what is consulting presentations

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15 Consulting Presentation Examples from Industry Leaders: Bain, Deloitte, and McKinsey

May 28, 2024

Consulting presentations are more than just a collection of slides. They are tools used by consultants to share their findings, insights, and suggestions with clients.

If you’ve reflected on –

• What sets apart a consulting presentation from a regular one?
• How do top consultants manage to convey complex information in a clear and compelling manner?

Then you’re in the right place.

These presentations play an important role in decision-making and organizational changes.

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What is a Presentation?

A presentation is a way of sharing information. You can use it in different settings, such as group discussions, meetings, or when you’re explaining something to your team. It could be a demonstration, a talk, a lecture, or a speech. It’s usually set up to share information systematically to an audience.

The aim is to share information effectively with listeners. It should be interesting, easy to understand, and convincing. It’s an important skill in many fields, such as business, teaching, science, and public speaking.

What is a Consulting Presentation?

A consulting presentation is a document that outlines their findings, analyses, and suggestions for a client. It is typically used as a tool to explain the work in a structured and logical way.

The goal is not just to present information. It is to persuade the client to take action based on the consultant’s suggestions. Therefore, it needs to be clear, impactful, and based on solid data and analysis.

15 Examples of Consulting Presentation

Here are 15 examples of consulting presentations. Let’s explore their unique characteristics and the elements that make them stand out.

The consulting presentation is a detailed financial analysis of NYCHA. It includes the current financial situation and challenges faced by the organization.

The unique element of this presentation is mapping out how to implement recommendations in detail. It includes a timeline, key milestones, and roles and responsibilities.

The presentation is neat and consistent in terms of font and color palette.

2. McKinsey

This consulting presentation talks about the impact of past technologies and potential impact of future technologies on the minerals industry.

The unique elements are detailed case studies on specific commodities and the outline of specific implementation strategies.

It delivers important information that isn’t readily available elsewhere. They used interesting graphics to easily show changes and movements over time.

The white background with simple design minimizes distraction from the key points.

3. Deloitte

This consulting presentation provides a comprehensive analysis of the global, regional (East Africa), and local (Kenya) economic outlook.

The features that stand out in this presentation are a detailed agenda and a list of speakers with their roles.

A specific layout is followed by all the slides of the presentation. The vibrant color palette resulted in vibrant visuals that work well together.

This consulting presentation talks about the scope and the process of the Operational Excellence diagnostic. It includes a detailed discussion on the five opportunity areas and two enablers found by the Operational Excellence Steering Committee.

It provides a detailed timeline of the Steering Committee meetings, which is not commonly seen in many presentations.

The presentation layout is neat and uncluttered. The typography and colors are consistent throughout.

5. Accenture

The consulting presentation includes a detailed analysis of intelligent operations. It discusses the importance, components, implementation steps, and benefits of the concept.

The presentation talks about the five essential components of intelligent operations (Innovative Talent, Data-Driven Foundation, Applied Intelligence, Leveraging the Power of the Cloud, and a Customer-First Approach) and the role of each of these components in creating it. It provides a clear roadmap for businesses looking to implement these operations.

The consistent use of the same colors and typography keeps the presentation harmonious.

6. Alvarez & Marsal

The consulting presentation provides a thorough list of distressed credits.

This list includes a wide range of details (the company name, country, sector, debt instrument, maturity, total debt, percentage of total debt, EBITDA, and debt/EBITDA) that is not commonly seen in presentations.

Another unique element of this presentation is the forward-looking view of the situation presented here.

Every slide includes the company logo. Although a small detail, it builds brand affinity and familiarity.

7. Roland Berger

This consulting presentation is an analysis of the supply chain risks associated with the Lithium-Ion battery market. It discusses the impact of recycling in mitigating supply chain risks and provides insights into risk mitigation strategies.

It discusses the role of different stakeholders (including OEMs, cell and CAM suppliers, mining companies, and legislators) which serves as a unique feature.

The most unique element here is the slide design on a dark background. The color palette consists of various tones of blue and gray that compliment the background perfectly.

The consulting presentation is about project management and its importance.It includes a brief profile of the presenters, outlining their experience and expertise. This provides credibility to the presentation.

It lists out the warning signs of a failing project. This is a unique element as it provides valuable insights into the common pitfalls in project management.

Another unique element is the section with key takeaways towards the end.

The color palette, typography and visuals catches attention and highlights key points.

9. Strategy&

This consulting presentation talks about powertrain technologies in detail, including their advantages, disadvantages,techno-economic characteristics etc.

The unique element here is the TCO (Total Cost of Ownership) analysis for different powertrain technologies. It also includes the effect of selected opportunities and threat

Detailed market outlook, including sales projections and market diffusion, is not commonly found in many presentations either.

The infographics are visually appealing and add value to the presentation

The consulting presentation provides a thorough report on the impacts of COVID-19 on various sectors of Australia.

The report uses a unique framework. It is based on a wide range of public data and targeted consultation, making it a reliable source of information.

The report does not only include the opportunities, challenges, and current impacts. It also talks about how it could affect the future. It is an unique element that provides valuable insights in the infrastructure sector.

The presentation design is simple, precise and consistent. That makes it easy to understand.

11. Booz Allen Hamilton

This presentation design is a detailed investor presentation for Booz Allen.

The most unique feature of this presentation is the company history illustrated as a timeline. This is a great way of establishing brand credibility.

With a clean and consistent layout and muted colors, this presentation design showcases a professional approach.

This consulting presentation is a report of ICOs, including their performance, the reasons for their success or failure, and the trends that have emerged.

The report includes key takeaways and an outlook for the future. This unique feature provides valuable insights for investors and other stakeholders in the ICO market.

Discussing the methodology is another unique feature of the report.

The simple presentation design looks neat and keeps the focus on the data.

13. Oliver Wyman

The consulting presentation gives fundamental facts and recommendations for corporate leaders as an effect of covid-19.

The table of contents (ToC) of this consulting presentation do not just mention the various sections. It also has a list of key topics and a brief summary of that section. It is a unique element.

Another unique element is the executive summary. It is written in a table format and includes the unknown facts along with the known ones.

The variety in colors and typography add visual interest to the presentation.

14. AT Kearney

This consulting presentation discusses the specific impact of COVID-19 on Turkey. It especially talks about economy in terms of sectors like, tourism, automotive, and textile.

It provides a customized actionable plan for business owners. This approach adds a unique and personal touch to the presentation.

The presentation design includes multiple visual elements, such as graphics, flat icons etc to make it more accessible to everyone. The consistent color palette throughout makes it even more appealing.

This consulting presentation offers advice and tools to audit committees to enhance their skills and understanding.

It includes a unique communications network diagram that shows the interaction between different entities (the listed company, institutional investors, sell-side analysts, and media).

It highlights key areas. This unique feature provides insight into the areas that are important for clients to understand and consider.

The presentation deck is basic and has a professional approach.

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A well-built presentation can be very effective. Consulting presentations are about organizing your message, explaining complex details simply, and convincing your audience effectively. They guide decision-making and motivate action.

Consulting presentations reflect the consultant’s understanding, analytical abilities, and capability to provide practical solutions.

The main goal of a consulting presentation is to be of value to your client. Concentrate on their requirements, clearly present your findings, and make suggestions that result in significant improvement.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What is a presentation?

A presentation is a method of communicating information, ideas, or findings to an audience. It’s often a speech or lecture accompanied by visual aids such as slides, charts, or videos. The goal is to inform, educate, persuade, or share insights on a particular topic.

Who is the target audience for a consulting presentation?

The target audience for a consulting presentation usually includes decision-makers and stakeholders in a business. This could be executives, managers, team leaders within a company. Sometimes, it can also include employees, shareholders, or even clients and potential investors.

What are the key objectives of a consulting presentation?

The key objectives of a consulting presentation include:

• Communicating findings and insights from a analysis of the client’s situation or problem.
• Providing tailored, practical recommendations for improvement.
• Persuading the audience of the value and feasibility of these recommendations.
• Creating a dialogue for further discussion and refinement of the proposed solutions.
• Building a roadmap for implementation, including next steps and potential challenges.

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A deep dive into consulting presentations

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In this blog, we explore what a powerful consulting presentation includes to guide decisions and influence change. We highlight the importance of telling a good story, using real data, understanding your audience, and being ready… ... read more In this blog, we explore what a powerful consulting presentation includes to guide decisions and influence change. We highlight the importance of telling a good story, using real data, understanding your audience, and being ready for any questions they might have. Learn how to build trust and keep people engaged in your next presentation with this guide. close

In the business world, consulting presentations come as a relief from the constant ambiguity and uncertainty. Having data and research inform the consultant’s advice offers a beacon of clarity for clients. But often it is the way a presentation shapes that impression; this essential tool has the power to influence decisions, challenge mindsets, and pave a path for organizations. At Prezlab, we’ve seen firsthand the impact a well-crafted consulting presentation can have, and in this blog, we will discuss what elements you can master to create game-changing slide decks.

What is a consulting presentation?

While consulting presentations may look like just another slide deck, they actually have a lot of influence that can make or break a project. It is where a consultant lends their expertise to a client’s needs through clarity, brevity, and persuasion to bring insights and recommendations to life. We aim to unravel the different elements that make up an effective consulting presentation by identifying their purpose and components.

What is the purpose of a consulting presentation?

Before we look into the components of a consulting presentation, let us understand the purpose behind them:

Securing funding

The story of every successful startup begins with a powerful pitch deck, which is the heart of any venture’s idea. The presentation here doesn’t just tell an investor about a premise; rather, it sells an idea to showcase the potential it has to redefine the industry. An expertly crafted consulting presentation turns a budding idea into concrete, actionable propositions. These presentations bridge the gap between a visionary and an investor and make the case for an idea to deserve the capital and resources to be brought to life.

Influencing policy

With any policy change or societal shift, consulting presentations bear the responsibility of pushing for informed and sound decision-making. These slides are not just about the facts and figures; they provide strategic narratives that provide the necessary groundwork to steer those decisions. They weave together data, research, and stories to make a case to urge policymakers to consider new options that can shape the future.

Driving organizational change

To stay relevant, many businesses find themselves needing to reproduce and change within the ever-evolving marketplace. When found at these crossroads, consulting presentations are the guiding light that paves the way for a new direction. Their role isn’t just to gather compilations of what aspects need to change; they are blueprints that encapsulate the essence of the new vision. It sets the scope and maps out the roadmap, providing a reference while rallying all those involved to align for a common goal.

Key elements to consider for an effective consulting presentation

As we unravel the layers that make up an effective consulting presentation, you quickly realize that it’s a lot more than just the facts and figures. Rather, it’s an experience that inspires and influences the audience. By blending data with storytelling, these presentations are an art form in themselves. Let us explore some of the crucial elements that presenters must consider to ensure that their presentations can truly make an impact and resonate with their audience.

Crafting a powerful narrative 

Narrative is the necessary bridge that links raw data with thoughtful insight. Stories make information more human and relatable. To craft effective narratives for a consulting presentation, consider:

Understanding the audience

Before you start, think about who it’s for. Are you addressing stakeholders looking for ROI or directionless employees? Recognizing what your audience is looking to hear is half the work. When you tailor the narrative to specific perspectives, you’re already halfway there to gain their trust and attention.

Building a hook

Every engaging story starts with a strong beginning that hooks you in. In consulting presentations, this translates into the problem statement or the “why should I care?” part of the narrative. But it’s not about simply stating the problem, you need to frame it in a way that can resonate with the audience. By posing the central question, you lure in a curious listener and lay the foundation for the rest of the presentation.

Taking them on a journey

Once you’ve managed to hold your audience’s attention , you can now begin the narrative journey. Using the traditional storytelling structure, you begin by introducing the challenge and setting the tone. Then you lead them into the middle part with the extensive research. And finally, you smoothly slide into the conclusion with your solutions. Stories turn audiences into active participants, so you can end on a hopeful note by giving an audience a vision for the future to look forward to and begin working towards.

Building trust through transparency 

Trust is rooted in transparency. You cannot build relationships without a confident audience, so avoid “fake news” by keeping in mind the following:

Using authentic data

Naturally, you want the data to support your argument, and you might get the urge to cherry-pick the information that fits your narrative. However, authenticity is achieved when the facts speak for themselves. The presenter’s true skills lie in making the narrative fit the facts, not in altering the facts to fit the narrative.

Being clear on sources

Every piece of information shared should have a traceable origin point. Being straightforward with where your data was sourced from gives your presentation credibility and protects it from any potential disputes. Since information can be found easily and everywhere, the quality and reliability of the information are crucial. Presenters can emphasize their meticulous research and foster trust by clearly stating their sources.

Highlighting assumptions

Many consulting presentations will feature forecasts and projections for the future that rely on assumptions. It can seem tricky to support projections for results that do not exist yet, but by outlining the assumptions, you add a layer of depth to the presentation. It provides a proactive approach that anticipates future results and showcases the presenter’s preparedness and research. It shows that they considered several angles and perspectives, solidifying them as trusted advisors.

Customization for audience engagement 

Every audience is different, and recognizing this difference can make or break a presentation.

Customization is not merely a modern trend but an essential aspect of effective communication. At the heart of any successful presentation, lecture, or seminar is an understanding of the audience’s unique characteristics and needs. Every audience varies in its preferences, culture, and expectations. Recognizing these nuances doesn’t just enhance the presentation; it’s often the difference between one that’s forgettable and one that leaves a lasting impression.

Segmenting the audience

Audiences are rarely homogenous; there will always be distinct segments that each have their own interests and priorities. Assuming otherwise will lead to broad and unspecific messages that are too general to benefit anyone. By recognizing the different types of people within an audience, a presenter can incorporate different elements to resonate with and relate to each group. Tailoring a presentation to address different concerns ensures that the main ideas and concerns are addressed and that no one feels lost or dissatisfied.

Using relevant case studies

Another way to address a specific audience’s concerns is to offer case studies that are relevant to their industry and experience. Real-life examples make the abstract concrete. The theories and models are valuable, but drawing parallels from true events can effectively make the point clear and resonant. Relevant case studies make the subject matter relatable and closer to the audience.

