Writing McKinsey-Style Presentations.

Chapter 1: One of the Most Valuable Business Skills You Can Master

Presentation writing skills are under-rated. They have, in fact, a profound effect on your career success. 

In Chapter 1, we will layout the reasons why developing presentation skills can accelerate career advancement and explore why writing presentations is such a deceptively challenging task. 

We'll also introduce a framework for thinking about the skills one must master to become truly proficient at writing business presentations.

Chapter 2: The Many Schools of Business Presentation Design

There is a lot of conflicting advice out there. And a lot of fantastic presentation styles which one can emulate. In the end, as with much in life, the answer to 'which style should I copy?' or 'which advice should I follow?' is 'it depends'.

In this chapter we expand on the general 'horses for courses' answer. We'll introduce you to a number of alternate schools of presentation design and layout the precise circumstances under which each is powerful. We’ll explain how you select the presentation style and approach that matches your purpose.

This is your one stop shop for understanding the various presentation ‘schools-of-thought’ and for determining which high-level presentation approach you should adopt.

Chapter 3: The Consulting School of Presentation Design

The dirty little secret of presentation writing is that the vast majority of presentations that we write are not presented! At least not in a formal, auditorium kind of way.

This has profound implications on the style of presentation which you should adopt.

In this section we will explore the characteristics of the McKinsey (or consulting in general) style presentation and identify the things it does well and why this style is so useful.

Chapter 4: The Five Disciplines

There are five disciplines one must master to become great at writing killer business presentations. This is the heart of our process and of the SlideHeroes course:

•   The Power of Logical Structure
•   The Art of Storytelling
•   The Science of Fact-based Persuasion
•   The Harmony of Design
•   The Drama of Performance

Chapter 5: The Power of Logical Structure

Your job is to communicate an answer to a question. When the audience cannot follow your answer, when they cannot follow the logical steps that flow through your argument, they become frustrated.

Logical structure helps comprehension.

But sometimes it can be difficult.

In this chapter we will dive deep into several business writing techniques you can use to help structure your presentation.

•   How to group your ideas (the right number and nature; the right level of abstraction)
•   Inductive and deductive arguments
•   The special role your Introduction plays in establishing context and framing the question you will ultimately answer

Chapter 6: The Art of Storytelling

At their heart, all presentations are stories.

Our brains are wired to learn from and remember stories. Presentations that effectively make use of storytelling techniques are easier to understand and remember.

In this chapter we explore the hows and whys of storytelling within business presentations.

Chapter 7: The Science of Fact-based Persuasion

The focus of this chapter is on the need for facts and data, and how to present them.

To better understand how to present facts in the form of data we will start with Edward Tufte and a theory for the visual display of quantitative information.

We will also explore the differences between tables and graphs, and how to know when to use each.

The chapter will conclude with an overview of the standard graphs that are most commonly found in business presentations.

Chapter 8: The Harmony of Design

 How do I make my slides look good?

We get this question a lot. Usually the implicit assumption underlying that question is that it is a PowerPoint (or Keynote) question.

I don’t know how to use this stupid tool to make my slides look good.

In fact, creating good looking slides is, in the main, not a question of PowerPoint skills (it is a basic tool, pretty easy to learn). It is a design question, not an IT question.

And design is a little trickier.

The good news is that the basics of slide design are not difficult to master because, in general, less is more.

This chapter focuses on straight-forward design strategies you can employ to create amazing looking slides. We will also discuss tips and techniques that you can apply to improve the delivery of your presentation.

Chapter 9: The Drama of Performance

One of the things we emphasize strongly at SlideHeroes is the need to focus on the creation of the presentation material - the content, the structure, the story and the data.

But you better believe a presentation is a performance. Delivery matters, even if you are sitting down.

This chapter focuses on the kind of preparation and practice that is required to take a well written deck and deliver a great public speaking performance.

Chapter 10: The Process

At SlideHeroes we have a step-by-step process for applying each of these five disciplines, in the right order, so you can quickly go from a blank sheet of paper to ‘congratulations!’ on a job well done.

This chapter lays out that process for you.

Chapter 11: The Tools

We list a set of recommended tools that you can use to help create a great business presentation.

Chapter 12: Final Thoughts & Next Steps

In the final chapter of the Advanced Guide to Writing McKinsey-Style Presentations we provide some thoughts on where to go for more help and how the SlideHeroes course builds on the material contained in this Advanced Guide.

Who are we?

This post is the most popular on our site and, as a consequence, a lot of readers discover SlideHeroes for the first time via this Advanced Guide.

So who are we and what do we do?

SlideHeroes provides online, video-based business presentation training .

We help students become top-tier consultants, top performing sales people, superstar analysts and highly successful business professionals.

We help teams improve their corporate communication skills.

In our free course trial, we offer free video lessons that teach:

•   Our full Who, Why, What and How process for creating killer presentations
•   How to identify the key question your presentation must focus on answering
•   How to structure the introduction of your presentation to plant this question in the mind of your audience

FREE  Course Trial

Start improving your presentations skills immediately with our free trail of the Decks for Decision Makers course.

Chapter 1: One of the Most Valuable Business Skills you can Master

The ability to write clear and impactful PowerPoint-based McKinsey presentations is, for young and mid-level professionals, one of the most valuable skills you can master.

Here’s why:

•   PowerPoint (Keynote) is the de facto paradigm for internal corporate communication today
•   The ability to present ideas and results in an understandable and compelling way can be a key differentiator (frankly many people are simply not very good at it)
•   Strong communication skills make professionals more effective - being understood the first time, saves time

The problem many young professionals face is that unless they luck out early in their career and learn the craft of creating business presentations from someone pretty exceptional – they probably suck at it.

Becoming awesome is harder than most people realize

Becoming exceptional at crafting board-level presentations (presentations that kick ass) is tough. Much harder than most people realize.

Most of us initially dismiss the challenge as a PowerPoint formatting challenge - a time consuming technical challenge that should be delegated.

In fact, crafting successful presentations is a multi-disciplinary challenge that requires the mastery of a broad SET of distinct skills:

•   The ability to order ideas in a logical and structured way
•   The skill to utilize words succinctly, powerfully, accurately
•   Numeracy, and the ability to communicate data effectively
•   Taste - the appreciation for and ability to create aesthetically pleasing design
•   Charisma and executive presence

Only some of these 'presentation skills' are taught in schools or formally in organizations. Many from this list are either very challenging to master, or are seen (by many) as simply innate.

‘How to use PowerPoint’ courses do not teach these skills either.

And to master all of them? Well, that is the challenge.

Chapter 2: The Many Schools of Business Presentation Design

There are many, many different 'schools' of presentation style. Different approaches to crafting and delivering a business presentation.

Here are a few to give you a flavor:

The ‘Pecha Kucha’ School

Pecha Kucha is a presentation style in which 20 slides are shown for 20 seconds each (six minutes and 40 seconds in total). It is a format designed to keep presentations concise and fast-paced and is often adopted for multiple-speaker events (PechaKucha Nights). PechaKucha Night was devised in Tokyo in February 2003 as an event for young designers to meet, network, and show their work in public.

Here is an example from the author Dan Pink of a Pecha Kucha presentation. Dan briefly explains the format and then goes on to give a Pecha Kucha about a favorite topic of his. It is a pretty good example. Unfortunately Dan messes up the pronunciation of Pecha Kucha (lots of people do). If you are curious as to how to pronounce Pecha Kucha, have a look at this video .

