Storyboarding and Presentation Writing

This is an exclusive document to Flevy Pro community - http://flevy.com/pro
Management Consulting Training
Storyboarding and Presentation
Writing
Objectives Approach
Market
Overview
Contents Overview of Trends Competitive Trends Trends in Customer
Needs
Trends in Technology
Competitive
Environment
Contents Competitive Landscape Industry Curve New Entrants Company Profiles
Review of Findings Strategic Options Next Steps
Objectives
& Approach
Section 1
Section 2
Summary &
Conclusions
Industry Curve New Entrants Company Profiles
Next Steps

2This document is an exclusive document available to Flevy Pro members - http://flevy.com/pro
Contents
Storyboarding
Training Exercise
Presentation Writing
The content on this slide has been partially hidden.
FlevyPro members can download the full document here:
http://flevy.com/browse/flevypro/storyboarding-and-presentation-writing-1693

You may have come up with the best strategic recommendation—but all is
for naught if you can’t put it into good slides
Presentation Overview
You may have heard that management consultants spend the majority of their
time cranking out PowerPoint slides. There is much truth to do this—and for
good reason.
A PowerPoint presentation is not only a great communication tool, it is also
the form of most consulting deliverables—i.e. the end product purchased by
the client. The presentation must lay out the recommended solutions, the the
key takeaways, and analyses performed.
You may have done the most thorough, bullet-proof analysis and formulated
the best strategic recommendation. However, all this is worthless, if you can’t
communicate it clearly and in a compelling way through your PowerPoint
slides.
This presentation focuses on the art of presentation development. Topics
covered include storyboarding, pyramid logic structure, rule of 2, document
writing principles, and slide structuring. It also includes a training exercise.

Five principles underpin all good document writing
Principles of Good Document Writing
Write for your audience.
Keep it simple.
Support assertions with facts.
Stay in the active voice (use verbs).
Tell a good story.
1
2
3
4
5

Via a storyboard, sketch out your story early on
Storyboarding – Initial Steps
A storyboard will guide your information needs... so, write one early in the
project or piece of work:
− Use the storyboard to help identify and communicate the analysis needed.
− Do not wait until you have “the answer” before planning how to communicate the result.
Creating a storyboard up-front will help you to:
− Visualize each page of the document.
− Organize and communicate ideas.
− Check the logic flow (“necessary and sufficient” arguments).
− Organize the team.
− Check the team progress.

There are many ways to produce a storyboard
Storyboarding – General Approaches
A variety of media:
– Post-its.
– Flips.
– A4 pages (with 1 end-panel/slide per A4 page, or 2/4/6/8 end-panels/slides per A4 page).
Different levels of detail:
– Some roughly indicate content per panel/slide.
– Some show exactly what will be on each panel/slide, e.g. what graphs/charts will show.
As appropriate, revise and refine your storyboard over the course of the project.

A good story has simple, logical elements
Elements of a Story
“Tell them what you’re going to tell them”Roadmap
What the problem is
What we did
What we found
What that means
ELEMENT
What we need to do next
What happens next
PURPOSE
Set the stage
Outline approach/methodology; build credibility
Present findings
Interpret findings and draw conclusions
Make recommendations
Outline next steps

But these elements can be ordered in different ways
Element Flow
What the
problem is
What we did
What we
found
What that
means
What we
need to do
Example 1: Start with the problem and build to a recommendation
What we did
What that
means
What the
problem is
What we
found
What we
need to do
Example 2: Start with the recommendations
What will work best for your specific audience? (Know your audience.)

One of your first steps should be to structure your storyboard into key
sections
Storyboard Example
Vertical
Logic
Cover Slide
Contents
Objectives Approach
Market
Overview
Contents Overview of Trends Competitive Trends Trends in Customer
Needs
Trends in Technology
Competitive
Environment
Contents Competitive Landscape Industry Curve New Entrants Company Profiles
Review of Findings Strategic Options Next Steps
Introduction
Objectives
& Approach
Section 1
Section 2
Summary &
Conclusions
Horizontal Logic

Hypothesis-driven logic flows provide a useful framework for structuring
and telling your story
Hypothesis-driven Logic Flow
Introduce the
Hypothesis
Develop the
Supporting
Argument
Summarize
the Argument
• Critical issues/key
questions
• Hypotheses to answer
these questions
• Big picture context for
later more detailed
information
• Build the logic to support
the hypothesis:
• Introduce facts
• Draw conclusions
• Draw logical conclusions
• “Prove” the hypothesis
• Make recommendations

This hypothesis-driven logic flow is referred to as the Pyramid Logic
Structure (PLS)
Pyramid Logic Structure
Hypothesis
Vertical
Relationship
Key
Line
Horizontal
Relationships
Main supporting ideas
(Major sections)
Sub-supporting ideas
(Pages)
Supporting facts
(Evidence/facts on
each page)
Source: Barbara Minto, The Pyramid Principle: Logic in Writing and Thinking, 1996
The pyramid will have as many levels as needed to support the logical hierarchy.