Mastering the Q&A session 

Usually, the consulting presentation is just the precursor; the real challenge is what comes after: the Q&A segment. It is the perfect opportunity to properly engage with the audience , in that unscripted conversation, you can best demonstrate your expertise in the subject matter.

Anticipating questions

Even though every audience is different, a seasoned consultant can usually predict the kinds of questions that will come. By being able to anticipate these questions, you can prepare succinct and thought-out answers for a seamless interaction. Not only does preparation showcase your expertise, but this proactivity also shows that you respect the audience’s curiosity.

Handling curveballs

Despite your preparation, there will always be unexpected questions that catch you off guard. And although these curveballs present a challenge, they are also an opportunity. The key is to handle these questions with composure and transparency, you can acknowledge that you might not have an immediate answer and offer to follow up. This way, you would indicate your credibility by reminding the audience that you are always learning and evolving.

Ending on a high

There is no need for a Q&A session to just be a static series of responses, you can use this opportunity to go back to your presentation’s original message and theme. This way, you ensure that the message isn’t lost after segueing into different topics covered in the Q&A. By repeating the core idea, you solidify the presentation’s primary takeaways and leave that as the audience’s final impression.

A consulting presentation aims higher than a typical presentation; it offers a roadmap to help clients navigate their challenges. It weaves together a sophisticated blend of influence, understanding, and engagement to share research and insights with an audience. By putting together a compelling narrative and building rapport, these presentations educate and empower audiences to envision the path ahead. As they are about shaping perspectives and steering choices, they should be an illuminating experience for stakeholders.

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How to Create the Perfect Consulting Presentation!

As a consultant, presenting is an everyday part of your job. Elaborate slides illustrate coaching, strategies and analyses. Projects are presented to your clients or to management, new concepts are developed, and management consulting results are communicated.

A lot of work goes into a consulting presentation. Slides need to be carefully thought out and highlight important aspects clearly and concisely. In this article, we’ll show you how to create the perfect consulting presentation.

Consulting presentation: What is it?

In most cases, consulting presentations are held by people from outside the company : Management consultants . The presentation provides a closer look at the company by an objective third party . Problems, opportunities, etc., are analyzed and potential solutions are outlined.

The consulting presentation shows new opportunities for the future growth of a company. Managers or the executive board can then pursue new strategic paths. That is why a well-thought-out presentation is essential.

5 tips for creating the perfect consulting presentation

Tip 1: The key message

The key message of your presentation is invariably the central idea that your presentation is built around . Naturally, the first priority is to develop it. You can get tips and detailed information on this in the article, Key Messages in Presentations .

What’s important is getting the key message across correctly . You’re a professional in your field. You’ve spent weeks working on the presentation subject and know it inside and out. Now imagine that the people sitting opposite you in your presentation don’t have the same amount of insight as you do.

Keep in mind: Your audience doesn’t want to know everything.

Much of the information you’ve researched and painstakingly analyzed is simply not interesting to your audience . So don’t overload your presentation with content. Especially not with content that has little relevance.

Also, managers and executives are often short on time. In other words, you have no choice but to keep it short and include only the most important points in your consulting presentation. Get to the point quickly. And at the same time, deliver a clear key message.

Align yourself with your target audience . Remember that less is more. Get to the heart of your key messages. Reduce your presentation to the essentials . If there are any follow-up questions, you still have your notes with more in-depth content as a backup.

Tip 2: Know your audience

In most cases, the audience for your consulting presentation will be managers or executives. In some cases, staff representatives or employees may also be present.

Design your consulting presentation with your audience in mind . For example, you may need to address executives differently than employees. Staff representatives often have different questions than managers. Find out in advance which stakeholders will be present and think about how you can address each group’s interests.

In general, the following stakeholders are interested in this:

• Business leaders are interested in the company as a whole. They want to know how the presentation will move the company forward and what impact it could have on the company and corporate culture.
• Staff representatives advocate for employee interests. Consequently, they primarily look at how corporate changes could affect employees. Issues of trust and opportunities for collaboration are scrutinized.
• Employees have personal interests: How could changes affect their position in the company? Will there be new points of contact? Could they imagine continuing to work here?

Tip 3: The right slide design

What structure should you use?

Limit yourself to one message per slide . Use the Pyramid Principle as a guide. The key message is at the top and the supporting arguments are arranged in a hierarchy below it.

Use one slide for each part of the pyramid. Start with the headings. Make them as meaningful as possible. Feel free to use action titles. You can find an article on this topic in our blog called, Action Titles: How To Use Your Key Messages as Slide Headers .

What design elements should you use?

Quite simply: Preferably none.

It’s often said that the design is as important as the content. But this doesn’t necessarily apply to a consulting presentation. If anything, a white or blank background looks more sophisticated and makes for a calm, non-distracting presentation. It puts essential elements in the foreground.

Design your slides sparingly. A few important statements with sufficient room on the slide are enough. This allows your audience to absorb important aspects more quickly.

Also, don’t experiment with the font. Avoid anything ornate and go for a font that is clear and legible. Readability is a must. When it comes to font size, you can rely on about 20 points.

Colors should be used purposefully. Overly colorful backgrounds and slide elements are distracting. If you use colors, use no more than three colors from a standard palette.

Few design elements – what does that mean for text, images and diagrams ? Even with these elements, you should stick to the principle, “less is more” . You want your text to be easy to digest. That is, you should avoid long blocks of text to keep the audience listening to your presentation, rather than reading it. Reduce the text as much as possible. Turn whole sentences into single (key) words . 

Be economical with images , too. Never overload your slides. Only use images that are relevant to your content.

With diagrams , you need to pay attention to simplicity . Again, reduce content as much as possible and focus on the essentials. Create diagrams that are well organized and don’t experiment with too many colors. Concentrate on your key message and align your diagram with it.

Accentuate what is important . Leave out anything less than or keep it in the appendix for follow-up questions.

Minimalism on slides also means: Don’t use effects or animations. 3D effects and moving elements are out of place in consulting presentations and only interfere with the core content on the slide.

Tip 4: Practice

One point that should be clear is: A consulting presentation needs to be well rehearsed . This will make sure that any gaps in your presentation or points where you feel insecure will become apparent before you present.

As a consultant, you have to be a confident presenter . Your company is relying on your qualities and experience. You have to deliver. Don’t forget to practice and take practice seriously. You could present in front of a test audience or have colleagues review your presentation.

An important thing to keep in mind is the length of the presentation . As mentioned earlier, management often has little time. In your practice sessions, focus on the key points and have more details ready when asked. Allow a few minutes for questions during practice. You can find tips on how to prepare here and how to manage your presentation time here .

Some tips for giving a strong presentation include :

• Speak loudly and clearly!
• Involve the audience (tips can be found in the article, Interactive Presentations ).
• Establish a personal connection with the audience (click here for storytelling tips).
• Maintain eye contact with the audience.
• Be attentive and pay attention to the audience’s reactions.

Tip 5: Structure presentations according to time

Often a consulting presentation will have a set time limit that can’t be exceeded. Some examples are:

• The 20-minute presentation

To stick to the time limit, but still communicate all the important points, you need a common thread . Think about how you want to build the structure. Here’s a structure you can use as a guideline:

Situation: Describe the current situation. Stick to facts known to the audience.

Problem: Explain the problem that has occurred. Describe what effects this can have. It must be clear that a solution that is relevant to the audience needs to be found.

Solution: Present the solution. Make it clear that this can positively influence the consequences of the problem. Briefly address what the solution needs to do.

What comes next : Stay specific and provide suggestions. Now it is the company’s turn to act.

• The 60-minute presentation: Status report

An hour gives you the opportunity to deliver your presentation in much greater detail. That said, you should still stick to the principle of less is more . Even though you have more time to present, don’t go overboard and risk losing your audience’s attention.

This structure is quite similar to the Pyramid Principle we discussed earlier. It can also be modified depending on the topic. The structure is as follows:

• Introduction
• Issue/objective
• Solution/status

The introduction provides an overview of the topic. Frame your presentation in a way that the audience will understand.

This is followed by the issue or objective. At this point, you recap why you’re presenting and clarify the key question.

Next comes the solution or status (3). Present the solution to the key question. Make clear that your proposal will solve the problem. Depending on time, you can add details or keep them ready for follow-up questions.

In the details section, provide a comprehensive description of your solution (4). Make sure it’s well structured – put it down on paper first. Cover quality, costs, resources, time and all other important aspects. Make this section as clear as possible.

The decision/next steps slides follow. At this point, remind your audience again of the problem (2) and its solution (3). Now it is up to your clients to make a decision. The next steps are to give an outlook on how the subsequent actions could proceed (in terms of time/resources, etc.).

• 60-minute presentation: Comparing options

If want to compare options, you can use the following structure in your 60-minute presentation:

• Provide an overview of the topic and context for your audience.
• First, describe the negative impact of the issue that has arisen. Don’t present solutions yet.
• If you had an objective, explain it briefly. Address the person who gave the assignment. Describe your approach to investigating the problem. Don’t present any solutions yet.
• Describe the first option . Really go into detail and consider all factors, such as time, money, resources, etc. Highlight all factors and implications. Keep this part neutral and avoid giving your personal opinion.
• Describe the second and potential third option, as in point 3 . Again, avoid giving any kind of personal opinion.
• Compare the options with each other. This is the main work and core point of your presentation. Conduct the comparison on one slide so that the points are clear and can be evaluated at the same time. Be prepared for follow-up questions.
• Now you can make your recommendation for an option. Justify it in detail.
• At the end of your consulting presentation, combine the problem or objective with your recommended option as a solution.

Example: McKinsey 7-S framework

The 7-S framework was created in 1980 by McKinsey management consultants . It represents seven core elements that are fundamental to a company, and which can be included in the consulting process .Many management consultants use the model as a starting point for their consulting presentation.

The seven elements are:

• Strategy: The company’s strategy must deliver a competitive advantage over rivals.
• Structure: How the company is organized, and departments structured.
• Systems: The company’s activities and processes that are used by employees daily.
• Skills: The competencies of employees (corporate skills).
• Staff: Company employees, their abilities and demographics.
• Style/culture: Corporate culture as defined by management.
• Shared values/superordinate goals: The values and standards that are shared throughout the company (mission statement, corporate identity).

Strategy, structure and systems are the hard factors . The remaining elements are soft factors that are easier to define and present.

Feel free to use PresentationLoad’s professionally designed 7S model for your next consulting presentation!

Here are some things to watch out for and avoid in your consulting presentation

• Creating presentations from the wrong perspective: Stay client-centric. Avoid any “I” phrases, even when the presentation was written by you. It’s not about you but about providing advice to the company that has hired you. Put your audience and their needs at the forefront of your presentation.
• Misunderstand and mischaracterize presentation objectives: Think carefully during your preparation about why you’ve been hired. What is the purpose and goal of the presentation? Are you simply expected to share information as facts, or are you expected to dive deeper and make recommendations?
• Not use enough impactful headings: Go for clear, punchy headers. Optimally, you should also use action titles. For tips, see our article, Action Titles in PowerPoint . Avoid long-winded headings that go beyond two lines. Stick to a length of about 6-10 words.
• Leave open-ended questions: Use concise text that covers all key information. Answer the “so what” question, that is, keep the purpose of the presentation in mind, what does XY mean to your client? What is the significance of the projected numbers?
• A lack of authority and technical preparation: Your client has entrusted you with their problem. You need to be sure of what you’re talking about and stay as calm and poised as possible. Speak freely whenever possible and, most importantly, without making mistakes. Consider all technical obstacles beforehand. Make sure your slides are crisp and easy to read.
• A weak ending: Avoid using “Thank you for your attention” at the end of your presentation. Rather, end your presentation with an interactive, open-ended question to your audience. Or give an alternative outlook on the future. You can find more ideas in our article on how to end your presentation .

Conclusion: Create a professional consulting presentation

The key to successful presentations lies in the right preparation and dedicating enough time to work out all the important points. Take our tips to heart for your next consulting presentation assignment. In no time at all, you’ll see a difference in the quality of your PowerPoint presentation.

Do you have questions about consulting presentations or PowerPoint in general? Please don’t hesitate to get in touch at  [email protected] . We’ll be happy to help you!

Are you looking for visually impressive and professionally designed slide templates ? Feel free to have a look around our shop. We have countless templates on a wide variety of (business) topics for you to download as ready-made slides. Take a look around today! ► To the shop

These articles might also interest you:

• 8 Tips for a Winning Company Presentation
• How to Create an Outstanding Report Presentation

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6 Consulting Pitch Deck Examples to Win Clients (+Templates)

Explore top consulting pitch deck examples and templates and learn how to create compelling consulting decks that captivate clients and close deals effectively.

9 minute read

helped business professionals at:

Short answer

What is a consulting pitch deck?

A consulting pitch deck is a focused presentation designed for consultants to highlight their skills, services, and unique solutions to prospective clients. It's a strategic tool for building client relationships and demonstrating how they can solve specific business challenges.

A mediocre consulting pitch deck could be costing you clients

As a consulting wizard, you can quickly understand and address client issues. But when it's showtime, does your pitch truly reflect your expertise?

Too often, even skilled consultants often miss out on closing deals due to unimpressive presentations. This disconnect between your skills and how you showcase them can make or break client relationships.

An underwhelming pitch deck misses the mark in winning clients and can tarnish your professional image.

But don't worry, I've got you covered! In this post, I'll teach you how to create consulting pitch decks that tell the story of your business, complete with real-life examples and easy-to-use templates. No more deals slipping through your fingers!

Let’s get started!

What to include in a consulting pitch deck?

Creating a consulting pitch deck is more than just showcasing your services; it's about mapping out a path to success for your clients.

A compelling pitch deck is key to gaining a client's trust and securing their business. Here's what you need to include to craft a pitch deck that truly makes an impact.

