I am just reading this accurate blog post on Apollo Ideas: break up bullet point slides into multiple pages that focus on one idea each. Many of my clients object to this technique. “That’s too many slides! I only have 25 minutes!” They are choosing the wrong metric; number of slides, kilos of printout, presentation file size, it does not matter. Time is the only relevant factor. When you have 25 minutes to present, you bring slide material that will not exceed 25 minutes. That could mean: 50 slides, 750 gram of handouts, 5 paper flip charts, or a 70MB file.
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Thanks for your prompt response. I'd actually like to reply to your post in 2 parts;
To give some context, i'm a student in one of the b-schools in singapore; i frequently get powerpoint challenges when having to do presentations - most peers are given to structuring presentations "Thirst" style rather than say, that of McKinsey. That would be fine in most cases except that our courses have a finance and strategy orientation.
I'd actually like to follow up on the original topic of your post, which was a follow-up from Apollo Ideas.
Given that audiences/clients tend to get overloaded with bullet-points, how does one reconcile this when the given topic is heavily data and fact driven?
I've seen some samples of McKinsey presentations which were cluttered with both charts and bullet points. I understand the need for comprehensiveness, but how would you ensure that whats on the slide gets into your client's head?
- daniel
I am not sure whether the shift in thinking is as dramatic as you describe it.
The "rules" of the McKinsey template are very straightforward: positions of titles, sources, and a minimalist approach to bar/column charts (no axes, clear data labels, etc.). It is not that hard to learn them. It is not a major change in slide design philosophy to adhere to these rules that make it easier for everyone to understand a chart.
McKinsey uses a number of standard frameworks, not really standard slide designs, but more standard problem solving techniques that new Firm members are keen to use.
Most of the charts in McKinsey are produced by support staff who influence the final look and feel of the chart, making sure it fits in the required format.
McKinsey presentations are mostly strategy documents and not SlideShare presentations like "Thirst". More day-to-day, more data driven, more rational. In these types of presentations there is less room (and time) for visual creativity with images, colors and slide concepts.
The final document of a McKinsey report might contain only a few slides, but the work leading up to it involved many, many, many slides. If a slide makes it through all the way to the end, it has been edited and re-written many times by senior staff who have built up lots of experience with the McKinsey format and template. You usually don't see the slides that did not completely comply.
I have a question with regards to how McKinsey trains its staff into accepting a certain slide style.
I believe that everyone entering the company would have differing views on how slides should be done (and this is something not easily erased), but yet the interesting thing is that everyone can be put on a common page with some level of consistency after going through this training.
What prompts this shift in thinking?
- daniel, singapore
If the presentation is more for reading than presenting, keep the bullets
If it is more for presenting, see whether you can break up the bullets with data charts, each supporting one point.
If you cannot do it see whether you can design some framework that ties the bullets together (some arrows, a 2x2, something)
Again, in a small meeting room you can deviate from the ultimate Zen presentation. Get the Board to agree the recommendations with a slightly messy but still organized document. Then invest time in a beautiful presentation to communicate things to investors, employees, etc.
- daniel