This document presents the guidelines used by top-tier consulting firms to craft effective presentations.
All the top-tier management consulting firms have templates and ‘style-guides’ to ensure consistent quality. Until now, these guides have been locked up inside corporate firewalls. For the first time, ReallyGoodPowerPoints has made these building blocks for consulting-style presentations available to the public
2. Table of contents
Introduction
Selecting the right template
Agenda slides & navigation
Writing effective titles
The use of color
Conclusion
Appendix
2
3. This document presents the guidelines used by top-tier consulting
firms to craft effective presentations
All the top-tier management consulting firms have templates and ‘style-
guides’ to ensure consistent quality
Until now, these guides have been locked up inside corporate firewalls
For the first time, ReallyGoodPowerPoints has made these building blocks for
consulting-style presentations available to the public
If you are shocked by how simple these guidelines are – don’t be; just follow
them consistently and you’ll see the result
3
4. The content and style of your presentation is influenced by the type
of presentation that you are making
4
Oral
Written
• Presentations that are projected on a screen, and led
by a presenter
• These presentations need to be very visual, have
minimal text and use large size fonts (min. 20 pt)
• Presentations that are meant to be printed, often as a
summary for executives
• Much more effective for executive briefings
compared to verbose word documents
Two main types of presentations
tip: this ppt is a written
presentation
5. Table of contents
Introduction
Selecting the right template
Agenda slides & navigation
Writing effective titles
The use of color
Conclusion
Appendix
5
6. The master template should have a simple white background that is
free from watermarks and distracting colors
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Too many background colors
distract focus from the key
message
Only use dark backgrounds for
oral presentations; never use
for printing
Look, a rainbow Lets kill some trees Like the pros
Provides excellent contrast for
presentations and is printer-
friendly
7. We have carefully designed our templates to incorporate
presentation best practices
Font sizes and paragraph spacing carefully
calibrated to balance whitespace and enhance
readability
Color palette pre-programmed into the
template to ensure consistent use for
beautiful presentations
Licensed images for professional industry-
specific cover slides
7
Black template
White template
Key Features
Available on
ReallyGoodPowerPoints.com
For presentations to large audiences
8. Table of contents
Introduction
Selecting the right template
Agenda slides & navigation
Writing effective titles
The use of color
Conclusion
Appendix
8
9. Start with the Agenda and repeat the slide at the start of each
section
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tip: To avoid rework, put the repeating
slides in once the content is final
Write the agenda items in sentence case
Repeat the agenda slide at the start of
each section, highlighting the topic to be
covered
Sample Agenda Slide
1
2
10. If you are presenting an approach, use a navigation aide as you step
through the content
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Present the approach upfront followed
by a description of each phase
Place a navigation aide at the top
each subsequent slide
1 2
11. Table of contents
Introduction
Selecting the right template
Agenda slides & navigation
Writing effective titles
The use of color
Conclusion
Appendix
11
12. The title of each slide must capture the key take-away and should
stir the reader to take an action
The font size and position of the title should be consistent across the
presentation (Calibiri 24pt is recommended)
The title should ideally be a line and a half – and should never exceed two
lines
The title should be in sentence case; It Should Never Be Written In Title Case
(As It Diminishes Readability)
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tip: Start story-boarding by writing action
titles for the full deck upfront
13. Effective titles provide context for the content on the slide – here are
some examples of well written titles
13
Presenting an
Organization
Design
Here is the updated organization design
The proposed organization will accelerate product development
through new hires and cross-functional teams
Good
Presenting the
current situation of
a department
Our IT function costs 25% more than our peers and spends most
of its resources on commodity IT services
Average
Current State of IT 2013
Good
Average
Examples of Effective Titles
14. Table of contents
Introduction
Selecting the right template
Agenda slides & navigation
Writing effective titles
The use of color
Conclusion
Appendix
14
15. Apply colors consistently throughout the presentation to
communicate your message effectively
15
r 192 g 0 b 0
Accent 1 Header Text & Diagrams
Accent 3 & DiagramsAccent 2
Recommended Color Palette
r 38 g 38 b 38
Text, subtitles &
subheadings
16. Make your presentations visual by adding pictures, diagrams and
graphs that reinforce your message
The pictures must support your message – do not insert unrelated pictures
just for aesthetic reasons
If you need to present complex drawings, such as an architectural diagram,
start with a high-level overview and then delve into each layer
16
Overview Diagram Drill-Down Slides
18. Table of contents
Introduction
Selecting the right template
Agenda slides & navigation
Writing effective titles
The use of color
Conclusion
Appendix
18
19. Conclusion
Effective communication is about structuring your message right, keeping the
language simple and omitting needless words
Capture the key message of each slide in the title – in fact, write the titles for
the ensure deck first and then put in the content
Generously use pictures and diagrams, but make sure they support the
content
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20. Table of contents
Introduction
Selecting the right template
Agenda slides & navigation
Writing effective titles
The use of color
Conclusion
Appendix
20
21. State the disclaimer on the title slide in fine print or, if required, on
a separate slide at the start of the presentation
21
External
Confidential
Sample Disclaimers
The information contained is intended for the personnel of <company> only.
Circulation or reproduction of this document outside of <company> is not
permitted.
The information contained in this document is proprietary and confidential. If
you are not the intended recipient, please note that any use or circulation of
this document is not permitted and may be cause for legal action.
tip: select the appropriate disclaimer and
tailor to fit your requirement