9 essential slides of a consulting pitch deck:

• Executive summ ary: Kick off with a brief yet powerful summary that pinpoints the client's issues and your strategic solutions.
• Your Unique Value Proposition: Illustrate what sets you apart. Focus on your unique skills and how they benefit the client's specific situation.
• Action plan: Outline the precise steps and methods you'll employ to tackle the project's objectives.
• Goals: Define the achievements and milestones you plan to hit with your consulting services.
• Expected results: Clarify what the client will gain, detailing the tangible outputs of the project.
• Project timeline: Map out a clear, achievable timeline for the project, setting realistic milestones.
• Pricing details: Clearly state your fees, including any flexible payment options or conditions.
• Terms and conditions: Lay out the terms of your service to ensure mutual understanding and agreement.
• Next steps: Conclude with a straightforward call to action, guiding the client on the next steps after the pitch.

What is the best consulting pitch deck format?

Finding the right format for your consulting pitch deck is like choosing the perfect outfit for a key meeting – it needs to impress.

Traditional formats like Word documents or PDFs, while great for detailed content and printing, often fall short in today's fast-paced, digital world. They can be clunky and less user-friendly, especially for tech-savvy audiences.

Switching to a more interactive, visually engaging format can elevate your pitch deck from good to unforgettable.

Here's a comparison of the most popular formats:

The key advantages of interactive formats:

Engagement boosters: Interactive decks are all about making your audience part of the story. With features like clickable elements and embedded videos, they turn a passive viewing experience into an active exploration.

Visual storytelling: These formats shine in presenting data in a visually engaging way. Complex information becomes easy to grasp and attractive, thanks to well-designed charts and infographics.

Personalized experience: The beauty of interactive formats lies in their adaptability. You can tweak each deck to resonate with your client's brand and needs, making every presentation feel tailor-made.

On-the-go accessibility: In our mobile-centric world, being able to access and share your pitch on any device is a superpower. Interactive decks are perfect for this, offering convenience without compromising on quality.

You can see the difference between static and interactive below. Which deck would you rather read?

Consulting pitch deck examples that clinch deals

Creating a consulting pitch deck is like building a bridge between your expertise and the client's needs. In this section, I’ve prepared the best examples of consulting pitch decks that successfully make this connection.

We'll examine what elevates each example – from their clear articulation of value to their visually engaging and structured approach.

NOTE: These are imagined decks that are usable as templates. They're tried and tested, designed with best practices in mind, and are fit for every device.

Consulting agency pitch deck

This pitch deck from Unicornis Consulting is a prime example of how to effectively communicate a consulting firm's value proposition, focusing on strategic insights, operational efficiency, and custom solutions.

What makes this consulting pitch deck great:

• Embedded case study: The deck includes a detailed case study, providing real-world evidence of their impact.
• Interactive data visualization: It utilizes engaging charts and graphs to illustrate business efficiency improvements.
• Smart Call-to-Action (CTA): It concludes with a compelling CTA that lets clients book a meeting directly from the deck.

Consulting service pitch deck

SpoonCo Consulting's pitch deck stands out for its innovative approach to addressing modern business challenges, emphasizing custom solutions, data-driven insights, and change management.

• Scroll-based design: The pitch deck offers an intuitive, easy-to-navigate format that enhances user experience.
• Dynamic graphs and running numbers: It uses visually appealing data representation to convey complex information.

Customizable sections: The deck allows for easy adaptation to reflect specific client needs and branding.

Design consulting pitch deck

MirabiliX's pitch deck highlights their design expertise through strategic branding, visual consistency, and innovative concepts, presented in a visually engaging format.

• Visual storytelling: It employs compelling imagery and design elements to showcase branding expertise.
• Narrative flow: The deck's structure tells a cohesive story, guiding clients through the proposed solutions.

Interactive elements: It engages clients with clickable features for a more interactive experience.

Dark theme consulting pitch deck

InnovateX's pitch deck showcases their innovative consulting solutions with a blend of modern features, including a video cover and easy-to-personalize content.

• Narrator slide: The deck directs the reader's attention effectively, ensuring key points are highlighted through guided narration.
• Video on the cover: It captures attention immediately with a dynamic video introduction.

Dynamic personalization: It features the ability to add dynamic variables, creating a customized experience for each client.

Modern consulting pitch deck

For(k)Co Consulting's pitch deck addresses modern business challenges with a fresh, dynamic approach, utilizing cutting-edge design and interactive features.

• Analytics panel access: It provides valuable insights into how the deck is being interacted with by clients.
• Responsive design: The deck ensures a seamless viewing experience across various devices and screen sizes.
• AI-assisted content and image generation: It utilizes AI tools to create compelling, relevant content and visuals, enhancing the overall impact of the presentation.

Light mode consulting proposal deck

This consulting pitch deck template is your go-to resource for showcasing your consulting skills. It's crafted to give a straightforward rundown of your services, project details, and how it benefits your client.

• Clear timeline and budget details: The deck comes with easy-to-follow sections for the project's schedule and budget, making everything about the project clear and upfront.
• Project snapshot: It includes a comprehensive summary that quickly covers the project's scope, cost, and timeline, so you get the big picture at a glance.
• Eye-catching visuals: Neat visuals like icons and charts make the deck more informative, but also engaging and easy to read.

How to write a consulting pitch deck?

A lot of people think that just slapping their details on a McKinsey-style consulting deck template is a golden ticket to winning clients. But it's not just about the format; it's about how you tell your story.

Your deck should be a narrative that showcases your unique solutions and how they align with your client's needs. Let's dive into the key elements that will transform your consulting pitch deck from a simple presentation to a powerful tool for landing deals.

1) Understand your audience

Start by thoroughly understanding your client's industry, challenges, and goals. This knowledge allows you to tailor your pitch deck to address their specific needs, making your message resonate more effectively.

2) Ghost out the story

In his book “Strategic Storytelling: How to Create Persuasive Business Presentations”, Dave McKinsey recommends “ghosting out” your story on paper before jumping into creating slides on a computer.

This involves sketching a rough draft of your presentation, focusing on the narrative flow and key points. Sketch each slide’s main point, including any graphs or tables that support your argument.

Ghosting out your presentation before creating it digitally helps in maintaining focus on the story and the logical flow of information. It prevents getting sidetracked by design elements early on and ensures that the content drives the structure of the presentation.

3) Focus on clarity

Your pitch deck should communicate your ideas clearly and concisely. Avoid industry jargon and complex language. The aim is to make your message accessible and easily digestible for your audience.

4) Differentiate your services

Clearly articulate what sets your consulting services apart. This could be your unique methodology, your proven track record, or your specialized expertise. Ensure this unique value proposition is evident in your pitch deck.

Here's a great example of a unique value proposition slide:

5) Maintain logical progression

Ensure your pitch deck has a logical flow. Start with an introduction, followed by the problem statement, your proposed solution, the benefits, and finally, a strong call to action.

This structured approach helps maintain the audience's attention and guides them through your narrative.

6) Back your claims with data

Incorporate data and analytics to support your recommendations. Use data visualization tools to present complex data in an easily digestible format.

This not only adds credibility to your pitch but also helps in making a stronger case to your clients.

Here's a great example of a data visualization slide:

7) Narrate a compelling story

Your pitch deck should tell a story. It should connect the dots between the client's needs and your services. Use real-world examples, case studies, or hypothetical scenarios to illustrate how your services can solve their problems.

The SCR framework is a narrative structure often used to create persuasive presentations. Originally developed by Barbara Minto at McKinsey, it is an adaptation of the classic storytelling arc to the context of business communications.

This is where you set the stage. In the context of a consulting pitch, the situation describes the current environment or context in which your client operates.

It could include market dynamics, recent changes in the industry, or the client's current position in the market.

The situation is the "once upon a time" of your story – it establishes the baseline from which everything else will deviate.

Complication

This element introduces a challenge or problem. In a business presentation, this could be an emerging competitive threat, a change in customer behavior, regulatory changes, internal inefficiencies, etc.

The complication disrupts the status quo and creates a sense of urgency or need for change. It's the pivot point that moves the narrative from a simple description of the current state to a narrative about addressing a challenge or seizing an opportunity.

The resolution offers a solution to the complication. In a consulting pitch, this would be your proposed strategy, solution, or action plan to address the identified challenges.

The resolution should be clear, actionable, and directly tied to the complication you've outlined. It's the climax of your story, providing a satisfying conclusion to the narrative arc you've constructed.

8) Guide the next steps

Finish your pitch deck with a clear and straightforward call to action. This could be as simple as inviting them to schedule a follow-up meeting, requesting a detailed proposal, or even visiting your website for more information.

The key is to make this next step effortless and actionable, increasing the likelihood that your clients will engage further. An easy-to-follow call to action not only prompts immediate response but also keeps the momentum of your pitch going.

Here's an example of a next step slide:

How to design a consulting pitch deck?

Crafting the design of a consulting pitch deck is like setting the stage for your story. It's not just about filling slides with content; it's about creating a visual journey that captures and holds your audience's attention.

In a world where first impressions are crucial, your pitch deck design can be the deciding factor between capturing a client's interest or losing it.

Let's dive into the key design strategies that can transform your pitch deck into a compelling and visually engaging narrative.

1) Enhance user experience

Adopt a scroll-based design for a seamless and intuitive user experience. This approach allows your audience to easily navigate through your consulting pitch deck, much like scrolling through a webpage.

It's particularly effective for digital presentations, ensuring that your content flows smoothly from one point to the next.

Here's what scroll-based design looks like:

2) Adapt to all devices

Ensure your pitch deck is responsive and looks great on any device, whether it's a laptop, tablet, or smartphone. In today's mobile-first world, a responsive design is crucial for accessibility and convenience.

Here's an example of a mobile-responsive deck:

3) Engage with interactivity

Incorporate interactive elements like clickable tabs, embedded videos, or expandable sections.

These features not only make your pitch deck more engaging but also allow clients to interact with the content, making the experience more memorable and personalized.

Here's a great example of an interactive slide:

4) Tailor the content to your audience

Customize your pitch deck to reflect your client's brand and specific needs. Use their brand colors, logos, or any relevant imagery.

Personalized content shows that you've put thought into understanding their brand, making your pitch deck more relatable and impactful.

Here's a great example of a personalized deck:

5) Maintain a cohesive look

Ensure your pitch deck reflects your own brand identity consistently. Use your brand colors, fonts, and logos throughout the deck. Consistent branding not only looks professional but also helps in building your brand recognition.

Using an interactive pitch deck creator , you can automatically extract branding information from any website and apply it to your deck.

Here's an example of a branded deck:

6) Focus on readability

Use a clean and organized layout with plenty of white space. Avoid cluttering your slides with too much text or too many visuals. A clean layout helps in keeping the focus on your key messages and makes the content easier to absorb.

Interactive consulting pitch deck templates

Starting from scratch to create a consulting pitch deck requires not only time and effort but also a keen eye for design and storytelling.

Interactive consulting pitch deck templates save you time on design and layout, letting you focus on customizing the content to your specific audience.

These templates are also designed with best practices in mind, ensuring that your pitch deck ticks all the boxes while standing out.

Grab one and see for yourself.

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The Consulting Pitch Deck Guide + 2024 Update (Best Consulting Presentation Examples & Template)

January 23, 2024

Presentation and Pitch Expert. Ex Advertising.

$100mill In Funding. Bald Since 2010.

So you want to create a consulting pitch deck (or just deck in short), to win that next client? Raising funding for your consultancy? Or maybe you’re just trying to present the latest campaign results to your clients and brighten their day?

The last might be impossible but making a good consulting pitch deck isn’t and this article will help you create one.

Don’t worry, you won’t be making it from scratch.

I’m Viktor, a  pitch deck expert ,  presentation expert , and burger lover. My work has helped my clients win 100s of pitches and helped 100+ companies develop decks that are currently helping them raise investments and close deals.

I’ve personally worked with an Ex-Bain consultant and helped him develop a deck for his company.

This guide specifically aims at helping you understand what a consulting pitch deck is and how you can create one.

Let’s dive in.

Book a free personalized pitch deck consultation and save over 20 hours of your time.

Join hundreds of successful entrepreneurs who’ve transformed their pitch decks with my help.

Let me develop an investor ready deck by using my hands-off approach, which includes: market research, copy, design, financials, narrative and strategy.

One week turnaround time.

The least you will get is 10 actionable tips & strategies to own that next presentation, worth $599, for free.

What is a Consulting Pitch Deck?

A consulting pitch deck is a presentation that provides an overview of a consultant’s services, capabilities, and qualifications. It is used to explain why the consultant is the best choice for a particular project or engagement.

The deck typically includes slides highlighting the consultant’s experience, portfolio of past projects, qualifications, fees and other details that can help clients make an informed decision. It should be concise and easy to understand so it can be quickly referenced and reviewed by clients when making their decision.

What Is The Goal Of A Consulting Pitch Deck?

The goal of a consulting pitch deck is to make sure that potential clients are aware of all the details about the services the consultant can provide so they are comfortable enough to hire them for their project.

What Does It Take To Get the Key Points in Your Consulting Pitch Deck

To make your consulting pitch deck effective and persuasive, it is important to identify the key points of your proposal. You will need to gather relevant information and evidence in order to make a compelling argument that will convince your potential clients.

This could include market research, case studies, testimonials, financial projections and any other relevant data that can be used to show the value of your services. It is also important to ensure that the presentation of this information is clear and easy for your audience to understand.

Additionally, you should practice delivering the presentation before presenting it so you can be confident in delivering it effectively. With all these elements in place, you should have the necessary components for an effective consulting pitch deck.

Essential Slides for a Consulting Pitch Deck

A consulting pitch deck should be tailored to the client’s specific needs. It should include slides that provide an overview of the company, its services and capabilities, a description of the team and their qualifications, success stories from previous engagements, as well as a financial analysis of how the company can help them achieve their goals.

Additionally, some essential slides to include in any consulting pitch deck are slides that focus on the problem or opportunity being addressed, a timeline for implementing solutions, unique features or advantages over other firms in the same market space, competitive analysis of potential solutions, and a summary slide highlighting key points.

All this will ensure that your pitch is comprehensive enough to adequately demonstrate why your firm is the best choice for their needs.

How to Get a Winning Pitch Deck for Your Consulting Presentation

A winning pitch deck for your consulting presentation requires careful planning and preparation. Start by researching the topics you plan to cover in the presentation, as well as the industry and target audience.

Once you have a clear understanding of what needs to be discussed, create a draft outline for your presentation. Your pitch deck should include visual aids such as graphs, charts, and images that help support your points.