When to use Pecha Kucha

•   Oral ‘stand-up’ presentations only, good for conference presentations
•   When you only have 6 minutes and 40 seconds
•   When a focus on fast-pace, conciseness and entertainment are paramount

The ‘TED Talk’ School

TED Talks are, quite simply, some of the most fascinating talks you will ever hear. The power of the ideas, and the skill of many of the presenters in the delivery of these ideas, has popularized an 18 minute presentation format that emphasizes story and big ideas.

Listen to Andrew Stanton from Pixar talk about what makes a great story:

When to use the ‘TED Talk’ style

•   Oral ‘stand-up’ presentations only
•   When you want to tell a story
•   When the focus is on big ideas
•   When you are presenting at TED (of course!)

The Lessig School

Larry Lessig is a Harvard Law Professor, founding board member of the Creative Commons, and strong proponent of reduced legal restrictions on copyright, trademark, and radio frequency spectrum.

He is also an amazing speaker. Lessig has, over the years, developed a very unique style that he has continued to refine. Have a look:

Interesting characteristics of Lessig’s unique style include:

•   Many, many slides; sometimes pausing for only a moment between each
•   Slides contain either a single, compelling image or simple text
•   Talks built around compelling stories or anecdotes
•   Variable speaking pace, with an almost preacher like cadence
•   Passion (righteousness even)
•   Strong narrative core (don’t be distracted by the novelty of the slides). These are very, very well written talks

When to use the ‘Lessig’ style

•   When story plays a major role in communicating your message
•   When the focus is on big ideas and themes
•   When your narrative is where the power is coming from

Guy Kawasaki School

Guy Kawasaki, former Chief Evangelist at Apple and a silicon valley venture capitalist, evangelizes the 10/20/30 rule of PowerPoint presentations. The rule states that a presentation should have no more than 10 slides, take no longer than 20 minutes, a contain no font smaller than 30pt.

When to use the ‘Guy Kawasaki’ style

•   When you are pitching to Guy Kawasaki (or other VCs)
•   When your audience already has a good understanding of the content and likely structure of what you will say (as Kawasaki's VC-pitch examples illustrate in the video above)

Sit-down style presentations

There are many other styles. You may have noticed that these approaches to presentations have one thing in common; these Schools are all oriented towards the ‘stand-up in front of a crowd and give a speech’ type of presentation.

When we say presentation, we often mentally picture ourselves standing in front of a crowd. And this is a problem.

The majority of business ‘presentations’ are not made standing-up in front of a crowd. Instead, they are made sitting down, around a table, updating a project team, or presenting our thinking/ideas/suggestions to our boss.

The context of these types of ‘sit-down’ meetings has a profound effect on the style of the presentation we need to give.

These types of meetings and presentations:

•   Will be more detail oriented (performance to-date, operational reviews, financial reviews, project-plan updates, etc.)
•   Consist of small groups, in a more intimate setting
•   Are more likely to result in discussion, going off on tangents or drilling-deeper
•   Likely have the participants holding a hard-copy of the presentation in their hand, inches from their nose
•   Can cause similar levels of public speaking anxiety as speeches

Speeches, in this context, are, shall we say… inappropriate.

Yet the vast majority of the 'presentation training' literature is focused on teaching what we should do when we are standing up in front of our audience (to give a speech). Some of it focuses on the creation of the presentation, but for presentations in a forum type setting.

Learning to give a presentation is not the same as learning to create a presentation

Our focus here is on what to do when you are sitting down. Our focus is on the creation of content for the presentations we give everyday. The project update / status report / executive board business presentation.

These types of business presentations require a specific presentation approach that the consulting school of presentation design is tailor made for.

McKinsey & Co. are universally regarded as the gold standard in strategy consulting. McKinsey's multi-million dollar advice is delivered in a very specific way.

There are a number of factors that make the McKinsey presentation, or Consulting style of presentation, unique and powerful:

•   Clear, logical structure: The presentation takes you step by step through an argument
•   The logic is sound (bullet proof!), the argument is complete
•   Strict, consistent slide format - minimalist in design
•   Data intensive: Assertions are proven with facts; and facts are data-driven whenever possible
•   Quantitative data and other evidence is displayed and structured in simple and clean charts
•   The key messages are contained on the slides of the presentation
•   Can be read in advance, forwarded to others without losing meaning

This is not an exhaustive list of the characteristics of this style of presentation, but these are perhaps the most material. Hopefully you can see how they distinguish the consulting business presentation style from other approaches.

Zen-style presentations popularized by Garr Reynolds, for example, stand in stark contrast (reliance on imagery; focus on conference-style presentations).

Below is a BCG presentation, which is a good example of this type of presentation. We have annotated it with comments on how it could be even better, but, in general, it is a good example.

Fine, but does this approach work outside of consulting?

This approach to business presentation design applies across a range of different business situations:

•   Board meetings, senior executive meetings
•   Solution selling
•   Project updates / status meetings
•   Start-up investment pitches
•   Financial performance reviews etc. etc. etc.

If you are still in doubt as to when to use this style of business presentation, here are a few tests to apply:

•   Is it a business situation?
•   Do you need to communicate information in some depth?
•   Is it a ‘sit-down’ type setting (almost intimate)?

Have a look at the following presentation for an example of why the first test above is important ;-)

To create great presentations requires skills across a wide range of areas.

There are 5 disciplines one must master to effectively write and present impactful business presentations:

•   The Power of Logical Structure

The rest of this Advanced Guide to McKinsey-Style Presentations will dive deep into each of these disciplines.

Structure is a beautiful thing.

It brings order, clarity. It enables understanding. We know it when we see it (even if it is just subconsciously) because comprehension immediately becomes easier. Our mind is automatically sorting information into distinctive groups and establishing hierarchies of relationships between these groups (semantic network model) all the time.

Effective structure is the first commandment of presentation creation.

But what is logical structure? How do you create a presentation that has logical structure?

There are half a dozen or so tricks, which when employed obsessively, can allow you to quickly cut through most of the pitfalls (and fairly unhelpful theory of logic) to produce a structure that works.

Group your ideas together to form an argument

Your mind is automatically imposing order on everything around you, all the time. You are grouping, classifying and imposing relationships on all the information your brain processes.

The goal in crafting a presentation is to facilitate the mental processing that is going on in the mind of your audience. To make this processing as easy as possible.

We can do this in two ways:

1. Rule of 7 Updated: Limit the Number of Your Groups to 4

George Miller, a Harvard psychologist, published a famous study in 1957 entitled ' The Magic Number Seven, Plus Or Minus Two '. This led to a well know rule of thumb that stated people only had the capacity to process 7 chunks of information at a time. Further research has enabled us to refine our understanding of how this rule changes depending on our definition of 'chunks' of information. More recent conclusions state that people can really only process 4-5 concepts - and only one at a time.

As a consequence, we should seek to structure our ideas into groups of 4-5 or less.

Put simply - there is no such thing as 7 or 9 of anything. If you have a list of 9 things, then you need to go up a level of abstraction and group them into 3-4 buckets.

It is easy to take this insight too far. There is no magical number of bullets per slide. Edward Tufte has some interesting things to say about this here . At its core, this is about a relatively self evident truth: Your audience will struggle to process information. Help them out by being aware of the number of discrete ideas you are sharing at any one time.

2. MECE: Ensure your Groups are Mutually Exclusive and Collectively Exhaustive

MECE stands for mutually exclusive, collectively exhaustive. It is terminology that today is synonymous with McKinsey and other top-tier consultancies.

The term refers to the idea of structuring lists of ideas in ways where the list is:

•   Collectively Exhaustive (collectively, the ideas in the list cover all possible components of the idea)
•   Mutually Exclusive (individually, each idea in the list is distinct from each of the other ideas, there is no overlap between ideas)

The easiest way to get your head around these ideas is with an example.

