Enhance your consulting skillset and learn to put together a state-of-the-art administration presentation in PowerPoint
All through my 15+ years throughout the consulting enterprise, I’ve met many nice mentors which have taught me the right way to create compelling shows. Quite the opposite, I’ve additionally met many coworkers and purchasers who wrestle to formulate and convey their messages appropriately through an expert slide deck. Listed here are a number of ideas which you could instantly apply to your enterprise shows beginning right this moment.
Earlier than you create your first slide, you have to be clear about your viewers and their intentions. Ask your self the next three questions:
Who’s your viewers? It is advisable perceive your viewers! Are they resolution makers? Are the implementors? Are they opinion formers? What are their expectations of your presentation? What response do you count on from them? What info do they have already got?
What’s the objective? There are two major the explanation why you’re holding a enterprise presentation. The primary one is to tell. You would possibly need to share info together with your viewers a couple of analysis you’re doing or a challenge you’re engaged on. The second major objective is to influence, like a gross sales pitch for a challenge or service.
What’s the anticipated end result? Think about you already offered your case, what occurs subsequent? There are three potential outcomes: acceptance and settlement, recommendation or feedback, choices and actions.
The solutions to all three questions extremely affect your overriding query and can decide your storyline.
The SCQA (state of affairs, complication, query, solutions) framework is a superb instrument to derive an overriding query. The idea is extensively used inside administration consulting.
Listed here are the 4 phases:
- State of affairs: You will need to perceive the present state of affairs of your viewers. Due to this fact it’s worthwhile to do analysis in regards to the context that they function in. When describing their state of affairs, make certain to make use of their terminology and numbers. The state of affairs must be described in such a manner that it connects seamlessly to the complication.
- Complication: The complication is the set off or the explanation why your presentation is related. It’s a abstract of the problems that your viewers is going through. It should turn out to be clear why the chosen subject wants consideration proper now and can’t wait any longer.
- Overriding Query: The overriding query will turn out to be the general theme of your presentation. It’s a considerate description of what you are attempting to unravel and what success will appear to be to your viewers. Once more, it should seamlessly join with the solutions.
- Solutions: That is the half the place you’ll create worth to your viewers. Whereas the state of affairs, complication and overriding query might additionally come out of your viewers, the solutions can solely come from you! You will need to conduct deep analysis and use your expertise and experience in a given discipline to seek out the precise solutions to the issues at hand.
The state of affairs, complication, overriding query half additionally makes for a terrific opening slide of your presentation. You present your viewers that you’ve got achieved your homework and that you simply converse their enterprise language. The solutions then cowl the most important a part of your presentation.
A coherent storyline that flows from begin to end is the important thing success issue of your presentation. There are numerous methods to construction your ideas. One approach is a subject tree. A subject tree means that you can divide and conquer a fancy overriding query and break it down into manageable parts (or matters).
After you have recognized the matters that type the construction of your resolution, you’re able to carry them so as and create your storyline round it.
A storyline is supported by good slide content material. The motion title and topic title present construction and steerage to your viewers:
- Motion title: The motion title is a full sentence with a full cease that’s situated on the very prime of each slide. It summarizes the important thing message that you simply need to convey in your slide in a single sentence. Each motion title is logically linked to the motion title of the earlier slide and the subsequent slide. All motion titles learn sequentially from begin to end type the storyline of your presentation. That is additionally known as the horizontal move of your presentation.
- Topic title: The topic title is situated instantly beneath your motion title. It’s the heading of your slide content material. The topic title along with the primary slide content material varieties the vertical move of every slide.
Guide analogy: In a novel, the motion title could be corresponding to the abstract of a selected chapter. The topic title could be the chapter identify itself.
Nothing is worse than attending a presentation with a slide deck that feels prefer it has been developed by 15 totally different individuals who by no means talked to one another. Typically this would possibly even be true, particularly if content material is rapidly copied and pasted from varied locations. Listed here are a number of checks to use:
- Information consistency: All numbers should match to keep away from pointless discussions. Use a legend if an identical worth is repeated. Instance: for those who use each EBIT and EBITDA, state which worth is used when to keep away from confusion.
- Streamlined colours and fonts: Verify the constant use of colours and fonts. Substitute colours by grayscale in case colour doesn’t add worth to the content material of the slide. Use just one font sort and persist with the identical font sizes.
- Alignment: Verify that each one components on a slide are aligned and have applicable width, peak and distance from one another. Verify consistency throughout slides.
- No good artwork and 3D results: Sensible artwork can hardly be maintained and formatted properly. Additionally, 3D results are usually thought-about unprofessional for enterprise shows. Due to this fact exchange them.
If you wish to learn to create a compelling slide deck from scratch or polish an current slide deck, take a look at this complete information that I’ve put collectively for you.