Additionally, make sure to include a summary of key takeaways from the presentation so that audiences can remember the most important points. 

Finally, practice delivering your presentation to ensure that it is engaging and persuasive. With these tips, you can create an effective pitch deck for your next consulting presentation.

Consulting Pitch Deck Presentation Examples

Consulting pitch deck presentation examples are a great way to learn how to create an effective, professional presentation. A good example should include slides that focus on the key points of your business strategy, mission statement, and target market. It should also include visuals that can help draw attention to the most important aspects of your pitch.

Below you can find an example of consulting pitch deck that meet these requirements and might help you in getting the impression in regards to what a consulting pitch deck presentation might look like:

Making Data and Digital Technology Work For Tech CMOs

CMOs of IT companies are at a significant edge when it comes to utilizing data and digital technologies to enhance business outcomes. PwC’s goal is to change the focus of digital marketing from clicks and views to the development of customer experiences that provide profitable business outcomes.

This is just another superb illustration of a presentation that was conducted well. Slides 15–18 additionally include a real-world case study that offers step-by-step specific guidance.

Many presentations include facts and recommendations without providing any justification. Remember that highlighting your successes and client endorsements will increase your reputation.

You can check the whole presentation at the following link:

Hypothetical Pitch Deck Ideas To Inspire You

My favourite part of any article – sharing some of my drawer ideas to help you build your next consulting deck and business. Feel free to “borrow” them too.

1. GreenTech Consulting

Slide 1: Introduction

• Logo of GreenTech Consulting
• Tagline: “Pioneering Sustainable Business Solutions”

Slide 2: Problem Statement

• Statistics on environmental degradation caused by businesses
• Quote: “The future of business is green.”

Slide 3: Our Solution

• Offer sustainable business models
• Implement green technologies in existing businesses
• Reduce carbon footprint and waste

Slide 4: Market Analysis

• Size of the green technology market
• Potential growth rate
• Target industries: Manufacturing, Retail, IT

Slide 5: Services Offered

• Carbon footprint analysis
• Green tech implementation
• Waste management solutions

Slide 6: Case Study

• Before-and-after scenario of a manufacturing company that adopted our solutions

Slide 7: Team

• Photos and brief bios of key team members

Slide 8: Financial Projections

• Revenue, profit, and growth projections for the next 5 years

Slide 9: Ask

• Seeking $500,000 investment for market expansion and R&D

2. EduTech Consultin g

• Logo of EduTech Consulting
• Tagline: “Revolutionizing Learning with Technology”
• Challenges in traditional education systems
• Need for technology integration in schools
• Implementing modern EdTech solutions in schools
• Training educators to use technology effectively
• Number of schools without EdTech solutions
• Potential growth in the EdTech sector
• EdTech tool integration
• Teacher training workshops
• Virtual classroom setups
• Success story of a school that saw improved student performance after our intervention
• Seeking $300,000 investment for product development and market outreach

3. HealthTech Consulting

• Logo of HealthTech Consulting
• Tagline: “Innovating Healthcare for Tomorrow”
• Inefficiencies in current healthcare systems
• Need for technology-driven healthcare solutions
• Implementing telemedicine solutions
• Integrating AI-driven diagnostic tools
• Potential growth in the HealthTech sector
• Target: Hospitals, clinics, and private practices
• Telemedicine setup
• AI diagnostic tool integration
• EHR (Electronic Health Record) system implementation
• A hospital that reduced patient wait times by 50% after our solutions
• Seeking $750,000 investment for R&D and global expansion

For an outline tailored to the layoff consulting services industry, check this article out .

Consulting Pitch Deck Template

If you’re pitching a consulting service, you need a strong pitch deck to grab the attention of buyers and investors.

The good news is you don’t have to make decks from scratch. Creating an effective consulting pitch deck is all about knowing what slides to include. You can find tons of templates on sites like Canva, Slidesgo, and Google Slides, but none of them will align with the brand you represent.

What will happen is you’ll need to spend hours adjusting these templates to fit your brand guidelines. 

There’s a better way.

My clients have used my written template to craft stellar consulting pitch decks in half the time and designed a deck that secured their new consulting pitch some air time.

Questions That Investors Ask You When Presenting Your Consulting Pitch Deck:

When you present a consulting pitch deck to potential investors, you should be prepared to answer a range of questions that investors typically ask. These questions are designed to assess the viability, potential, and risks associated with the consulting proposal. Here are some common questions that investors might ask:

• Who are the members of your team, and what are their qualifications?
• What previous experience does your team have in this field?
• Why did you decide to start this consulting firm?
• What problem are you solving for your clients?
• How is your solution different or better than existing solutions in the market?
• Who are your main competitors, and what sets you apart from them?
• What is the size of your target market?
• Who are your target clients?
• What is the growth potential of this market?
• How do you plan to monetize your services?
• What are your projected revenues and expenses for the next 3-5 years?
• Do you have any existing clients or pilot projects?
• How do you plan to acquire new clients?
• What is your sales cycle, and how do you plan to shorten it?
• Do you have any strategic partnerships in place?
• How will you scale your operations as you acquire more clients?
• What technology or tools will you use to deliver your services?
• How do you ensure the quality of your services?
• What is your current financial status?
• How much funding are you seeking, and how do you plan to use it?
• What are your key financial metrics and projections for the next few years?
• What are the main risks associated with your consulting business?
• How do you plan to mitigate these risks?
• Have you identified any potential regulatory or legal challenges?
• Do you have an exit strategy in place for investors?
• Are you considering any future mergers or acquisitions?
• Feedback and Iteration
• How have you incorporated feedback from clients or other stakeholders into your business model?
• How do you plan to adapt and evolve based on market feedback?
• Intellectual Property
• Do you have any proprietary methodologies, tools, or technologies?
• How do you protect your intellectual property?
• Cultural and Ethical Considerations
• How do you ensure that your consulting practices align with ethical standards?
• What is your company culture, and how do you plan to maintain it as you grow?

Investors ask these questions to gauge the potential return on their investment, understand the risks involved, and assess the competence of the consulting team.

10 Tips To Help You Craft A More Impactful Consulting Deck

• Start with a Strong Hook: Begin with a compelling story, statistic, or problem statement that grabs the audience’s attention and sets the tone for the rest of the presentation.
• Keep It Concise: Investors and clients have limited time. Aim for a pitch deck that’s around 10-20 slides. Each slide should convey a single, clear message.
• Use Visuals Wisely: A picture is worth a thousand words. Use high-quality visuals, infographics, and charts to convey complex data or concepts. Avoid clutter and ensure each visual enhances understanding.

Hold on. You might want to check my list on the best presentation books. Why?

It’s 1O crucial books that will help you improve the design and structure of your presentations, besides improving its delivery. Check it out below.

• Tell a Story: Structure your pitch deck as a narrative. Start with the problem, introduce your solution, showcase your achievements, and end with your ask. This flow helps keep the audience engaged. To help you improve your narrative, check this selection on the  best books for pitching . The authors have won billions in $ thanks to their ability to create stories when pitching and are sharing their methods with you.
• Know Your Numbers: Be prepared with key financial metrics, market size, and growth projections. Investors will want to see that you’ve done your homework and understand the financial aspects of your business.
• Highlight Your Unique Value Proposition (UVP): Clearly articulate what sets your consulting services apart from competitors. Whether it’s a unique methodology, proprietary technology, or specialized expertise, make sure it stands out.
• Showcase Testimonials and Case Studies: Real-world examples of your work can be powerful. Highlight successful projects, satisfied clients, or significant results you’ve achieved.
• Practice Your Delivery: The content of your pitch deck is crucial, but so is the way you present it. Rehearse your pitch multiple times, refine your delivery, and be prepared to answer questions confidently.
• Design Matters: Ensure your pitch deck is professionally designed with a consistent color scheme, font, and layout. This not only makes your presentation visually appealing but also reinforces your brand identity.
• End with a Clear Ask: Whether you’re seeking investment, a partnership, or a new client, be clear about what you want from the audience. Specify the amount of funding, the type of partnership, or the scope of the project you’re pitching.

What nobody will tell you: Crucial considerations to keep in mind when developing your consulting pitch deck and business

10 insights. These are things no advisor, startup event organizer or coach will tell you for free. We’ve done the research and combined it with our experience to give you these insights with no strings attached.

Market and Industry Analysis in Consulting Pitch Decks

Importance:

• Establishes Credibility : Demonstrating a deep understanding of the market and industry shows potential clients that you are well-informed and capable of providing valuable insights.
• Identifies Opportunities and Threats : A thorough analysis can highlight gaps in the market or emerging trends, positioning your consultancy as forward-thinking and proactive.
• Aligns Solutions with Market Needs : By understanding the market, you can tailor your consulting services to meet the specific needs and challenges of the industry, making your pitch more relevant and compelling.
• Informs Strategic Decision-Making : Insights from the market analysis can guide your strategic approach, ensuring that your pitch aligns with industry realities and client expectations.

Research and Actions to Take:

• Utilize industry reports, market surveys, and competitor analysis.
• Analyze market size, growth trends, and key players.
• Investigate industry benchmarks and performance indicators.
• Stay abreast of emerging trends and technological advancements.
• Use tools like Google Trends and industry-specific databases to gather data.
• Attend industry conferences and webinars for up-to-date insights.
• Perform a SWOT analysis (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) of major competitors.
• Understand their service offerings, market positioning, and client feedback.
• Identify areas where your consultancy can offer unique value.
• Tailor your analysis to the specific needs and pain points of potential clients.
• Highlight how your services can address these specific industry challenges.
• Use case studies or examples that demonstrate success in similar market conditions.
• Use clear and concise visuals like charts, graphs, and infographics to present data.
• Ensure that the market analysis is directly linked to your consulting services.
• Provide a narrative that weaves the data into a compelling story about your consultancy’s role in the industry.
• Keep the market and industry analysis current to reflect the latest trends and data.
• Update your pitch deck regularly with new research and insights.

By focusing on these aspects, your consulting pitch deck will not only present a well-rounded understanding of the market and industry but will also demonstrate how your consultancy is uniquely positioned to meet the evolving needs of potential clients. This approach ensures that your pitch is both informative and strategically aligned with your audience’s interests and requirements.

Unique Value Proposition in Consulting Pitch Decks

• Differentiation : In a crowded market, your UVP sets you apart, highlighting why clients should choose your consultancy over others.
• Client Engagement : A strong UVP resonates with potential clients, addressing their specific needs and challenges, and shows how your services provide unique solutions.
• Brand Identity : Your UVP is a reflection of your brand’s ethos and values, which helps in building a trustworthy image.
• Focused Strategy : A clear UVP guides your overall business strategy, ensuring all services and communications are aligned with what makes your consultancy unique.
• Conduct internal assessments to understand your consultancy’s strengths, specialties, and successful case studies.
• Analyze client feedback and testimonials to gauge what clients value most about your services.
• Research your target market to understand the challenges and pain points of potential clients.
• Engage with clients through surveys or interviews to get direct insights.
• Study competitors’ services and UVPs to find gaps or areas where your consultancy can offer something different or better.
• Look for patterns in competitors’ client reviews to identify what clients feel is missing in their services.
• Merge your unique strengths with client needs to formulate a UVP that is both true to your consultancy and appealing to your target market.
• Keep your UVP concise, clear, and compelling. Avoid jargon and make it easily understandable.
• Feature your UVP prominently in your pitch deck, preferably at the beginning to set the tone.
• Use real-world examples or case studies to illustrate your UVP in action.
• Align the design and tone of your pitch deck with the message of your UVP to create a cohesive narrative.
• Ensure that all aspects of your pitch deck, from the market analysis to the service offerings, reinforce your UVP.
• Train your team to understand and communicate the UVP effectively in client interactions.

By diligently crafting and integrating a UVP into your consulting pitch deck, you not only establish a unique market position but also create a strong connection with your potential clients. Your UVP becomes the foundation of your pitch, guiding how you present your services, approach client problems, and differentiate yourself in the competitive consulting landscape.

Client Pain Points and Solutions in Consulting Pitch Decks

• Client-Centric Approach : Directly addressing client pain points shows that your services are tailored to meet their specific needs, enhancing the relevancy of your pitch.
• Building Trust and Credibility : Demonstrating an understanding of the client’s challenges and offering concrete solutions establishes your credibility and builds trust.
• Effective Problem-Solving : By focusing on solutions, you position your consultancy as a problem solver, essential for building long-term client relationships.
• Competitive Edge : Showcasing your ability to identify and solve unique client issues can set you apart from competitors who may offer more generic services.
• Conduct market research to understand common challenges in the client’s industry.
• Use client testimonials, case studies, and feedback to identify specific pain points.
• Engage in direct communication or surveys with potential clients to gather firsthand insights.
• Develop tailored solutions that directly address the identified pain points.
• Use a consultative approach to modify these solutions based on individual client needs.
• Back up your solutions with data, statistics, and relevant case studies that demonstrate their effectiveness.
• Use before-and-after scenarios to showcase the impact of your solutions.
• Begin with a section that empathizes with client challenges, showing you understand their situation.
• Follow with a dedicated section outlining your tailored solutions.
• Use clear, compelling visuals to illustrate how your solutions work in practice.
• Highlight the benefits of your solutions in terms of ROI, efficiency, and other metrics important to the client.
• Use simple, jargon-free language to ensure your solutions are easily understood.
• Continuously gather feedback on your solutions and adjust your approach as necessary.
• Keep abreast of industry changes to ensure your solutions remain relevant and effective.

By focusing on client pain points and solutions, your consulting pitch deck becomes a powerful tool for demonstrating your understanding of the client’s world and your ability to provide valuable, customized solutions. This approach not only addresses the client’s immediate concerns but also positions your consultancy as a strategic partner for their long-term success.

