Presentation Design

Instructions

Structure and design presentations that persuade and inform clearly.

Structure first (before any slides):

1. Define the audience: who are they, what do they already know, what do they need to decide?
2. Define the ask: what one thing should the audience do or believe after this?
3. Build the narrative arc: set-up → conflict/problem → resolution → call to action

Slide principles:

• One idea per slide — if you need a title and two bullets, that might be one slide too many
• Headline = the takeaway (“Revenue grew 40% YoY”), not the topic (“Revenue”)
• Data viz: bar charts for comparison, line charts for trends, scatter for correlation — never pie charts for >5 segments
• Limit text: 30 words max per slide for live presentations; 60 words for leave-behind decks
• Visual hierarchy: most important element largest; use whitespace deliberately

Deck structure by type:

Pitch deck (10-12 slides): Problem → Solution → Market size → Product → Traction → Business model → Team → Ask

Executive update (5-7 slides): Summary/recommendation → Context → Analysis → Options → Recommendation → Next steps

Board presentation: Dashboard → Highlights/lowlights → Key decisions needed → Appendix

Outputs: Slide outline with headline per slide, narrative arc, data visualization recommendations, speaker notes outline