The storyboard should have clear headlines that tell a complete, coherent
story
Slide Structure – Headline
Reading only the headlines should give the reader a clear idea of the story you
are telling.
Headlines are the hooks that draw attention to the text below.
They should quickly create and hold the audience’s interest.
Relative simplicity lowers the risk of losing anyone in your audience:
− Losing audience is always a risk.
− It’s hard to win back an audience once they’re off the hook.
− Complex or illogical storyline raises risk.
− Simple (but not simplistic) storyline lowers risk.

The main body of each page will tell the detailed story
Slide Structure – Body
Can be as complex as the brightest in your audience can understand:
− Don’t simplify to the lowest common denominator.
Nonetheless, effectively communicating complex material demands
“simplification”, e.g.:
− Examples.
− Formulas.
− Diagrams.
− Well-ordered bullets and dashes.
Finally, bumpers tell another story—the implications of the above message for
your audience.

Contents
Storyboarding
Training Exercise

Write a storyboard on one of the following topics (Timing: 20 mins)
Exercise Briefing
Your life story, or an incident in your life that has made a particular impact on
you.
“There’s a Robot in Your Future”—are robots really going to take over the
world? (see related articles).
How to become a millionaire before the age of 30 (or 40/50/60 depending on
where you start from!).

In creating your storyboard, pay attention to the following points
Exercise – Things to Think About
Clarify the objective before you start—what do you want to achieve?
Structure your story, and continually review for consistency and logic flow.
Ensure the story can be understood by just the headlines.
Have clear conclusions and recommendations.

Exercise – Timing
Individuals select a topic and produce own storyboard (20 minutes).
In sub-groups (30 minutes):
− Present individual storyboards.
− Discuss what works well, opportunities to improve, lessons learned.
In full plenary discuss key learnings (10 minutes).

There’s a robot in your future
Exercise – Articles for Use
a. Bill Joy, “Why the Future Doesn’t Need Us”, Wired, April 2000.
b. Hans Moravec, Director of Carnegie Mellon’s Mobile Robot Lab.
c. Drawing Life: Surviving the Unabomber. Free Press, 1997: 120.
"When you compare the evolution
of mental abilities in animals to
similar abilities in machines, robot
evolution is going about 10 million
times faster.”b

Contents
Storyboarding
Training Exercise

Your audience comes first
Importance of Audience
Think about your audience’s needs and background.
Create an audience-focused title page with an active title.
Write headlines that are clear and add value.
Do not cram pages too full:
− People cannot absorb too much at once.
− White space is essential.
Use the Bumper option when you want to drive home a key “so-what?”
message.

Following a standard presentation format offers several practical
advantages
Presentation Format – Overview
Audience soon learns where to look for particular kinds of information:
− Format “disappears” so they concentrate on substance.
− A form of repetition that promotes audience comfort.
Provides you with a ready-made framework:
− Helps you structure your ideas concisely.
− Eliminates the need to make small format and style decisions.
− Becomes familiar across the firm.
Promotes writing and production efficiencies.

BODY OF SLIDE
Headline (usually a sentence—2 lines max)
Slide Title (optional)
Source: if applicable
Bumper (optional).
Tracker
(optional)
A look at the slide elements and their names.A look at the slide elements and their names.

What this page is about
A Key Category of Idea
Source: Flevy.com
The key takeaway / implications of the slide—answers the question, “so what?”
How the elements work.How the elements work.
A main point
− A sub-point
− A second
A second main point
− A sub-point
− A second
Third main point, etc.