Data Visualization and Storytelling in Consulting Pitch Decks

• Clarity and Engagement : Effective data visualization simplifies complex data, making it easier for clients to grasp key points and stay engaged.
• Narrative Power : Storytelling connects the dots between data points, helping clients understand the ‘why’ behind your recommendations.
• Memorable Presentations : Stories and visuals are more likely to be remembered than plain text or raw data, making your pitch more impactful.
• Building Credibility : Well-executed data visualizations and narratives demonstrate professionalism and a thorough understanding of the subject matter.
• Deep dive into the data to understand its implications fully.
• Identify key metrics and trends that are most relevant to your client’s challenges and goals.
• Select data visualization formats that best represent your data (e.g., bar graphs for comparisons, line charts for trends).
• Use tools like Tableau, Microsoft Excel, or Adobe Illustrator for creating professional visuals.
• Develop a storyline that links your data points in a logical and engaging manner.
• Ensure the story aligns with your client’s needs, highlighting how your data-driven insights can benefit them.
• Combine visuals and narrative in your pitch deck to create a cohesive and compelling presentation.
• Use visuals to punctuate key points in your story, guiding the client through the narrative.
• Avoid clutter and overly complex visualizations that can confuse the audience.
• Use clear, concise language to accompany visuals and explain your story.
• Rehearse your presentation to ensure the story flows smoothly and your points are clearly conveyed.
• Seek feedback from colleagues or mentors and refine your approach accordingly.

By effectively using data visualization and storytelling in your consulting pitch deck, you can create a presentation that not only informs but also persuades and engages your audience. This approach turns abstract data into relatable, understandable, and actionable insights, greatly enhancing the impact of your pitch.

Financial Projections and Business Models in Consulting Pitch Decks

• Demonstrating Viability : Accurate financial projections show that your consultancy has a viable, sustainable business model.
• Building Credibility and Trust : Presenting well-thought-out financials and a robust business model establishes credibility with your clients and investors.
• Guiding Strategic Decisions : Financial projections and business models help in making informed strategic decisions, crucial for long-term success.
• Setting Expectations : They provide a clear picture of expected outcomes and growth, aligning expectations between your consultancy and clients or stakeholders.
• Use historical data, market analysis, and industry benchmarks to inform your projections.
• Include revenue forecasts, expense estimates, cash flow projections, and profitability analysis.
• Be conservative in your estimates to avoid overpromising.
• Clearly define how your consultancy creates, delivers, and captures value.
• Include your revenue streams, pricing strategy, cost structure, and value proposition.
• Utilize tools like Excel or specialized financial modeling software to create detailed and accurate financial models.
• Ensure your models are flexible to account for different scenarios or assumptions.
• Use charts and graphs to make your financial data more accessible and understandable.
• Highlight key figures and trends that are most relevant to your pitch.
• Show how your financial projections align with your market analysis and strategic planning.
• Explain how market trends and competitive dynamics influence your financial outlook.
• Regularly update your financial projections and business model to reflect market changes and new business insights.
• Be prepared to discuss how and why your projections or model might evolve over time.

By effectively integrating Financial Projections and Business Models into your consulting pitch deck, you demonstrate not only a deep understanding of your consultancy’s financial health but also a strong strategic foundation. This approach assures potential clients and investors of your consultancy’s potential for success and growth, underlining the professionalism and foresight of your business approach.

Competitive Analysis in Consulting Pitch Decks

• Understanding Market Position : It helps in identifying where your consultancy stands in relation to competitors, highlighting your unique strengths and areas for improvement.
• Differentiating Your Services : A well-conducted analysis can showcase how your consulting services are distinct from others in the market, which is key to attracting clients.
• Identifying Market Trends : Understanding competitors’ strategies and performance can reveal broader market trends and client preferences, guiding your strategic decisions.
• Informed Strategy Development : Insight into competitors’ strengths and weaknesses allows you to develop more targeted and effective business strategies.
• Determine who your direct and indirect competitors are within your niche.
• Consider both established firms and emerging players in the consulting field.
• Examine their service offerings, pricing models, marketing strategies, and client reviews.
• Utilize tools like SWOT analysis to assess competitors’ strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats.
• Use industry reports, market surveys, and online tools like SEMrush or Ahrefs to gather data on competitors’ market presence and performance.
• Attend industry conferences and networking events to gain insider knowledge.
• Use visuals like comparison charts or matrices to present your competitive analysis in your pitch deck.
• Highlight areas where your consultancy outperforms others, such as specialized expertise, unique service models, or superior client outcomes.
• Clearly articulate how your competitive advantages translate into tangible benefits for potential clients.
• Address how your unique approach solves client problems more effectively than competitors.
• Keep your competitive analysis current to reflect changes in the market and new entrants.
• Regularly review and adjust your strategies based on evolving competitive landscapes.

Integrating a thorough Competitive Analysis into your consulting pitch deck enables you to effectively communicate your consultancy’s market position and value proposition. It not only illustrates your awareness of the competitive environment but also reinforces the unique benefits and insights your consultancy brings to potential clients.

Case Studies and Testimonials in Consulting Pitch Decks

• Evidence of Success : Case studies and testimonials provide concrete examples of your consultancy’s success, showcasing your ability to deliver results.
• Building Credibility and Trust : They help in establishing credibility and trust by highlighting real-world applications of your services and client satisfaction.
• Illustrating Your Approach : Through case studies, you can demonstrate your problem-solving process and how you tailor solutions to client needs.
• Client Perspective : Testimonials offer a client’s perspective, adding a human element to your services and potentially resonating with similar challenges faced by your prospects.
• Choose case studies that align with the services you are offering and the needs of your target audience.
• Focus on diverse examples that showcase a range of capabilities and successes.
• Each case study should outline the client problem, your approach, the solutions implemented, and the results achieved.
• Include quantifiable outcomes, like percentage improvements or ROI, to add more weight.
• Request testimonials from satisfied clients. These should be specific about the benefits of your services and the client’s experience.
• Video testimonials can be particularly effective if they are feasible.
• Use visuals like graphs, before-and-after comparisons, or infographics to illustrate the impact of your work in case studies.
• For testimonials, consider including the client’s photo or company logo for added authenticity.
• Customize the case studies and testimonials to address the specific pain points and interests of your pitch deck audience.
• Highlight aspects that are most likely to resonate with the potential client’s situation.
• Continuously update your case studies and testimonials to reflect recent successes and maintain relevance.
• Keep a repository of case studies and testimonials to choose from, allowing for tailored selections based on the specific audience.

By integrating well-chosen and well-structured case studies and testimonials into your consulting pitch deck, you can significantly enhance its persuasiveness and effectiveness. These elements not only demonstrate your past successes but also help potential clients visualize the impact your consultancy could have on their own challenges.

Design and Aesthetics in Consulting Pitch Decks

• First Impressions : Good design creates a strong first impression, setting a professional tone for your presentation.
• Enhancing Message Clarity : A well-designed pitch deck helps in clearly conveying complex information, making it easier for clients to understand and remember your points.
• Emotional Impact : Aesthetics can evoke emotions, helping to build a connection with your audience and making your message more persuasive.
• Brand Consistency : Design elements should align with your consultancy’s branding, reinforcing brand identity and values.
• Research basic design principles like balance, contrast, hierarchy, and alignment to create a visually appealing deck.
• Utilize color theory to choose a palette that reflects your brand and sets the right tone.
• Select high-quality images, graphics, and icons that complement and enhance your content.
• Avoid overused stock photos; opt for unique visuals that set your deck apart.
• Use a clean, uncluttered layout that guides the viewer’s eye through the content.
• Choose legible fonts and consistent typography to ensure readability and professionalism.
• Integrate your brand colors, logos, and other visual elements consistently throughout the deck.
• Ensure that the design aligns with your consultancy’s overall brand image and messaging.
• Employ data visualization techniques to present complex data in an accessible, engaging way.
• Graphs, charts, and infographics should be both visually appealing and informative.
• Consider hiring a professional designer or using a high-quality template if design is not your strength.
• Regularly update your deck’s design to keep it fresh and aligned with current design trends.
• Get feedback on your design from colleagues or target audience members.
• Continuously refine your design based on feedback and evolving needs.

By prioritizing Design and Aesthetics in your consulting pitch deck, you not only enhance its visual appeal but also improve its effectiveness in communicating your message. A well-designed deck can significantly increase engagement, comprehension, and recall, all of which are essential for a successful pitch.

Pitch Deck Best Practices for Consulting

• Clear Communication : Following best practices helps in conveying your message clearly and concisely, which is key to keeping your audience engaged and informed.
• Professionalism and Credibility : A well-structured and designed pitch deck reflects professionalism and credibility, essential for building trust with clients.
• Effective Persuasion : Using proven strategies enhances the persuasive power of your pitch, making it more likely to achieve your desired outcome.
• Audience Engagement : Best practices ensure that your content is tailored to your audience, increasing relevance and engagement.
• Develop a compelling story that guides your audience through the pitch, making your content more relatable and memorable.
• Use a logical flow that starts with identifying the problem, discussing your solution, and highlighting the benefits.
• Limit the number of slides to keep your audience’s attention (typically 10-15 slides are recommended).
• Focus on key points without overloading slides with too much information.
• Research your audience to understand their needs, interests, and pain points.
• Customize the pitch to address these specific aspects and show how your services meet their unique needs.
• Use high-quality images and consistent branding throughout the deck.
• Employ data visualization techniques for complex information and ensure all visuals are relevant and add value.
• Make sure to include key components like market analysis, business model, UVP, financial projections, case studies, and team introduction.
• Use testimonials or client feedback to add credibility.
• Rehearse your pitch to ensure smooth delivery and timing.
• Be prepared to answer questions or provide additional details on any slide.
• Seek feedback from peers or mentors and be open to revising your deck based on constructive criticism.
• Continuously update and refine your deck as your business and market evolve.
• Ensure your deck is compatible with various digital formats and devices, as virtual presentations are common.
• Test your deck on different screens to ensure visual integrity.

By following these best practices, your consulting pitch deck will not only be more professional and engaging but also more likely to resonate with your audience and achieve your business objectives. This approach ensures that your deck effectively showcases your expertise, solutions, and value proposition in a clear, concise, and compelling manner.

Interactive Elements and Digital Tools in Consulting Pitch Decks

• Enhanced Engagement : Interactive elements can capture and maintain the audience’s attention more effectively than static slides.
• Improved Understanding : They can help in illustrating complex concepts or data more clearly and memorably.
• Adaptability and Flexibility : Interactive tools allow you to tailor your presentation in real-time, responding to audience feedback and interests.
• Modern and Professional Image : Using cutting-edge digital tools portrays your consultancy as innovative and tech-savvy.
• Use tools like Tableau or Power BI to create dynamic charts and graphs that can be manipulated during the presentation for deeper insights.
• Include elements like clickable infographics that reveal more details when interacted with.
• Integrate real-time polls or surveys using tools like Slido or Mentimeter to engage your audience and gather instant feedback.
• Use this feedback to tailor your presentation or discussion points on the spot.
• Demonstrate your consultancy’s tools or platforms directly within the pitch deck, if applicable.
• Use simulations or interactive scenarios to showcase how your services work in real-world situations.
• For high-stakes pitches, consider incorporating VR or AR elements to provide an immersive experience.
• This can be particularly effective for visualizing complex data or scenarios.
• Design your deck with clickable content, allowing you to jump to different sections based on audience interest or questions.
• This non-linear navigation makes the presentation more flexible and responsive.
• Provide digital handouts or follow-up materials that attendees can interact with after the presentation.
• Include links to additional resources, interactive summaries, or even a digital version of the pitch deck.
• Practice using these tools extensively before the actual presentation to ensure smooth execution.
• Test all interactive elements for functionality and compatibility with different devices and platforms.
• Post-presentation, use digital tools to gather feedback, which can be invaluable for refining future pitches.

By incorporating interactive elements and digital tools in your consulting pitch deck, you can create a more engaging, memorable, and effective presentation. These modern approaches not only demonstrate your consultancy’s innovative edge but also facilitate a deeper connection and understanding with your audience.

Use these insights and make a winning pitch. If you want to talk about them, reach out to me and book a call.

How to creatively present your consulting pitch deck?

Pitching your consulting startup creatively requires a blend of unconventional tactics and memorable delivery. Here are some novel and engaging ideas that can captivate your audience when you’re on stage:

• Interactive Live Polling : Start with a live poll using a tool like Mentimeter, asking the audience a relevant question. This interaction immediately engages them and the results can lead into your opening remarks, demonstrating real-time market understanding.
• Virtual Reality Experience : If your budget allows, provide a virtual reality (VR) experience where the audience can immerse themselves in a scenario that your consulting startup solves. This could be a brief, impactful glimpse into the problem you address.
• Dramatic Entrance or Opening Act : Make a memorable entrance with a flash mob, a short skit, or even a mini theatrical performance that symbolically represents your startup’s mission and approach.
• Client Testimonial Videos : Show a series of quick, engaging client testimonial videos. Choose clients who can tell a compelling story about the transformation they experienced through your services.
• The “Shark Tank” Approach : Mimic a “Shark Tank” style presentation where you invite audience members to pose as potential investors or clients and ask tough questions. This can demonstrate your readiness to face scrutiny and provide transparent answers.
• Augmented Reality Business Cards : Distribute AR-enabled business cards. When scanned with a smartphone, these cards could reveal interactive content like a brief pitch video or an animated infographic about your startup.
• Interactive Storytelling with a Twist : Craft a story where the audience decides the outcome. Present a scenario and let the audience choose what happens next through a majority vote, leading to different aspects of your pitch.
• ‘Freeze-Frame’ Technique : In the middle of your pitch, freeze in a pose and have a pre-recorded video or voice-over explain a key point. This theatrical element can break the monotony and refocus attention.
• Personalized Data Visualization : Show a real-time data visualization that reflects audience demographics or responses gathered at the start. It demonstrates your ability to quickly analyze and present data.
• Pitch Deck as a Short Film : Turn your pitch deck into a short, compelling narrative film. Each slide could be a scene, with a storyline that takes the audience on a journey through your business model, USP, and impact.
• Mystery Box Challenge : Bring a mystery box on stage and use it to symbolize the ‘unknowns’ or challenges in the industry. Reveal contents throughout the pitch that correlate with solutions your startup offers.
• Interactive Gameshow : Turn part of your pitch into a gameshow format, where audience members answer questions related to industry challenges or trivia. This can be a fun way to educate and engage your audience.
• Reverse Pitch : Start by presenting a common misconception or generic solution in your field, then ‘reverse pitch’ your unique approach that challenges this norm. It’s a dramatic way to highlight your innovative thinking.
• Client Transformation Journey : Create a live, staged transformation of a ‘client’ during your presentation. Show before, during, and after stages of your consulting impact, possibly using actors or real clients.
• Flashback Storytelling : Begin your presentation with a glimpse of the future success your consulting brings, then ‘flashback’ to present day to tell the story of how you got there.
• Escape Room Concept : Turn your presentation space into an ‘escape room’ styled experience where solving each puzzle reveals part of your business strategy or services.
• Interactive Infographics : Use augmented reality to turn static infographics into interactive experiences. Audience members can use their smartphones to explore data points more deeply.
• Mock News Report : Create a mock news report or documentary featuring your consulting firm addressing a major industry problem. This could be a pre-recorded segment that plays during your presentation.
• Themed Costume and Set Design : Dress in a themed costume that represents your industry or the problem you’re solving. Decorate your stage area to resemble an environment where your consulting is most impactful.
• Live Experiment or Demonstration : Conduct a live experiment or demonstration that visually represents the problem your consulting addresses or the effectiveness of your solutions.
• Silent Pitch with Subtitles : Start your pitch in complete silence, using only visuals and subtitles. It can be a powerful way to grab attention before you begin speaking.
• Interactive Mind Map : Create a large, physical mind map on stage that you fill out interactively during the pitch, visually connecting problems, solutions, and outcomes.
• Audience Role-Playing : Invite audience members to role-play scenarios that your consulting firm typically handles. This interactive approach makes the experience memorable.
• ‘Choose Your Own Adventure’ Presentation : Let the audience make decisions at key points in your presentation, each choice leading to different slides and outcomes, illustrating the flexibility and adaptability of your services.
• Productive Failures Showcase : Share stories of past failures and how they led to key learnings or pivots in your consulting approach. This honest and humble approach can be very engaging.
• Time Capsule Concept : Present a ‘time capsule’ of industry predictions and how your consulting firm plans to address future challenges, showing foresight and long-term thinking.