The following list of the 7 dwarves is not collectively exhaustive:

We are missing Doc!

The following list of options for where to go for dinner is not mutually exclusive:

•   Restaurants East of our current location
•   Italian restaurants
•   Restaurants with music
•   Restaurants South of our current location

There is overlap within this list. There could be Italian restaurants east of us. Some restaurants south of us could have music.

This 'test' (is this list MECE?) is extremely powerful technique in ensuring logical structure and improving the clarity of your presentation.

You will be surprised at how many groups of ideas you will create which will fail this test - and result in you thinking about additional, great points and ideas that make you argument even more powerful.

Inductive vs deductive arguments

Deductive reasoning.

Deductive reasoning starts out with a general statement, or hypothesis, and examines the possibilities to reach a specific, logical conclusion.

The scientific method uses deduction to test hypotheses and theories. The deductive argument presents ideas in successive steps. An example of this type of argument is:

•   John is ill
•   If John is ill, he will be unable to attend work
•   Therefore, John will be unable to attend work

Inductive Reasoning

Inductive reasoning (know also as induction or 'bottom-up' logic), is a kind of reasoning that constructs general arguments that are derived from specific examples. Inductive arguments can take very wide ranging forms. Inductive arguments might conclude with a claim that is only based on a sample of information.

Here is an example of an inductive argument.

•   Two independent witnesses claimed John committed the murder.
•   John’s fingerprints are the only ones on the murder weapon.
•   John confessed to the crime.
•   So, John committed the murder.

Generally, our advice is to construct inductive-based arguments. They are easier for an audience to absorb because they require less effort to understand.

The challenge is that our instinct when writing a presentation is to present our thinking in the order we did the work, which is usually a deductive process.

DON"T DO THIS. No one cares what you did. How hard you worked. They want an answer to a question, not a tour of what you were up to for the last month!

Pay special attention to the Introduction

The start of a presentation requires special attention from a structural point of view.

It contains many traps which can lead unsuspecting authors astray. The purpose of the presentation is to address a question in the mind of the audience. The objective of the introduction is to establish the groundwork to plant this question, so that the rest of our presentation can focus on answering it.

The best approach for achieving this is Barbara Minto's SCQA framework. Buy Barbara's exceptional book The Pyramid Principle .

Context (or starting point): Where are we now?

Financial performance last year was fantastic, but growth has stalled in the first quarter…

Begin at the beginning. The Situation/Context or Starting Point is the background or baseline that anchors the rest of the story that will subsequently unfold. It is comprised of facts that the audience would be aware of and agree with in advance of reading the presentation. This helps to ground the presentation and establish a common starting point.

Typical situations are “we took an action”, "performance was good", "we have a problem".

Soon the audience will be asking themselves “I know this – why are you telling me?”. This is where the complication comes in.

Catalyst (or Complication): Something has changed...

A strategy for returning to growth has been proposed...

What happened next? The Complication creates tension in the story you’re telling. The key objective of the complication is to trigger the Question that your audience will ask in their mind.

Typical complications: “something is stopping us performing the task”, “we know the solution to the problem”, “a solution to the problem has been suggested” and “the action we took did not work”.

Question: The Question in the Mind of the Audience

Is this the right strategy?

The Question arises logically from the Complication and leads into the Answer. It is not explicitly stated in the introduction, it is implicit.

Typical questions: “what should we do?”, “how do we implement the solution?”, “is it the right solution?” and “why didn’t the action work?”

Answer (or Solution): Your answer to the Question

Yes, it will drive growth because…

The Answer to the Question is the substance of presentation and your main point. It is your recommendation. Summarize it first – completing your introduction – then break it down into details and write the main body of your presentations. This is where we develop our inductive argument, deploying groups of MECE ideas on the way to proving our point.

Call to Action (or Next Steps): What you want the Audience to do

We need to do this next

The call to action is the list of next steps that you want your audience to do.

You need next steps.

In fact, the next steps are the objective of your entire presentation. You want to identify these next steps early in the process of developing your presentation so that you can be sure to design a presentation that drives your audience to the action you desire.

Don’t leave the thinking around what the next steps are until the end.

Stories are the creative conversion of life itself into a more powerful, clearer, more meaningful experience. They are the currency of human contact. Robert McKee, Author and Screenwriter

Storytelling is a timeless human tradition. Before the written word, people would memorize stories that shaped cultures for generations. We are wired for communicating through and learning from stories.

All presentations are, at their heart, a story.

Via storytelling techniques we can elevate our presentations to something that moves people. Sometimes, it is obvious that this is our goal. We are presenting at TED. We are making a speech to our employees about our new strategy. We are delivering our first State of the Union address...

Often, it is not.

Our topic may feel mundane - lacking the grand themes that great stories seem to require. When this happens, often our mistake is in framing the objective of our presentation as an exercise in conveying information - to update.

Rather, the objective of our presentations should be to persuade. To, in-fact, establish in the minds of the audience an important question, and persuade that audience of the validity of our answer.

When we need to update - we need to identify the question the audience should have in their minds as a consequence of the update. In many case it will be ‘what do I need to do next’.

As a rule of thumb:

If you don't have something to say, why are you presenting? If you are presenting, know what you have to say.

Why stories are effective.

There are a couple of reasons why stories can be more effective than fact-based arguments at persuading audiences.

1. While some opinions people hold are rational and thought-out, many others are emotional

What is your favorite flavor of ice cream? Your favorite sports team?

You cannot change an emotionally charged opinion with a rational argument, but you can get your audience to empathize with a hero in a story and thereby affect the emotions they have connected to that subject.

Presenting a rational argument immediately activates the audience's critical mind, inviting him or her to analyze and counter-argue. By immersing your audience in a story, you bypass that resistance.

2. Stories are memorable and, as a consequence, are easier to repeat

As we have discussed, our brains think in terms of stories. We find it easier and more efficient to process stories. In fact, we have a pronounced bias towards stories.

As a consequence your audience is much more likely to remember the stories you tell them (and the messages those stories contain) and more likely to repeat them to others.

What makes a great story?

As a primer, have a listen to Academy award nominated documentary film maker Ken Burns (The Civil War, Jazz) talk about story (especially the fist half). In the video Burns explores what makes a great story. The '3' Burns references is what we are seeking to capture in any great presentation.

Nancy Duarte does a fantastic job of exploring how story is critical to the creation of a great presentation.

In this video, Nancy makes the point that stories and reports occupy opposite ends of a spectrum.

She makes the case that in order to convey the meaning behind your report, you need to introduce elements of story, in order to engage with your audience on a more human level. The appropriate balance you need to strike between story and reporting will be entirely driven by the context of your own presentation.

We can have facts without thinking but we cannot have thinking without facts. John Dewey, Pragmatist philosopher (1859 - -1952)

The Bare Assertion

CEO: So you are saying that I need to invest $100 million now or we will go out of business?

Presenter: Yes.

CEO: And why is that again?

Presenter: Because I said so…?

To convince and persuade in today’s corporate world business people must construct evidence-based arguments. They must demonstrate, not simply assert.

Edward Tufte makes a great case for what he calls informational depth.

Executives are not dumb. When you are presenting to them they need informational depth. When people are presenting to you, you need to figure out what their story is, but also need to decide whether you can believe them. Are they competent? … Detail helps credibility. Edward Tufte, Author, statistician & professor

This, unfortunately, requires significant effort, work, and thinking to pull-off.

The effort required to do this is also a key reason why so many poor presentations lack a fact-based approach to persuasion. There are no short cuts. This is where real effort pays off with discriminating audiences.