Follow the “Rule of Two”
Rule of Two
Limit every element in the format to 2 lines:
Report title Bullets Subtitle
Dashes Headline Bumper
Heads

Rigorously apply the “Rule of Two” to text at the revision stage
Break long bullets into bullets and dashes, which will not only make them look
considerably better on the page, but will also make them easier for the reader to
understand and remember.
Break long bullets into bullets and dashes:
– Better looking.
– Easier and faster to read and understand.
– More memorable.
That is, follow the Rule of Two.
Rule of Two (continued)

Good Headlines tell a logical, compelling story
Each headline should usually be a brief sentence:
− One line is best.
− Two lines maximum.
Avoid empty statements, e.g.:
− “The next step of the analysis is as follows:”
Say something meaningful that directs attention to the page’s important point,
e.g.:
− “ROE varies greatly across businesses”
Use headlines as the “story board” of your document:
− Reading only the headlines should tell a coherent story.
Avoid the “numbers game” in headlines:
− There are five major issues
− There are four parts to each issue
Pointers – Headline section

The Body of each page should also tell a story
Pointers – Body section
Create a logical flow from top to bottom.
Be sure it fits the logic of your overall story.
Don’t overwhelm your audience:
− By jamming too much information on page.
− With material that is beyond its comprehension.
Don’t “underwhelm” your audience:
− With too little (or trivial) information.
− By making simple information seem complex.

Ideally, Bumpers answer the “so what?” questions
Pointers – Bumper section
Say what the page’s content implies for the audience:
− NOT a continuation of the headline.
Sometimes used effectively in other ways:
− As exception statement or counterpoint.
− To sum up and end section (signal a transition).
Good Bumpers are short and to the point:
Follow the Rule of Two.
Optional—Use only when a “So-what?” is needed.
Using Bumpers well can add substantial power to your presentations.
This is the bumper statement.

For each page, bear key questions in mind
Pointers – Key Questions
What is the key message of this page?
– i.e. the one thing that the reader should learn or remember.
Is that message clear—can the clarity of the message be improved?
– By changing the format of the page, reducing the reader's workload?
– By highlighting the key point of information?
– By removing unnecessary information?
– By editing the language used?
Is the page complete and error free?
– Is all necessary information provided to the reader (sources, methodology, etc.)?
– Has the basic arithmetic been checked?
Think of the three questions you hope someone doesn’t ask you about the
page... then think of an answer to each!
Expect to see a lot of red pen on your panels from your manager and from editing, don’t be
alarmed... be grateful!

Visuals—such as diagrams, charts, images—add power to presentations
Pointers – Visuals
Have more impact than a table of raw
numbers.
Give both a numerical and a visual message.
Simpler really is better.
Worst case—audience does not understand
your complicated graphic.
1
2
3
4

Keep tables as simple and clean as possible
Pointers – Tables
Highlight key numbers:
– Box or circle.
– Boldface.
Create logical patterns and progressions:
– Low to high; left to right; past to present to future; etc.
Use repetition:
– Present similar data in same format from page to page.
– Promotes audience comfort.
Put “data dumps” in appendix.

Revisiting the five principles that underpin all good document writing
Principles of Good Document Writing
Write for your audience.
Keep it simple.
Support assertions with facts.
Stay in the active voice (use verbs).
Tell a good story.
1
2
3
4
5

Flevy (www.flevy.com) is the marketplace
for premium documents. These
documents can range from Business
Frameworks to Financial Models to
PowerPoint Templates.
Flevy was founded under the principle that
companies waste a lot of time and money
recreating the same foundational business
documents. Our vision is for Flevy to
become a comprehensive knowledge base
of business documents. All organizations,
from startups to large enterprises, can use
Flevy— whether it's to jumpstart projects, to
find reference or comparison materials, or
just to learn.
Contact Us
Please contact us with any questions you may have
about our company.
• General Inquiries
support@flevy.com
• Media/PR
press@flevy.com
• Billing
billing@flevy.com

1
Flevy (www.flevy.com) is the marketplace
for premium documents. These
documents can range from Business
Frameworks to Financial Models to
PowerPoint Templates.
Flevy was founded under the principle that
companies waste a lot of time and money
recreating the same foundational business
documents. Our vision is for Flevy to
become a comprehensive knowledge base
of business documents. All organizations,
from startups to large enterprises, can use
Flevy— whether it's to jumpstart projects, to
find reference or comparison materials, or
just to learn.
Contact Us
Please contact us with any questions you may have
about our company.
• General Inquiries
support@flevy.com
• Media/PR
press@flevy.com
• Billing
billing@flevy.com

Storyboarding and Presentation Writing

Recommandé

Recommandé

Contenu connexe

Plus de Flevy.com Best Practices

Plus de Flevy.com Best Practices (20)

Dernier

Dernier (20)

Storyboarding and Presentation Writing