Also, you want to make sure that your presentation equipment is top notch. Check out my guide on selecting the best projectors for presentations and make your pitch shine.

These creative approaches can make your pitch memorable, engaging, and effective, ensuring that your audience not only understands your consulting startup’s value but also remembers it long after the presentation.

Consultants Also Asked

How do you write a consulting pitch.

Writing a successful consulting pitch requires careful consideration of who you are targeting and what your value proposition is. You should research relevant organizations or individuals to identify the decision-makers and understand their needs.

Then, craft a compelling message that outlines your skills, experience, and qualifications for the job. Focus on how you can help solve their problem or improve their situation with your expertise.

Be sure to include any relevant case studies or testimonials to back up your claims. Finally, be sure to clearly state the terms of your engagement so that everyone is on the same page from the beginning.

By following this process, you can create an effective consulting pitch that will get you noticed by potential clients.

What is a consulting deck?

A consulting deck is a presentation document used by consultants to provide an overview of the project or services they offer. It contains key information such as the scope of work, proposed timeline, pricing, and any other relevant details.

The main purpose of the consulting deck is to give potential clients a clear understanding of what they will get when they hire the consultant’s services.

What are consulting buzzwords?

Consulting buzzwords are terms and phrases that are used in the consulting industry to describe various concepts, ideas, and trends. These words are often used to explain complex topics in a succinct way, making them easier for businesses to understand.

Common buzzwords include “digital transformation”, “agile methodology”, “customer experience”, “big data analytics”, and “lean operations”.

What makes a good consulting slide deck?

A good consulting slide deck should have clear and concise points. When creating a slide deck, it should be organized in a logical way that is easy to follow and understand. The slides should contain relevant images, graphs, or other visuals that support the points being made.

What’s the difference between a consulting pitch deck and a consulting deck?

Oh man, don’t get me started. In short, the main difference is that the pitch deck is there to just pitch a consultancy whereas the consulting deck is a very finely crafted albeit long presentation by consultants in big firms, to present strategies and reports to clients.

Last Words From Me

If you need any help finalizing your deck, or just having a creative block, let me know and I’ll help you out. Schedule a free  30 min call with me here , and let’s take a look at your needs together. Or visit my  pitch deck service  page for more info.

More Resources

Check my pillar guide on pitch decks that helped my clients win more than $100mill in funding

Startup Pitch Deck Guide: How To Create A Pitch Deck For Investors (Template Incl)

You’ll learn how to create an investor pitch deck by following my bulletproof step-by-step guide that helped my clients get $4+mill in funding. It includes information on:

• Building each slide (including elevator pitch slide, financials slide, and more)
• Best startup pitch deck examples
• What investors want to hear
• What a pitch deck is
• What a pitch deck isn’t
• Best practices when creating a pitch presentation

Also, these resources :

Also don’t miss out on my massive presentation specialist guide , last minute presentations and best business projector buyers guide.

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How mckinsey consultants make powerpoint presentations.

Table of contents

Section 1: frontpage, section 2: executive summary, section 3: body of slides, section 4: conclusion/recommendation, section 5: appendix.

This article covers the structure of a McKinsey presentation, its key elements, and formatting tips and tricks. The principles are nearly identical to those found at BCG, Bain, or other top consultancies, although there are differences in terms of design and style.

As a note, the type of presentations we are covering in this post are what you would call ‘corporate’ or ‘management consulting’ presentations. These types of presentations are typically longer, data-heavy slide decks that serve as the foundation for complex decisions and recommendations. We are not referring to decks for keynotes, college projects, or design presentations.

The structure of a McKinsey presentation

A complete consulting presentation typically contains the following five overall sections: 

• Executive summary 
• Body of slides
• Recommendation / Next steps

Let's dive into each section one by one.

The front page consists of a few simple elements: a title, a sub-headline, name of company, date and time . The title is usually less than 8 words long. A sub-headline is an optional second description line, used for further elaboration.

In consulting the 'name of company' and the template theme typically depends on whether the client wants to position the work as internal or external. If the client wants to position the work as external, then the front page will have McKinsey’s name and use its signature design template and color scheme. Vice versa, if positioned as internal work, the slides will be branded with the client organization's logo and design.

The executive summary, sometimes called 'At A Glance', is the presentation's first slide and usually the single slide that takes the most time to write and perfect. 

The executive summary summarizes the key arguments, storyline, and supporting evidence of the body slides. This helps the reader get a quick overview of the presentation and take away the most important insights and recommendations.

Executive summaries written by McKinsey, Bain, and BCG usually follow the Situation-Complication-Resolution (SCR) Framework , which is a straightforward and effective approach to communicating the complete storyline of your slide deck .

See our post on How to Write an Effective Executive Summary for tips and tricks.

This is the central section of the presentation. This section often contains 50+ slides filled with quantitative and qualitative content. To avoid 'death-by-powerpoint', it is crucial to structure both the overall storyline and individual slides in a clear and engaging way. 

Let’s start by taking a look at the way McKinsey consultants create individual slides.

The anatomy of a slide  

At its most basic form, each slide must consist of 3 main parts:

(a) Action title - a sentence that articulates the key implication or insight    (b) Subheadings - what data are you using to prove the insight?   (c) Slide body - the actual data used to prove the insight (text, numbers, visuals, footer).

As a rule of thumb, there should be nothing in the action title that's not in the slide body, and nothing in the slide body that is irrelevant to the action title.

a) Action title

When you become a management consultant, one of the first things you are taught is that the title of a slide should always be an 'action title' that articulates the key takeaway or 'so-what' of the slide.

Often presentations are read by busy executives. Action titles make your slides easier to understand because your reader doesn't have to dive into the detail of the slide body to understand the key takeaway of that slide.

As an example, imagine you are creating a slide showing yearly development in revenue and costs for a business unit.

A passive title for that slide could be:  "Historical development in Revenue and Costs".  As a reader, you need to study the chart to deduct the 'so-what' of the slide.

An action title would be:  "Over the last 5 years, costs have grown 10% per year, which is double revenue growth" As a reader, you immediately understand the message of the slide. You can now choose to look at the data on the slide more closely, if you want the details.

See our blog post on Action Titles for a more comprehensive guide.

(b) Subheadings

Subheadings are meant to give a clear summary of the data used to prove the insight in the action title, or alternatively add some nuance to the main takeaway. Keep it crisp and short.

Here are a few examples:

• Sales of personal luxury goods, US Market, $ billions
• Forecasted evolution of battery cell costs by 2030 ($/kWh)

(c) Slide body

A clear and concise slide body is essential for effectively communicating insights to an audience. The slide's main insight, articulated in the action title, should be supported by all relevant information presented in the simplest possible way.  You have likely done a lot of research, and it is tempting to include all the interesting data you have found. Avoid this. Instead, try and remove all facts and figures not directly supporting your key insight stated in the title.  

Here is an example: 

In this case, the title is clear, and the content of the slide only serves to prove and support the slide's main insight.  

When building your slide, you may only sometimes start with the title and then fill in the data to support it. Often it is more of an iterative process where you try out different titles to capture the data you have collected and the flow of the overall storyline.

Now that we have covered the building blocks of individual slides, let’s move on to how McKinsey, BCG, and Bain consultants construct a storyline.

Horizontal flow: The structure of a storyline

‘Storyline’ refers to the way the slide deck is built up or in other words the ‘flow’ of slides. The exact storyline created by McKinsey, Bain, and BCG consultants is typically tailored to that specific use case. But in general consulting storylines follow an SCR (situation-complication-resolution) framework.

The SCR framework is a way of structuring your findings in a clear and concise way that is engaging and intuitive. Here is what each part of the framework means:

• Situation: The situation is the starting point or context of the problem or issue you're addressing. It might include information about the current state of affairs, the background of the problem, or any other relevant details that help set the stage. The situation can also focus more narrowly on a specific opportunity or threat.  
• Complication: The complication is the specific challenge or problem that has arisen within the situation. It might be a roadblock, an unexpected development, or a major hurdle that needs to be overcome. It can also refer to gaps in capabilities needed to capture an opportunity.  
• Resolution: The resolution is the proposed solution to the complication or problem. It should be a clear and actionable plan for moving forward and overcoming the challenge. This might involve specific steps to be taken, resources needed, or other details that help ensure success. We cover this in more detail in the next section.

Your storyline should be clear at the slide title level, which is why action titles are so important. Your audience should be able to read only your action titles all the way through the presentation and a) understand what the main conclusions are and b) understand how you got to those main conclusions through analysis. In other words, your action titles should flow like a story and be readable on their own.

In practice, when starting a new deck it can be helpful to sketch out your overarching sections on paper. Then follow them up with empty slides using just action titles (or fill in the slides with rough notes on which analysis or sub-conclusion goes on that slide). Print out your slides and lay them on a table or put your slides in ‘Slide Sorter’ mode in PowerPoint and see if the flow of slides makes sense.

You can also choose to write your entire storyline in a word document focusing first on the action titles of each slide and then supplementing the action titles with underlying bullets describing the data or information that will go on the slide to support that action title.

McKinsey consultants have a library of old cases to use, which helps create a skeleton or inspire a new deck and allows them to make better presentations in much less time. Build your own library by saving excellent presentations you come across in grouped categories and creating an ongoing general PowerPoint where you collect good slides to reuse.

Take a look at our templates to find specific storylines to match your needs , complete with multiple real client examples.

A crucial part of any consulting presentation is the conclusion/recommendation section. These slides outline the actions or responses required to address the situation and complication you've covered earlier in your slide deck. They often also include a suggested implementation plan and immediate next steps.

While there is generally flexibility in how you lay out your conclusion/recommendation slides, the following three guidelines will help you create effective recommendations that are easy to understand and follow:

• Groups: Group your recommendations into categories to make your reader's understanding easier.  
• Labeling: Label or number your groups and/or individual recommendations to help your reader follow the structure when you discuss your recommendations across multiple slides.  
• Active voice: Write your recommendations in active voice starting with 'action words' (verbs), such as "Grow...", "Minimize…", "Improve…", "Increase…", "Target…", "Increase…", etc.

Here are a few examples of recommendation slides from McKinsey, BCG, and Bain:

It is not uncommon for the appendix, also called backup pages, to be significantly longer than the main deck. The main deck tells the story, and the appendix contains details and all supporting evidence that might be relevant but is beyond the scope of the main storyline.

In other words, keep the storyline of the main deck as crisp and clear as possible and move all supporting documentation and details to the appendix. Here they will be out of the way but available for reference. 

Formatting tips

Presentations from top consulting firms like McKinsey, Bain, and BCG tend to feel very different and convincing compared to other corporate presentations. A part of this is the ability to effectively structure both individual slides and the full deck, which we have talked about in this post. But another part is the rigorous training in slide design and formatting details that ensure the output is of the highest quality.

Below we have gathered some common formatting tips for designing compelling and consistent slides:

Color: Color matters. Keep the color pallet simple and use bright colors selectively to draw attention to key data or insights. Create a color hierarchy and apply it consistently across your deck.  

Fonts: Pick one (or two) font types and stick to it. BCG only uses the font 'Trebuchet MS'. McKinsey’s new 2020 template uses 'Arial' for slide body content and 'Georgia' for titles and select visual elements.

Margins: Never go outside of the slide margins. Use 'Powerpoint Guides' to clearly view margins when in design view.

Titles: All titles throughout the presentation should be two lines or less and use the same font size.

Lists: Only used numbered lists if the numbers themselves are relevant (e.g. if you are ranking items). In most cases, use bullets instead of numbers.

Icons: Icons are simple but can completely transform a boring text slide when used correctly. Replace bullets with icons that represent the bullet item if your slide is otherwise relatively simple. Ideally, use icons in places where the icons ‘have meaning’ and can be used later in the presentation when referring back to or going into detail around a certain topic. Use icons in the same style and boldness. Buy access to a large premium icon set like Streamline Light or Streamline Regular if you can. https://www.streamlinehq.com/icons/streamline-light .

Align, align, align: Content on all slides should be aligned. Titles and subheadings should have the same exact position across all slides. When you flip through your slides, the position of the headline should not move, and the font size should not change. This also goes for other common repeated elements (logo, source, page number etc.), as well as similar items on a slide (column headers, graphs etc.) Using a well-designed master template is the easiest way to keep alignment accuracy.