Often discriminating audiences (senior executives, investors, advisers, challenging customers) will see their role being a ‘stress-tester’. They will test your assertions. Challenge your data. Poke, probe and dissect your analysis.

Your audience does this because they suspect what you are saying is important. And if they act on what you are saying, and it turns out you were wrong… well this would reflect negatively on them. So, in a way, receiving the third-degree in a presentation can be a good sign.

If you pass the test.

It is for situations like this that you need data, facts and proof. You will be eaten alive if you simply assert.

But your data, facts and proof should be in support of your structure, your story. The goal is not to squeeze in all the analysis you have done. Inevitably much of your analysis will not be required to make your central argument. Be equally ruthless in sorting and prioritizing what analysis is required to make your point.

Tables and Graphs

They are fundamentally different.

When you have data that you would like to present, resist the urge to throw it into the sexiest 3D pie chart you can create.

Instead, think first about how you intend to use the data and what point you are trying to make with the data.

Graphs and tables excel at different things and depending on your purpose, one will be a better choice than another.

The primary benefit of a table is that it makes it easy to look up individual values. There are four uses of data for which a table is a good option:

•   Look-up individual values
•   Compare individual values (but not entire series of values)
•   Present precise values, and
•   Present both summary and detail values

Business Charts, on the other hand, present the overall shape of the data. Graphs are used to display relationships among and between sets of quantitative values by giving them shape.

Use charts and graphs when:

•   The message or story is contained in the shape of the data
•   The display will be used to reveal relationships among whole sets of values

Common Graphs

Quantitative values can be represented in graphs using the following:

• Shapes with varying 2D areas
• Shapes with varying color intensity

When determining what type of graph to select, it is absolutely critical that you first consider what you are trying to say with the data.

When you are in the diagnostic phase of your work, you may not know what the data has to say, so you will try a few different approaches. But once it comes time to creating your presentation, the data on the page exists to support the message you have in your headline. You will have a very specific message you will want the data to convey. You will have a specific relationship that you will want to represent.

And here are what graphs are best to illustrate each type of data relationship:

Design is thinking made visual. Saul Bass, Graphic Designer and Academy Award-winning filmmaker

Some people don't see the same way you do

Some people's visual processing thought routines are more word oriented, others are more visually oriented.

Visual thinking is the phenomenon of thinking through visual processing - it has been described as seeing words as a series of pictures.

Research by child development theorist Linda Kreger Silverman suggests that about 30% of the population strongly uses visual/spatial thinking, another 45% uses both visual/spatial thinking and thinking in the form of words, and 25% thinks exclusively in words.

This research has a profound impact on how we need to think about communicating our ideas. It is the principle reason (although most people don't really recognize it) why there has been a shift from the vertical memorandum (written in word, exclusively text), to the horizontal PowerPoint presentation (written in PowerPoint, containing text and visuals) - modern presentations are easier to understand!

It demands of us as presentation creators to continually think about how our ideas and concepts can be represented both verbally, but also visually.

Design is important, but can be challenging

Design, for many, is a challenge. Many attempt to solve this problem by hiring an agency to design a PowerPoint template for them. Or outsourcing the entire presentation design.

We recommend a different approach, one rooted in investing a bit of effort and in applying a good understanding of the type of design that works best for presentations.

Invest the time to make the presentation look decent

Many people believe (or use an excuse) that 'it's the content that counts'.

Spend the effort to make the presentation look good (it isn’t that hard).

Sign-up for our free trial and download our free template to get you started:

Practice a simplicity design ethos - not simple thinking

The very basics of slide design are not difficult to master because, in general, less is always more.

The very best presentation design eliminates the excess. It is a minimalist strategy to focus on only what matters, and to avoid distracting the reader away from the central point.

This minimalist design approach is not an aesthetic preference. It is a design strategy to support our presentation goal - the communication of our message. The design of our presentation, of each slide, should be solely focused on supporting that goal.

Focus on what your point is, and the key evidence required to prove that point - design around this.

You do not need to be a graphics designer to create very effectively designed presentation slides.

Here are some basic design rules of thumb to get you started:

Rules of Thumb (applied aggressively, obsessively)

1. adopt a message-driven slide layout.

•   Have a single, primary idea per slide
•   Put this main idea in your headline that spans the top of the page
•   Make your headline no more than two lines long
•   Put content in the main body of the slide that contains the proof of the main assertion / idea that is in the headline

2. Align all elements on each page neatly

•   Make sure the position of the headline on each slide is in the exact same spot on every slide
•   When you flip through your slides (like with those old picture books that created moving images when you flipped through them) the position of the headline should not move, the font size should not change
•   This also goes for other common design elements on each slide (logo, copyright notice, page number etc.)

3. In many instances, a picture is worth significantly more that 1,000 words

•   Use powerful, relevant images
•   Do NOT use stock photography
•   Do NOT use clip art
•   Use images judiciously, don’t go over board

4. Colors should be muted; Brighter colors used for emphasis

•   Don't use bright colors like red, orange or yellow, except to highlight an important point
•   Use a tool like Adobe Kuler to design an attractive color scheme that won't give your audience a headache

5. Use whitespace, use contrast

•   Be careful to use enough spacing – whitespace between lines and paragraphs is good
•   Whitespace improves legibility, increases comprehension, increases emphasis, and creates the right one
•   Use contrast to emphasize difference
•   Ways to create contrast include using contrasting colors, sizes, shapes, locations, or relationships

6. Don't use crazy animations, 3D, or random special effects

•   Just don't. Emulate modern 'flat' design style (think Metro interface, google design refresh etc.)
•   The wow of your presentation comes from the power of your ideas. Spiral animation entrances are not going to help

7. Don't use pie charts

•   This is a pet peeve of mine, but pie charts are visually difficult to interpret - other chart types (bar charts) are significantly more effective
•   Serious presenters know this and don't use them - when you do it makes you look like an amateur

8. Use typography

•   Custom fonts give your presentation a nice distinctive look that allows it to stand out in a sea of Arial
•   Many great custom fonts are now available for free - check out Google Fonts, they can be downloaded and used on your desktop within PowerPoint

The passions are the only orators that always persuade. Francois de La Rochefoucauld, Author, moralist (1613 - 1680)

Before you can inspire with emotion, you must be swamped with it yourself. Before you can move their tears, your own must flow. To convince them, you must yourself believe. Winston Churchill, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (1874 - 1965)

The presentation has been written. The work has been put in. It is time to start thinking about the act of delivering the presentation.

Our view is that ‘winging it’ tends to not be a good strategy.

Preparation

Preparation, once the deck has been written, means practice.

We suggest the following approach:

1. Develop a script

Write down a formal voice-over script of what you will say. Write this down in advance.

Adopt simplified language. You want to be interpreting the content on the slide, not reading it!

2. Memorize the script

Rehearse until you have memorized your script. We know this is boring. Try speaking the script out loud. In our experience it is very difficult to memorize a script simply reading it to yourself.

3. Finally, abandon the script

Once you have spent enough time memorizing the script you will start to feel comfortable deviating and embellishing.

Use your script as a road-map during delivery, rather than a crutch. It is your safety net.

This robust approach takes time and, to be honest, may only be appropriate for the most important of meetings. But it works.

Deliver with Conviction, Passion and Drama

You must believe in your material for others to believe in you.

A fact-based approach to persuasion, and logical structure are techniques that, when applied, position you to have a very high degree of confidence in your material.

The standards are high (and sometimes unforgiving). By meeting them in advance, you can enter the room with a high level of confidence in your material.

Enthusiasm is contagious.

Show your passion for the material. If the topic is as dull as dishwater, show passion for the elegance of your thinking and the power of your recommendations. This is killer.