Animations: Refrain from using fancy graphics and animations in the slides.

Slide number and source: Each slide should also have a slide number and a source in the bottom section that provides the source of the data used.

Text: Review the text on each slide to ensure that it is clear, concise, and well-structured. Eliminate unnecessary words and sentences. Keep it as simple and short as possible.

Visuals: Ensure that visuals in the form of graphs, charts, diagrams, tables, and images are high quality and add value. Add call-outs, highlights or similar wherever it makes sense to make the so-what of that visual more clear. Colors, fonts, and layout should be consistent with the rest of the presentation.

Download our most popular templates

High-end PowerPoint templates and toolkits created by ex-McKinsey, BCG, and Bain consultants

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Effectively Creating a Management Consulting Presentation

Importance of designing a management consulting presentation.

Are you searching for best practices for creating a management consulting presentation ? In this article, we give the industry’s best practices being widely followed by agencies offering management consulting presentation services . Businesses employ presentations for a range of purposes, including education, information dissemination, motivation, and training. Management consulting presentation services can be highly advantageous for top consulting companies, just like any other business sector.

Role of Management consulting

Consulting definition signifies ‘advice’ and consultants provide expert advice to businesses through their strategies and analysis. Three main types of consulting are Strategy consulting, Human Resource Consulting and Management Consulting.

Management consulting is a professional service that helps organizations improve their performance and achieve their goals. Consultants work with clients to identify areas for improvement, develop strategies, and implement solutions to increase efficiency, productivity, and profitability. The ultimate goal of management and consulting agencies is to help organizations succeed and thrive in a competitive business environment.

7 steps of consulting process

Consulting is a process that involves several steps to ensure that the client’s needs are met.

The 7-step framework of consulting process includes:

• Defining the problem
• Structuring the problem
• Prioritizing issues
• Developing issue analysis
• Analysis plan
• Conducting analyses
• Synthesizing findings and developing recommendations

Each step is crucial in providing effective consulting services and achieving the desired outcomes for the client.

Need to invest in management consulting presentation services

Management consulting presentation services can provide a range of benefits for businesses, including:

• Help improve communication and collaboration within the organization
• Identify areas for improvement
• Provide expert advice and guidance
• Help businesses stay up-to-date with industry trends and best practices
• Improve the overall performance and profitability of businesses

Sections of a complete management consulting presentation

A complete consulting presentation typically includes

• Introduction
• Problem statement
• Analysis of the problem
• Proposed solutions
• Implementation plan

Other sections may include

• Project timeline
• Recommendations for next steps

Consulting deck

Leading Consulting firms often use a consulting deck to showcase their services and expertise to potential clients. Consulting decks typically includes important information such as the scope of work, proposed timeline, pricing, and other relevant details. By providing a clear and concise overview of their offerings, consultants can effectively communicate their value proposition and win new business. Top consulting firms like McKinsey, BCG and Bain follow a standard structure to create the slide deck for consulting slides.

Optimum approach to create a management consulting presentation

When creating a consulting presentation, it’s important to start with your main point – the solution or answer you are proposing. From there, organize your supporting arguments and ideas in a logical order that will effectively convey your message. By presenting your ideas in a clear and organized manner, you can help ensure that your audience understands and is convinced by your recommendations.

Tips for Structuring a Management Consulting Presentation

One crucial aspect of delivering an effective management consulting presentation is establishing a clear and concise structure. A comprehensive consulting presentation typically includes the following components: an executive summary, a table of contents, an action title, chapters, a body of slides that align with the overarching narrative, a conclusion with recommendations, and an appendix. By thoughtfully organizing your presentation in this manner, you can effectively convey your insights and recommendations to your audience with clarity and impact.

How to create a consulting presentation?

When creating a consulting presentation, it’s important to start with a clear and concise main point that outlines your solution or answer. From there, organize your supporting arguments in a logical and coherent manner, ensuring that each idea flows smoothly into the next. Finally, order your supporting ideas in a way that makes sense and effectively supports your main point. By following these steps, you can create a compelling and effective consulting presentation that will impress your audience and help you achieve your goals.

Management Consulting Presentation – Top Rated Presentation Agency in India – Visual Sculptors

What are Management consulting presentation services?

Management consulting presentation services assist organizations in effectively conveying their message and achieving their objectives through the preparation and delivery of professional, impactful presentations. With a team of experienced professionals, they provide expertise in the areas of presentation design, content development, and delivery. They ensure that the presentation is engaging and informative, while maximizing the impact on the audience.

Management Consulting Presentation – Ex-McKinsey Designers Team – Visual Sculptors

Do top management consultants use PowerPoint?

Consulting jobs demand consultants to come up with compelling presentations for client meetings. PowerPoint Presentations are a key deliverable that clients receive and serve as a testament to the consultant’s capabilities.

Advantages of using PowerPoint presentations

• Effectively engage the audience and make key points stand out
• Easy to set a theme
• Organize and present information in a logical and easy-to-follow way
• Use visual aids like images, animations, audio, and video
• Maximize the power of your story
• It can be tailored to suit individual client requirements
• Creating a professional and polished finish.
• A Presenter can maintain control over the flow of the presentation
• Consultants utilize the Think-Cell plug-in to optimize the PowerPoint graphs and visuals.
• Presentations can be stored and distributed to co-workers, both on-site and off-site.

Management Consulting Presentation – PowerPoint Advantages

Advantages of hiring an agency providing Management consulting Presentation Services

• Get access to a team of highly-skilled presentation design professionals
• Latest design tools and software to create compelling and engaging presentations
• Create customized presentations that perfectly align with your brand and goals
• Improve the overall look and feel of your presentations
• Provide valuable feedback on the design and content of the presentation

Management Consulting Presentation – Advantages Hiring Presentation Design Agency

How to Create a Management Consulting Presentation

The preparation of presentations is a critical element of the management consulting project, as it is integral to two key areas.

• The presentation is the lasting impression of the work produced and will determine the longevity and success of the project.
• It serves as the vehicle by which the consultants can effectively communicate the outcomes of their analytical efforts.

In consulting, daily tasks revolve around creating deliverables – presentation slides and spreadsheets – to convey information to customers with clarity and impact. These documents are used in pitching, providing project updates, and communicating the end results in an engaging and compelling manner.

McKinsey 7-S Model

Biggest consulting companies across the world follow a standard structure for designing the consulting slides. McKinsey slide deck is one such that has gained much popularity across the world. The McKinsey 7-S Model is a comprehensive framework that facilitates effective management of organizational change by strategically addressing seven critical components of a company’s organizational design.

These components comprise: 7-S

• Shared values

By leveraging this framework, change leaders can gain valuable insights into the interplay between these elements and devise a well-informed change strategy that fosters sustainable and long-lasting organizational success.

The Significance of Formatting in Management Consulting Presentations

Formatting is an important factor in creating a successful management consulting presentation. It helps create an organized and professional visual impression, which is key in impressing potential clients. To effectively communicate data, it is essential to use eye-catching visuals, such as graphs and charts , while adhering to a consistent theme and structure.

Consultants working in top business consulting companies sped most of their time in research and analysis for the business growth. So, big consulting companies engage the service of presentation specialists , who design the consulting decks professionally. With years of experience, some top consultants become experts in slide decks design as well. 

Step-by-step guide for creating an effective management consulting presentation

• Outline the hierarchical structure of the problem
• Construct an outline for the presentation
• Record the points you wish to communicate
• Outline the key points of the presentation slides
• Create a template in PowerPoint
• Obtain pertinent data for each slide
• Use effective data visualization
• Make any necessary adjustments to individual slides or the structure
• Create Executive Summary
• Outline the key points of the presentation and conclude with the main takeaway
• Verify the accuracy of information

Structuring A Management Consulting Presentation

Here is an overview of these steps:

1. Outline the hierarchical structure of the problem

Analyze the issue tree to identify any potential problems that may be present in the company.

2. Construct an outline for the presentation

Organize the problems from the issue tree into cohesive categories and use this to create the structure of the presentation (sections, chapters, etc.).

3. Record the points you wish to communicate

Use the 80/20 rule – 80% of a presentation’s impact is determined by 20% of the content. Obviously, messages should be aligned with your issue tree and the structure. 

4. Outline the key points of the presentation slides

It is now time to create a visual representation of each message we have set out, utilizing our established structure.

5. Create a template in PowerPoint

In order to ensure a successful start to any consulting project, it is recommended to take the extra step of transforming sketches into PowerPoint slides.

6. Obtain pertinent data for each slide

You should recall our prior statement that for each slide, one message should be validated or negated using the applicable data. Consequently, generate an Excel analysis to aid in the compilation of data and elucidate conclusions for each slide.

7. Use effective data visualization

Think-cell is a powerful presentation software which is widely used in the management consulting industry.  It provides a range of features such as data analysis, charting, timelines and other visuals which can be used to make presentations more impactful. Microsoft offers different chart types for effective data visualization. Just like Think-cell, MS Graph Charts also helps in creating various types of charts based on the data.

8.  Think-Cell PowerPoint Add-on

The Think-Cell plugin is a powerful tool for creating professional and visually appealing charts and slide layouts in PowerPoint. Widely recognized as the most popular charting add-on for PowerPoint, it boasts a user base of over 950,000 individuals at more than 23,000 companies worldwide. Notably, it is trusted by 8 of the top 10 business consulting firms, making think-cell a go-to choice for professionals in a variety of industries.

9. Make any necessary adjustments to individual slides or the structure

After filling in all slides, it is important to ensure the presentation makes sense. On review, you may find that the flow is slightly off and require some adjustments; typically, 10-20% of slides need to be relocated. This step also provides an opportunity to modify the content for clarity and efficiency.

10. Create Executive Summary

Consultants to provide a concise Executive Summary comprised of 20-30 slides highlighting the key points and, if applicable, supporting analytics. It is important in the Executive Summary to provide the main results and to generate interest, thus prompting the reader to proceed to the main presentations.

11. Outline the key points of the presentation and conclude with the main takeaway

To provide a succinct introduction and conclusion, reviewing the Executive Summary and identifying the key takeaways is essential. Ensure that the start and finish of the presentation are captivating for the viewers, as they are typically the most noticed parts.

 12. Verify the accuracy of information

As most presentations are produced by multiple people, there may be some discrepancies. To ensure that the presentation is consistent and error-free, it should be reviewed 5-10 times before sending.

11 amazing charts created using think-cell 

Business Management consultants create amazing charts using think-cell. While designing a management consulting presentation, consultants select appropriate chart types based on the data. We give below a few of the chart types in think-cell.

1. Waterfall Chart

Think-Cell Waterfall Chart

With think-cell, users can easily create a waterfall chart by selecting, dragging, and releasing the necessary data. The software also allows users to enter positive and negative values in the datasheet to ensure that the chart is displayed accurately.

2. Gantt Chart

Think-Cell Gantt Chart

Think-cell charts simplify the creation of Gantt charts, which are calendar-based charts used for project management. With built-in calendar features and a self-adjusting time scale, think-cell makes it easy to create and customize Gantt charts.

3. Mekko Chart / Marimekko chart / Mosaic Plot

Think-Cell Mekko Chart

Mekko Chart / Marimekko chart / Mosaic Plot is a 2-dimensional chart that displays data as columns with varying widths. This allows for a more accurate representation of the data and can be customized to fit the specific needs of the presentation.

4. Scatter and Bubble Chart

Think-Cell Scatter And Bubble Chart

Think-cell automates the labeling process for scatter and bubble charts. With think-cell, labels can be applied to each individual scatter point, making the chart more organized and easier to read.

5. Pie Chart

Think-Cell Pie Chart

Think-cell charts offer a simple way to rotate pie elements. By dragging their handles at 90, 0, 120, or 270 degrees, you can easily adjust the orientation of your chart to better suit your needs.

6. Line Chart

Think-Cell Line Chart

Think-cell charts offer a range of advanced features, including interpolation, error bars, and date-based axis formatting. These options allow for greater precision and customization in creating charts and visualizations.

7. Clustered Chart

Think-Cell Clustered Column Chart

Think-cell charts offer advanced options for clustered charts, similar to stacked column and bar charts. These options include the ability to add arrows that are automatically calculated and highlight important relationships within the data.

8. 100% Chart

Think-Cell 100% Chart

Think-Cell charts offer a convenient way to mark and select elements of the same type with their intelligent logical selection mechanism. This feature allows for quick and efficient chart creation, saving time and effort for users.

9. Stacked Column and Bar Chart

Think-Cell – Stacked Column And Bar Chart

Think-Cell is a powerful tool that simplifies the creation of stacked column or bar charts. While this chart type is relatively straightforward, adding labels and decorations in PowerPoint can be a tedious process. Think-Cell, eliminates this time-consuming task, allowing users to create professional-looking charts quickly.

10. Area Chart

Think-Cell Area Chart

With Think-Cell, users have access to a range of advanced options for creating charts, including the ability to customize axis tick marks, axis range, and grid lines.

11. Area 100% Chart

Think-Cell – Area 100% Chart

When creating charts with think-cell, users have the flexibility to input either percentages or absolute values, depending on their preference.

Common Design layouts used in Management Consulting Presentation

1. pillar diagram.

Management Consulting Presentation – Pillar Diagram

A pillar diagram is a visual tool used in management consulting presentations to represent the key components or pillars of a strategy or plan. It typically consists of a central pillar representing the main goal or objective, with several supporting pillars branching out from it, each representing a different aspect or component of the strategy. The diagram is often used to help stakeholders understand the various elements of a complex plan and how they fit together to achieve the overall goal.

2. Matrix design

Management Consulting Presentation – Matrix Design

Matrix design is a popular presentation technique in Management Consulting that arranges information into a multi-dimensional grid for easy comparison. The matrix visually displays data in rows and columns that can be customized to the audience’s specific needs and preferences. By using this structure, you can compare multiple topics at once to help illustrate your message or case study, while using dynamic visuals to ensure maximum engagement.

3. Process Flow Diagram

Management Consulting Presentation – Process Flow Diagram

A process flow diagram is a visualization tool used in management consulting presentations to illustrate the phases and processes of an project or topic. It can help a presenter explain complicated concepts in an easy-to-understand visual way, enabling the audience to better comprehend what is being presented.