A little drama (mixed in with some storytelling) can really elevate a presentation.

This drama can be inherent in the complication/catalyst. It is also embedded in the WIIFM (What’s In It For Me). Play this up and occasionally reference the implications of what you are saying to this.

Chapter 10: The Process to Write a Killer Presentation

What follows are a set of presentation tips in the form of a step-by-step list of what you need to do to create a killer presentation. The SlideHeroes course includes an interactive checklist that allows you to keep track of each step as you progress.

Before you start, determine where in the thinking process you are.

Ask yourself the following key questions:

•   Have you finished your analysis, and are now embarking on the final phase of summarizing your findings? 
•   Or are you still trying to figure out the question you should be answering?

Often people will turn to PowerPoint long before they have completed their thinking – try to resist this urge, use paper instead.

Once you are finally ready to write your presentation - stop.

Consider crafting your elevator pitch instead.

Imagine: your meeting has been cancelled, but you manage to catch your audience in the elevator on the way out of the building. You have 1 minute – what do you want to say?

Often we are better at ‘getting to the point’ orally. As soon as we start thinking in terms of a presentation, we can sometimes lose the plot. This exercise will help you capture the main thrust of what your presentation is meant to convey early on in the process.

Apply our 'Who, Why, What, How' process

Begin the process of writing a business presentation by reviewing our 4-step process. This process is your roadmap of what you need to do. Briefly review what you need to do at each step:

•   Identify WHO your audience is
•   Determine WHY you are speaking with them
•   Determine WHAT your answer is to your audience's question
•   Decide HOW to best communicate that answer

Once you have taken stock, determined where you are in your thought process, and are ready to proceed.

The first major step is to identify WHO our audience is.

This sounds easy. But there are critical nuances that you need to be aware of which we will explore.

A. Identify Who your Audience is

Determine who the hero of your presentation is (hint it is not you - it is your audience).

A nuance to be aware of is that sometimes the true target of your presentation may not be obvious. You may be speaking to a group you don’t know well and, as a consequence, may not have a full understanding of the political dynamics at play. Who are the true decision makers? Who can truly help you progress to the next step?

During this step you need to take the time to identify who within your audience you are truly speaking to – who matters.

B. Profile your Audience

Once you have identified your Audience, spend some time profiling them.

Ask yourself the following questions about your audience:

•   How much will the audience know about the situation/topic before we start the presentation?
•   How do they prefer to consume information?
•   Visual bias? Numerical bias?
•   Pre-read in advance?
•   What is the best timing of messages?

The second major step in our process is determining WHY you are presenting and your goal for the meeting.

A. Determine the Context of the Presentation

The next three tasks in our process are focused on building our Introduction and isolating the question we are answering for our Audience.

The reason we are creating a presentation, is always to answer a question that is in the mind of our audience.

The context is the background to the presentation. It contains information the audience already knows.

B. Identify the Catalyst of the Presentation or meeting

The Catalyst is the complication in the story that has resulted in the problem we are here to answer.

What happened, changed or was realized that is causing us to meet today? What led us to do the analysis or work to answer your question?

C. Determine the Question

Determine the question you are there to answer.

Most questions will fall into one of these 4 types:

• I have a problem: Why did it happen? or,
• I have a problem: What should we do?
• I have a problem, someone has suggested a solution: Should we adopt that solution?
• I have a problem, someone has suggested a solution: How should we implement this solution?

D. Determine the Objective / Next Step for the Meeting

You need next steps. You need a call to action. The objective of your presentation should be for your audience to DO SOMETHING as a result of you presenting your material.

What do you want your audience to do?

What do you need your audience to understand to achieve the meeting’s goal?

The third major step is to determine and write WHAT your answer is to your audience’s question.

The Power of Logical Structure

A. gather existing work; develop new thinking.

Do the work.

This is where your own domain expertise comes in. Suffice it to say, you need to do the work, the analysis, the thinking to answer the question.

•   Gather existing content (improve on it)
•   Conduct new analysis

Create ideas first, slides second.

B. summarize and organize your ideas.

•   Organise your argument into logical groups
•   Bucket arguments into MECE groups
•   Use visual thinking tools to capture and organize your ideas

The Art of Storytelling

A. storyboard the presentation.

Storyboarding is a technique for writing that was first developed by Walt Disney for use in the creation of animated movies.

Have a listen to Pixar describe how they use storyboarding in film:

Storyboarding is a fantastic technique for developing presentations because it allows you to work on text, visuals and structure simultaneously.

The Harmony of Design

B. develop a slide template, c. develop content for each slide.

•   Write out each heading for each slide
•   Write out each sub-heading for each supporting piece of evidence/chart
•   Design charts and supporting visuals
•   Open PowerPoint!
•   Populate slides with supporting evidence

The Science of Fact-based Persuasion

D. develop graphs and tables for your data.

•   Determine what tables or chart types are best for the data you wish to show
•   Create the tables or charts
•   Reduce and eliminate chart-junk
•   Design tables and graphs to emphasize the key data elements that support your story

The Drama of Performance

A. practice.

Practice makes perfect. So practice.

•   Do an initial run through of the presentation. Speak the presentation out loud and improvise
•   Write this version down as a formal script
•   Run through the presentation two or three more times working on length, simplifying language
•   If the length needs editing, revise the presentation, eliminating or combining slide ideas
•   Present to someone else to solicit feedback and simulate a ‘live’ presentation
•   Run through the script a few more times and then park it
•   Get a good night’s sleep; review the script once or twice just before the presentation
•   Conduct a pre-presentation flight-check to ensure you have everything you need
•   Deliver with conviction, passion and drama
•   Focus on just a few things to ensure a great delivery:
• Manage your stress - quite your mind, breathe, relax
• Adopting the right ‘tone’ and approach
• Being yourself. Relax!
• Communicating both verbally and physically (kinetically)
• Answer your Audience’s questions

Below are the set of presentation tools we recommend to create fantastic business presentations.

Presentation Creation

I know everyone rags on PowerPoint. It just isn’t PowerPoints fault.

It is still the best we have got.

Pretty cool 'zoom' transition effects. Kind of hard to use, places huge emphasis on design skills.

Chart Design

We can do so much better than PowerPoint and Excel…

Plotly charts look great. The interface is easy to use and there is a good variety of chart types to select from.

RAW (open source)

Similar to Plotly, RAW produces great looking charts. There is a wide selection of chart types (you can also create your own). Powerful.

Image Design

Web apps that help create fantastic graphics, easily.

Image design tool. Very, very easy and quick. Pretty Awesome.

Poor man's Photoshop. Particularly good at retouching photos.

Productivity

PowerPoint plugins that can turbo charge your productivity

Plugin that enables you to quickly create complex Waterfalls, Marimekkos, Gantts and Agendas within PowerPoint. A favorite.

PowerPoint Add-In to improve visual quality and help with proofing.

Presentation Distribution

The YouTube for presentations.

If you have made it this far, well done! ;-)

If you are still hungry for more here are some great books, blogs and courses(!) that may pique your interest.

I recommend the following great books:

•    The Pyramid Principle , Barbara Minto
•    Slideology , Nancy Duarte
•   The Visual Display of Quantitative Information , Edward Tufte
•   Show Me the Numbers , Stephen Few

The following blogs are among my favorites:

•   Storytelling with Data , Cole Nussbaumer
•   Presentation Zen , Garr Reynolds
•   SlideMagic , Jan Schultink

Our course (Decks for Decision Makers)

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How to make McKinsey-style slides

In the business world, slides are the default communication method. There are some notable exceptions to this rule — Amazon is well-known for their six-page memos . 

In most companies, you will need to use slides to

Make a business case or proposal

Report on the performance of a project, initiative or business unit  

Explain a concept 

When slides are circulated as pre-read material, they are the first impression that executives have of your presentation. Hold yourself to a high bar when it comes to making and presenting clean and professional slides. 

Management consultants are infamous for the quantity and quality of their slide-making. Especially top tier management consultants like McKinsey.

We created a 6-slide McKinsey-style PowerPoint template to democratize the consulting know-how.

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Plus, here are 4 strategies to succeed with this template:

Aim for one concept per slide.

Leverage the Pyramid Principle. 

Optimize your titles.

Lead with charts, graphs and visuals.

Below, we’ll dive deeper into each of these steps and share best practices. Before we get started, two reminders:

We cover the management consulting playbook and strategy in-depth in our Business Intensive , a 6-week “micro MBA” program that also covers finance, marketing, sales and more.

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1. Aim for one concept per slide.

As the presenter, you are the main attraction. Slides are just a prop.

Your audience has a short attention span (just 5-10 minutes on average). They should be listening to you, not trying to decipher a busy slide.

Clutter is distracting. 

Make it easy on your audience. One “main idea” per slide. The max is two.

2. Leverage the Pyramid Principle. 

Consultants leverage the Pyramid Principle to make effective slides and presentations. 

The Pyramid Principle is a framework that defines a pyramid structure for communication. With this framework, you will start each slide (and the corresponding section of your talk) with the conclusion / main point. Then, you will follow with your supporting arguments and finally the details and data. 

Essentially, you first deliver the main idea succinctly and expand with each subsequent layer.

Executives are top-down thinkers who appreciate the directness of the Pyramid Principle. Learn more here . 

3.  Optimize titles.

Make each title powerful and punchy. After all, the title is the prime real estate on any slide. 

When you first encounter a presentation (or any document or website for that matter), your eye usually starts at the top right corner and scans across the top bar. So, your title is the first item your audience will absorb.

This is the F-shared pattern for reading content. Once you read the title, your eye moves down vertically and once again scans across the second part of the page, and so on and so forth until you reach the bottom left part of the page.

Pro tip: Someone should be able to grasp your entire narrative by reading only the titles! That sets a very high bar for titles, which comes in especially handy for slides that are circulated as a pre-read.

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4. Lead with charts, graphs and visuals.

It’s difficult to read slides and listen to a presentation at the same time. Make it easy for your audience by leaning into visuals.

Management consultants utilize well-designed graphs like these:

You can easily make these graphs with the right PowerPoint add-on. think-cell is a great tool for ~$250 per year (there's a free trial period).

We cover these topics and more in the Business Intensive , our top-rated MBA alternative that builds business acumen.

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PowerPoint Storytelling: How McKinsey, Bain, and BCG use the SCQA framework to create elite presentations

By Paul Moss

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Big name consulting firms like mckinsey, bain, and bcg all do one thing really well: they create amazing presentations for their clients. but it’s not just the formatting and design that makes these presentations so special. it’s the stories they tell..

In this article you’ll learn the PowerPoint storytelling techniques major consulting firms like McKinsey, Bain, and BCG use to build elite presentations. You’ll see how these storytelling experts build presentations with clear takeaways, compelling insights, and an engaging narrative. I’ll walk through each step of the storytelling process in detail, and show you some examples of what this looks like in the real world.

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When building a presentation, regardless of who the audience is, you have one primary goal: to make it as easy as possible for the audience to understand what you’re trying to tell them. And this can be difficult – business presentations tend to have a lot of data and information, and it can be hard for the audience to grasp the key insights right away. Especially if they’re trying to also listen to the speaker and think about what they’re gonna say in response.

So when building your deck, it’s especially important to make sure it’s structured in a way that makes it clear, insightful, and engaging. It’s something top consulting firms do really well, thanks in part to two important concepts: the SCQA framework and the Pyramid Principle .

Table of Contents

SCQA Framework

In simple terms, SCQA is just a framework for presentations that allows you to craft a story around the information you’re trying to present. It stands for Situation, Complication, Question, and Answer.

Every presentation is an answer to some question, such as “should we acquire this company?” or “How did this marketing campaign perform?” or even “What did you find in your research?” – and the SCQA framework just allows you to provide context for that answer.

Practically speaking this means that your main deck is used to show your answer, and the situation, complication, and question are how you provide context for that answer.

Lets consider an example…

Disney Case Study

Let’s say you’re on a consulting case for Disney and the executives have asked you to make a recommendation for where they should build their next theme park. 

The main part of your presentation will be the actual recommendation and all the supporting details. But then the situation, complication, and question will form your introduction slide. 

The situation is how things are right now. The complication represents a change in that situation and is the reason why the presentation is needed. The question is what gets raised by the complication (and what needs to be solved). Then the answer is the resolution. 

So here, the situation might be something like, “Disney is looking to grow revenue by opening a new park”. The complication could be, “they need to decide where to open this park”. Which then leads to the implicit question which is, “where should Disney open its next theme park?”

Then the main part of your deck answers this question. 

And notice how this brings the presentation to life. It puts the presentation in context, and it tells the audience why they should care. Instead of just dropping them in the middle of your data, you’re leading them along and creating a narrative. Remember, your goal is to make it as easy as possible for the audience to understand what it is you’re trying to tell them.

Now, an important rule here is you don’t want your introduction to have anything new or controversial. It should all be something your audience already agrees with, so you can focus on the answer. All you’re doing is establishing relevance, and making sure you and the audience are on the same page.

BCG Example

Here is a great SCQA example from BCG .  

The presentation is for a non-profit organization that invests in open education resources (or OER) – which are basically education resources that are made available to everyone. 

“The Open Education Resources ecosystem” BCG, June 2013

They’ve titled the introduction slide “context of the work”, because ultimately that’s what it is. They’re just giving context before diving into the presentation. 

The first line says, “Since the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation began investing in open education resources in 2002, the field has grown significantly: the past decade has seen an influx of OER and increased awareness and adoption”.

And notice how this just clearly and plainly explains a steady-state situation. How things are right now. This is the situation.

Then the next line says, “However, more work remains to push the OER movement from the sidelines of mainstream education into the center of the classroom”. This line essentially tells us that things are looking good for OER, but more work remains. This is the complication.

And already you can see how this is setting up the presentation. The situation leads to the complication, and the complication very naturally leads to the question, which is the next line:

“The Foundation engaged the Boston Consulting Group in late 2012 to evaluate the state of the current ecosystem in the United States and to help understand how to measure the movement’s progress towards a sustainable, mainstream end-state”.

Now although they don’t state the question explicitly, you can see it in the text. The question is “What is the state of the current ecosystem in the US, and how can we measure the movement’s progress?”

And now we have the right setup for the presentation, and we’re ready to hear the answer. Everyone is on the same page, and the audience is ready to go. 

It might seem like a small piece of the presentation, but all the major consulting firms use this PowerPoint storytelling technique to turn what otherwise might be a dry presentation into a persuasive story with a clear narrative. 

Pyramid Principle

If you’ve watched our other videos, or taken some of our advanced courses , you’ll know that we talk about the Pyramid Principle a lot – especially as it relates to slide structure. But here I’m going to focus on how it applies to storyboarding and the presentation as a whole. 

Put simply, the Pyramid Principle is just a method of communicating information where you start with the main idea, and then provide the supporting details and data of that idea. Going back to our Disney example, the main idea would be on top, then the two supporting points would be below that. 

If you recall, the question is, where should Disney build a new theme park? 

Let’s say that your answer is that Disney should build a new theme park in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Two supporting reasons for that answer might be that Rio is a major tourist destination, and that the Disney brand is strong in Brazil. And if you wanted, you could continue creating additional layers to your pyramid with more supporting details and data. 

In a presentation, the way you would communicate this is from top to bottom. And the reason why that approach is so effective is because you provide the audience with context first, before giving them more granular detail. Plus it helps the audience know exactly what you’re trying to tell them, and how you’ve reached each of your conclusions. Remember, your main goal is to make it as easily as possible for the audience. 

If you were to turn each of these ideas into its own slide, you would rearrange them with the highest level ideas coming first, then the supporting details following each idea. Then throw your introduction slide up front, and voila! you’ve got yourself a story.

And this is the exact PowerPoint storytelling technique they use at every major consulting firm to build client presentations that are incredibly clear, compelling, and persuasive. 

Final Thoughts

Unfortunately, PowerPoint storytelling doesn’t always happen this smoothly. In practice, there are lots of factors that can influence the final version of deck. Not to mention other slides that I didn’t mention like an executive summary slide, next steps slide, or the appendix. But generally speaking, this approach works really well.

In fact, did you notice it’s the same approach I used for this article. I started by stating the situation: I said that when you build a presentation you want to make it as easy as possible for the audience. Then I introduced a complication: business presentations tend to have a lot of data and information, so making it clear can be difficult. The implicit question then became, how can you make data heavy presentations easy to understand. 

Then I moved on to my answer, which was to provide a clear structure to your presentation, using two key concepts: the SCQA framework, and the Pyramid Principle. And I used this structure to then build out and explain my answer. 

The end result is an article that’s clear, easy to follow, and insightful (I hope!).

You can watch a video version of this article on  YouTube .

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How to Make a “Good” Presentation “Great”

• Guy Kawasaki

Remember: Less is more.

A strong presentation is so much more than information pasted onto a series of slides with fancy backgrounds. Whether you’re pitching an idea, reporting market research, or sharing something else, a great presentation can give you a competitive advantage, and be a powerful tool when aiming to persuade, educate, or inspire others. Here are some unique elements that make a presentation stand out.

• Fonts: Sans Serif fonts such as Helvetica or Arial are preferred for their clean lines, which make them easy to digest at various sizes and distances. Limit the number of font styles to two: one for headings and another for body text, to avoid visual confusion or distractions.
• Colors: Colors can evoke emotions and highlight critical points, but their overuse can lead to a cluttered and confusing presentation. A limited palette of two to three main colors, complemented by a simple background, can help you draw attention to key elements without overwhelming the audience.
• Pictures: Pictures can communicate complex ideas quickly and memorably but choosing the right images is key. Images or pictures should be big (perhaps 20-25% of the page), bold, and have a clear purpose that complements the slide’s text.
• Layout: Don’t overcrowd your slides with too much information. When in doubt, adhere to the principle of simplicity, and aim for a clean and uncluttered layout with plenty of white space around text and images. Think phrases and bullets, not sentences.

As an intern or early career professional, chances are that you’ll be tasked with making or giving a presentation in the near future. Whether you’re pitching an idea, reporting market research, or sharing something else, a great presentation can give you a competitive advantage, and be a powerful tool when aiming to persuade, educate, or inspire others.

• Guy Kawasaki is the chief evangelist at Canva and was the former chief evangelist at Apple. Guy is the author of 16 books including Think Remarkable : 9 Paths to Transform Your Life and Make a Difference.

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Microsoft 365 Life Hacks > Presentations > How to introduce yourself in a presentation

How to introduce yourself in a presentation

A well-executed presentation should captivate your audience and listeners. The first step to gaining their attention is creating an engaging introduction. Learn why presentation introductions are important and how to properly execute one for your presentation.

Why are presentation introductions important?

Presentation delivery impacts your audience’s reception and listening skills. A dull delivery can deter listeners and potentially leave them disinterested. Conversely, an effective delivery can engage your audience, promote active listening, and stimulate substantive discussion.

Presentation introductions also help to establish the outline of your presentation and give the audience an idea of what is to come. Introductions play a crucial role in captivating listeners from the onset and building momentum. They address who you are, why the audience should be invested, state the topic, establish credibility, preview the main points, and establish the cadence and tone of your presentation. Before you dive into the content of your presentation, ensure you establish an effective introduction to captivate your audience.

Tell your story with captivating presentations

Powerpoint empowers you to develop well-designed content across all your devices

How to begin a presentation introduction

To establish rapport with your audience, here are some tips to effectively introduce yourself and your presentation:

Be clear and concise

A succinct introduction makes it easier for your audience to follow. Keep your introduction simple, short, and include only necessary information. State your name and topic clearly so your audience knows you from the beginning. Avoid unnecessary details or lengthy anecdotes in your introduction to keep things focused and to the point.

Provide pertinent background information

In addition to your name and topic, highlight anything else that is relevant. You can include your education, work background, qualifications, and other information. Most importantly, ensure the information you disclose is directly relevant to yourself and presentation.

Create a hook or attention getter

Once you’ve established your name and topic, create an engaging hook or attention getter. Your introduction can be funny, clever, or it can captivate your audience. Have fun creating an introduction, but be sure to align your tone and delivery to your audience.

Outline your presentation

Let your audience know what your will be discussing. Establish a roadmap of your presentation: outline your contents, topics, and main points in an easily digestible format. This makes it easier for your audience to follow your presentation and prepare for its contents.

Practice and refine

Once you’ve created a solid introduction, rehearse your introduction until the delivery is organic and smooth. Confidence is key for an optimal delivery. Speak clearly, practice eye contact, and use storytelling to engage your audience.

Be authentic

Above all, be yourself—authenticity helps you build trust and connection with your audience. Carry you character, speech, and personality into your presentation to draw in your audience.

A successful introduction establishes tone, cadence, topic, and showcases your personality. Gain your audience’s attention and effectively deliver your presentation with an effective introduction. For more ways to engage your audience and improve presentation delivery , learn more presentation tips .

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Why is collaboration key to CMO success?

While many chief marketing officers (CMOs) continue to face headwinds, there’s never been a better time to be a CMO. The marketing department’s responsibilities have expanded well beyond what we might think of as traditional marketing. CEOs and boards are giving CMOs more room than ever to step up and think boldly about how marketing can drive long-term growth. In fact, about 80 percent of CEOs believe CMOs can be a major driver of growth . Modern, highly effective CMOs take on growth aspirations, unify the C-suite, oversee personalization  and building the marketing department around the customer, and transform other leaders into champions of the marketing agenda so that everyone is pulling in the same direction.

Get to know and directly engage with senior McKinsey experts on the role of the CMO

Michael Birshan is a senior partner in McKinsey’s London office, where Biljana Cvetanovski  is a partner. Julien Boudet  is a senior partner in the Southern California office. Marc Brodherson , Ishaan Seth , and Jill Zucker  are senior partners in the New York office. Tjark Freundt  is a senior partner in the Hamburg office. Brian Gregg  and Kelsey Robinson  are senior partners in the Bay Area office. Eric Hazan  is a senior partner in the Paris office. Greg Kelly  is a senior partner in the Atlanta office. Jesko Perrey is a senior partner in the Düsseldorf office. Erik Roth  is a senior partner in the Stamford office, where Ed See  is a partner.

But CMOs can’t do it alone. Executives at leading organizations believe that a wide variety of business functions—from sales and product innovation to finance, technology, and HR—should participate in marketing’s success. The rest of the C-suite needs to embrace the potential of marketing as a growth driver and see a co-partnership with the CMO as an opportunity to deliver tangible value. And the CMO has the responsibility to make that potential clear to their C-suite colleagues.

To learn more about how CMOs can work with their colleagues to create value, read on.

Learn more about McKinsey’s Growth, Marketing & Sales Practice .

What are the three types of CMOs—and which type is most successful?

The CMO’s role as head of marketing is to drive an organization toward this collaborative vision. McKinsey research indicates that there are three types of CMOs but only one type holds the key to growth across an organization: the “Unifiers.” And they can make a big difference: McKinsey analysis shows that high-growth companies are seven times more likely to have a Unifier CMO: someone who fosters robust, collaborative partnerships across the C-suite.

Here’s more on the three types of CMOs:

• Unifier. These CMOs are masters at fostering cross-functional collaboration. They ensure that marketing has a clearly defined role in the eyes of their C-suite peers by articulating, in language their executive peers can understand, how marketing can meet the C-suite’s needs. As a result, their budgets are more likely to be protected during a downturn, and they enjoy a 48 percent longer tenure.
• Loner. These CMOs may be great marketers, but they don’t have the full support of—or deep relationships with—their C-suite peers. Loners tend to focus on near-term activities like ad campaigns and social media. They are seen by CEOs as marketers, not as equal partners. As such, they often report that their CEO doesn’t understand or trust marketing.
• Friend. This type of CMO is the most common, existing somewhere between the Unifier and the Loner. They may have one or two allies in the C-suite but haven’t been able to spread marketing’s agenda fully through the organization. They’re not as adept at speaking the language of the C-suite. Accordingly, chief technical officers (CTOs) tend to see them as “customers” of technology rather than partners in driving innovation.

What’s the typical relationship between CMO and CFO?

If the CEO is a CMO’s closest natural ally, the CFO is frequently their toughest critic . “Under pressure,” says one former consumer goods CFO we interviewed, “marketing gets cut first because it is the hardest to justify.” A full 45 percent of CFOs we surveyed said the reason marketing proposals have been declined or not fully funded in the past is because they didn’t demonstrate a clear line to value.

Introducing McKinsey Explainers : Direct answers to complex questions

To overcome this challenge, the most efficient CMOs use advanced analytics to demonstrate that marketing drives clear, predictable, and significant value. They build business cases with metrics that reflect meaningful financial value tied to performance marketing rather than indicators that matter less to CFOs (things like brand equity, engagement, or gross rating points).

Learn more about McKinsey’s  Growth, Marketing & Sales Practice .

How can CMOs best collaborate with CTOs?

The most successful CMOs understand that marketing and technology are inextricable partners in creating new value. Marketing can’t take advantage of the data companies possess without close collaboration with the CTO.

Pernod Ricard North America CEO Ann Mukherjee sees the CMO as the Rosetta stone  for the organization, linking the finance department to the CTO and beyond. “The CMO has to be the jack-of-all-trades,” she says. “They don’t have to be a perfect expert but must understand technology to stand side by side with the CTO…. In today’s world of analytics, the delivery of mass-personalized content requires the CMO to understand martech [the technology that undergirds these kinds of mass-personalization campaigns], as well as how data flows in the company.”

As partners, CMOs and CTOs develop a shared vision of how data from separate, disconnected systems can be integrated and then used to understand customers at granular levels, personalize interaction, and predict customer behavior. CTOs who feel responsible for the outcomes of marketing initiatives are more likely to devote dedicated resources to them.

What is spend efficiency and how can it drive growth?

To boost the impact of every dollar spent, organizations must create more personalized and meaningful connections with customers across every interaction. Leaders who successfully do so can drive up to a 30 percent  increase in marketing spend efficiency. Here are three examples of companies using spend efficiency to drive growth :

• During the early part of the COVID-19 pandemic, United Airlines doubled down on branding. Instead of playing it safe as lockdowns slowed air travel, United launched its biggest ad campaign in a decade. According to Maggie Schmerin, United’s head of global advertising, this helped the company forge ahead.
• A global telecom company reallocated its spending to great effect. It had previously spent billions of dollars on advertising each year, keeping a roster of expensive agencies on retainer. The telco took a hard look at how this work got done and revamped the process. It retained the larger agencies for inspiration and ideas, saved budget by developing an in-house agency to craft campaigns, and established new partnerships with agencies that could execute low-cost advertising production tasks. The revamping of the agency model ultimately led to $65 million in annual savings.
• A luxury department store successfully measured the impact of its marketing more consistently across its marketing funnel. Marketing executives knew that banner ads led to purchases, but the margins were not ideal. They used sophisticated incrementality testing that would help them understand what might erode margins after sales and learned that a good number of people were returning their purchases. They identified $50 million of potential incremental margin improvement by amplifying “midfunnel” banner ads that drove both consideration and conversion and by removing banner ads that drove excess returns.

How can CMOs help their teams become more collaborative?

Marketing that creates deeper customer connections, via personalization and otherwise, doesn’t happen without new levels of collaboration and coordination between the marketing team and its wide range of functional partners. The new marketing superpower is multidisciplinary competency. In our experience, success follows several key principles :

• Making marketing capabilities a first-rate strategic priority. Strengthening marketing capabilities can’t be an outsourced afterthought. Company executives and marketing leadership should quantify the value at stake and declare it a revenue imperative, not a cost.
• Connecting the dots across teams. It’s not just digital team members and traditional brand marketers who need to be upskilled. Leading companies extend their learning programs to include other key stakeholders and cross-functional partners, both internally and externally.
• Curating a program that leverages best practices for adult learning. Learning programs should support the acquisition of new skills, as well as help marketers apply these skills and knowledge in their jobs. Hybrid models often work best, with learning journeys that combine self-paced digital learning, live workshops, fieldwork, and on-the-job training and coaching.
• Taking a test-and-learn approach and adapting the program as you go. While some demands modern marketers face are universal, there are variations by region, industry, and organization. Learning programs should be piloted with an initial audience to be able to refine the program before scaling broadly.
• Viewing capability building as an ongoing journey, not an event. Learning new marketing skills is an ongoing process, evolving at pace with customer expectations. Organizations should prioritize building on existing knowledge, as well as evolving and developing new resources.
• Celebrating wins to drive cultural change. Collaboration and the use of new tools and processes don’t necessarily happen on their own. When marketers understand the value of doing something differently, they are more likely to want to change how they work.

While there’s no universal solution to marketing capability building, it pays to experiment. Finding the right approach can boost marketing performance through improved campaign execution time, customer engagement, and cost savings.

Learn more about McKinsey’s  Growth, Marketing & Sales Practice . And find out more about marketing-related job opportunities if you’re interested in working at McKinsey.

Articles referenced:

• “ Beyond belt tightening: How marketing can drive resiliency during uncertain times ,” McKinsey Quarterly , June 26, 2023, Julien Boudet , Marc Brodherson , Kelsey Robinson , and Eli Stein
• “ Modern marketing: Six capabilities for multidisciplinary teams ,” April 5, 2023, Anna Checa, Cayley Heller, Eli Stein, and Jamie Wilkie
• “ Choosing to grow: The leader’s blueprint ,” July 7, 2022, Michael Birshan , Biljana Cvetanovski , Rebecca Doherty , Tjark Freundt , Andre Gaeta, Greg Kelly , Erik Roth , Ishaan Seth , and Jill Zucker
• “ The growth triple play: Creativity, analytics, and purpose ,” June 21, 2021, Biljana Cvetanovski , Orsi Jojart , Brian Gregg , Eric Hazan , and Jesko Perrey
• “ Marketing’s moment is now: The C-suite partnership to deliver on growth ,” June 20, 2019, Julien Boudet , Biljana Cvetanovski , Brian Gregg , Jason Heller, and Jesko Perrey

Want to know more about the CMO role?