4. Harvey Balls

Management Consulting Presentation – Harvey Balls Design

Harvey balls are round symbols that visually display the relative completeness of items, such as projects or tasks, within a set. They consist of solid circles divided into quarters with varying lengths of lines extending right and downward from the center creating arcs in the style of a bullseye. Each arc is shaded differently and generally represent empty (blank), partial, almost full or complete status.

5. Venn Diagram

Management Consulting Presentation – Venn Diagram

A Venn diagram is a visual representation of the relationships between different sets or groups. It consists of overlapping circles or shapes, with each circle representing a set and the overlapping area representing the elements that belong to both sets. Venn diagrams are commonly used in mathematics, statistics, and logic to illustrate concepts such as set theory, probability, and logical reasoning.

6. SWOT analysis

Management Consulting Presentation – SWOT Analysis

A SWOT analysis is a strategic planning tool used to identify and analyze the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats of a business or project. It helps to identify internal and external factors that may impact the success of the business or project. A business consulting report gives SWOT analysis and offers solutions to develop strategies that mitigates risks.

7. Market sizing visualization

Management Consulting Presentation – Market Sizing Visualization

Market sizing is the process of estimating the potential demand for a product or service in a specific market. It involves analyzing data on the size of the market, the target audience, and the competition to determine the potential revenue and growth opportunities. This information is crucial for businesses to make informed decisions about product development, marketing strategies, and investment opportunities.

8. Map Slide

Management Consulting Presentation – Map Slide

Map Slide is a simple and powerful tool that enables users to turn geographical data into interactive, visually appealing maps. This allows for a clearer understanding of trends, patterns, and correlations in location-based data, helping to make more informed decisions. Map Slide also offers layer-based mapping capabilities for drawing additional chart layers on the map.

9. Organization Chart

Management Consulting Presentation – Organization Chart

An organizational chart is a visual representation of a company’s structure and hierarchy. It shows the relationships between different positions and departments, and how they fit together to achieve the company’s goals. Typically, the chart will include the names and titles of key personnel, as well as their reporting relationships and areas of responsibility.

10. Heat Map Visualization

Management Consulting Presentation – Heat Map

A heat map is a data visualization tool that uses color-coding to represent different values in a dataset. It is often used to show the distribution of data across a geographic area or to highlight patterns in large datasets. Heat maps can be used in various industries, including business, finance, and healthcare, to help identify trends and make data-driven decisions. Image source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heat_map

Three Key Principles Behind Making Impressive Consulting-Style Presentations

The pyramid principle.

The Pyramid Principle is an important concept in management consulting presentation , and refers to the idea that the core message of a presentation should be presented in an inverted pyramid structure. This structure entails starting with the most important point at the top, then breaking down the argument into layers of related and supporting points. 

The MECE Principle

The MECE (Mutually Exclusive, Collectively Exhaustive) Principle is a critical concept to master when it comes to management consulting presentation . It ensures that ideas, solutions, or elements of a presentation are organized in a way that is both mutually exclusive, meaning they are distinct and non-overlapping, and collectively exhaustive, meaning that all relevant topics or issues are addressed.

The KISS principle (Keep It Short and Simple)

The KISS principle (Keep It Short and Simple) is a maxim that has been applied to many different fields, including management consulting presentations .  Utilizing intuitive design, the audience will be able to quickly and effectively understand the given material. This framework incorporates the use of bullet points, visuals, charts, and large fonts to ensure maximum comprehension in the shortest possible amount of time.

Why to invest in management consulting?

1. role of management consulting in business startups.

Management consulting can play a crucial role in helping business startups navigate the challenges of launching and growing a successful company. Consultants can provide expertise in areas such as business strategy, financial planning, marketing, and operations, helping startups to make informed decisions and avoid costly mistakes. They can also provide valuable networking opportunities and connections to potential investors and partners.

2. Role of Pitch Deck consulting services

Pitch deck consulting services play a crucial role in helping startups and businesses create effective presentations to attract investors and secure funding. They provide guidance on content, design, and delivery, ensuring that the pitch deck is clear, concise, and compelling. Additionally, they can offer valuable feedback and insights to help refine the pitch and increase its chances of success.

3. The Importance of a Strong Investor Pitch Deck

A well-crafted investor pitch deck is crucial for startups and entrepreneurs seeking funding. It serves as a visual aid to communicate your business idea, market opportunity, financial projections, and team to potential investors. A strong pitch deck can help you stand out from the competition and increase your chances of securing funding.

4. Key Elements of an Investor Pitch Deck

Investors typically look for key elements in an investor pitch deck, including a clear problem statement, a unique solution, a strong business model, a competitive analysis, financial projections, and a clear ask for funding. It’s important to also have a well-designed and visually appealing presentation to capture their attention.

5. Why Your Startup Pitch Deck Is Failing to Impress Investors

There are several reasons why startups may fail to impress investors with their pitch deck. These include lack of clarity in the problem they are solving, not demonstrating a clear market opportunity, not having a solid business model, and not effectively communicating their team’s expertise and experience. Additionally, poor design and presentation can also detract from the overall effectiveness of the pitch deck.

6. Designing an successful Investor Pitch Deck that will win through the investor meeting

A pitch deck is a brief presentation, usually created using PowerPoint or Keynote, used to provide your audience with a quick overview of your business plan. It’s commonly used in the business world to summarize the company’s key milestones and present it’s vision. Generally an investor pitch deck will include an overview of the team, description of the product or service being offered, business model, financial projections and fundraising needs.

Here is the list of 12 important slides to be included in an Investor Pitch Deck:

Management Consulting Presentation – 12 Slides Investor Pitch Deck

I. Executive Summary

The executive summary introduces the company to potential investors, highlighting key points such as proof of concept, growth potential, competition analysis and any unique selling points.

II. Problem/Solution

This slide showcases the problem your business solves along with its corresponding solutions that addresses that problem.

III. Company Background

Here, you should include an overview of the company history and how it has evolved over time.

IV. Product Overview & Demo

Introduce the product or service with a detailed description explaining what your company does in layman’s terms followed by a demo of your product or service if relevant.

V. Traction Slide

Here you should showcase any user acquisition, revenue generation or impact metric success you have had in the past months or years since launching your business.

VI. Market Size & Opportunity

Summarize regional and global industry trends to explain current market size, future opportunities and specific challenges faced by the industry segment you are competing in as well as what makes your offering noteworthy compared to competitors currently in this space

VII. Team & Advisors

Include slides for each team member along with their relevant experience and why they make great leaders for this venture moving forward – followed by slides on advisory partnerships that provide support and strength to these individual roles within the company.

VIII. Go-to-market Strategy

Outline clearly how you plan on taking your offering further into mainstream markets, utilizing technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), digital media marketing channels (social media campaigns etc.) or launching new products/services etc., according to longer term plans

IX. Competitive Analysis

Map out key competitor names followed by comparing how each differs from yours – highlight areas where there is minimal competition and how that could help boost investor interest in your venture going forward

X. Financial Model

Display financial projections for at least 3 years ahead including projected revenues, profits, expenses and exits (IPO’s) depending on goals. Businesses seek the support of audit forms for preparing financial statements. Big 4 Consulting Firms – PwC, Deloitte, EY, and KPMG are well known for being the top audit firms in the world.

XI. Use of Proceeds/Funding Strategy

Clearly explain based on realistic estimates & assumptions forecasts where proceeds from investment will be used i.e. .for hiring staff/buying capital equipment etc.

XII. Contact Information & Call-to-Action Slides

List off contact info for both main personnel within the business as well as social media handles so investors can stay up-to-date with developments at all times plus thank them sincerely with a call to action like ‘Contact Us Now’.

Management Consulting Presentation – Pitch Deck For Investor Meeting

7. The Benefits of Management Consulting for Established Businesses

Management consulting can help established businesses in a variety of ways, including improving efficiency, identifying areas for growth and development, implementing new strategies and technologies, and providing objective insights and advice. Consultants can also help businesses navigate challenges and changes in the market, and provide valuable expertise and support in areas such as finance, marketing, and operations.

8. Management consulting for business strategy

Management consulting can help established businesses in a variety of ways, including developing and implementing effective business strategies, improving operational efficiency, identifying and addressing organizational weaknesses, and providing objective insights and recommendations. Consultants can also bring fresh perspectives and expertise to the table, helping businesses stay competitive and adapt to changing market conditions.

9. The Role of Strategic Consulting in Business

Strategic consulting involves working with businesses to help them identify and achieve their goals. This can include analyzing market trends, developing growth strategies, improving operational efficiency, and providing guidance on mergers and acquisitions. The ultimate goal of strategic consulting is to help businesses make informed decisions that will lead to long-term success.

10. The Importance of Management Consulting in Company Expansion

Management consulting plays a crucial role in company expansion by providing expert advice and guidance on strategic planning, organizational structure, financial management, and other key areas. Consultants can help identify growth opportunities, assess risks, and develop effective strategies to achieve long-term success. They can also provide valuable insights and support during the implementation phase, helping companies navigate challenges and achieve their goals.

Wrapping it up

Management consulting helps businesses from startups to established businesses in varied ways in devising strategies for business growth. The consultants present their findings in PowerPoint presentations. The management consulting presentations play a crucial role in the day-to-day workings of a McKinsey consultant. It is imperative to design the management consulting presentations to be more professional and consistent.

Investing in the services of a professional presentation agency specializing in the design of management consulting presentations is worth the money invested. The consultants can leave their design worries and focus on the core works.

Are you looking for a professional presentation agency?

Visual Sculptors can be your best choice.

You can visit our portfolio to get an idea of a typical consultant style. 

Visual Sculptors is a leading global provider of Best Presentation Services led by Ex-McKinsey Presentation Designers . A Professional Presentation Agency comprising Business Presentation Specialists with 10+ years experience at McKinsey. A Top Rated Plus PPT Presentation Design agency in Upwork with 4,080 jobs, and 28,254 billed hours. This speaks to our team’s dedication, competing for the Top 10 Presentation Design Agency in India and worldwide.

We offer excellent Management Consulting Presentation Services for clients globally, delivering top-notch presentations in PowerPoint/PPT. Our services includes Business Presentation, Consulting Slides specializing in McKinsey, Bain and company, and BCG type Business Presentations, including think-cell charts.

Our deliverables exhibit a level of quality commensurate with that of best consulting firms in the industry.

1. What is management consulting PPT?

Management consulting PPT is a presentation tool used by consultants to present their services to potential clients. It involves a consulting firm conducting an in-depth analysis of a company’s current practices, issues, and challenges. This analysis is then presented in a comprehensive PowerPoint presentation to the business’s executives and decision makers.

2. Do consultants give presentations?

Definitely. A key component of being a management consultant is relaying one’s discoveries or advice to customers. Generally, experienced consultants are regularly expected to give presentations to customers, particularly to higher-level executives.

3. How do you make a McKinsey presentation?

Ensure that all textual elements on the slide body are the same font size (a task more difficult than anticipated). Do not enter the margin area of the slide. All titles should be two lines in length or shorter and maintain the same font size. Generally, each slide should only contain one main idea.

4. How do you structure a management consulting presentation?

A management consulting presentation should typically include:

• Recommendations

It’s important to keep the presentation concise and focused, and to use visuals and data to support your points. Practice your delivery and be prepared to answer questions from your audience.

5. What are the 7 models of McKinsey?

The 7-S Framework: A McKinsey Model for Organizational Effectiveness.

The 7 models of McKinsey are actually referred to as the 7-S Framework, which includes seven elements that are crucial for organizational effectiveness:

6. What does a management consultancy do?

Management consulting firms help organizations improve their performance by analyzing existing business problems and developing plans for improvement. They provide expert advice and guidance to help companies make strategic decisions, improve operations, and increase profitability. Services may include strategy development, organizational design, process improvement, and technology implementation.

7. What are management consulting skills?

Management consulting skills include:

• Problem-solving
• Critical thinking
• Communication
• Project management
• Data analysis
• Adaptability
• Strategic thinking

These skills are essential for consultants to provide effective solutions and advice to their clients.

8. What are the three main types of consulting?

Consulting can be broken down into three main categories:

• Strategy consultancy
• Management consulting
• Human resource consultancy

Strategy consultancy is the highest level of consulting, focusing on big-picture issues such as corporate strategy and government policy. Management consulting, also known as business consulting, covers a wide range of organizational issues. Human resource consultancy helps organizations with their human capital issues, including talent management and retirement planning.

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How to make consulting PPT – Tips and Tricks

How to create professional corporate slide decks

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Consulting Slides Best Practices & Examples from Big Companies

• February 13, 2024
• For Consultants

Consulting slides have many purposes. You can use them to communicate with internal staff, investors, and current or potential clients.

Whether you are a senior consultant or developing your first consulting presentation, the insights found in this article will be very valuable for you. This article will share 54 effective presentations from top consulting firms. These examples will help you understand how to create a well-organized presentation. 

But first, learn about the elements that compose the most effective presentations and go over the exact steps you need to take to create stunning consulting presentation slides. 

Benefits of a Great Consulting Presentation Slides

Creating effective consulting presentation slides is crucial for conveying your ideas, engaging your audience, and ultimately achieving your objectives. Let’s see other benefits you’ll enjoy:

Clear communication

Well-designed slides help in conveying your message clearly and concisely. Visual elements, bullet points, and charts can enhance understanding and retention of information.

Professional image

A polished consulting presentation reflects positively on your professionalism and competence. It can instill confidence in your clients or stakeholders and contribute to your credibility.

Engaging consulting slides can captivate your audience’s attention, making it more likely that they will stay focused on your message. This is particularly important in consulting where conveying complex information is common.

Highlight key points

Effective slides allow you to emphasize key points, ensuring that your audience grasps the most critical aspects of your presentation. This aids in decision-making and understanding the recommendations you’re providing.

Visual appeal

People are naturally drawn to visuals. Well-designed slides with appropriate images, graphics, and colors make your consulting presentation visually appealing, making it more memorable.

Support for verbal presentation

Consulting slides should complement your spoken words, not duplicate them. They act as a visual aid to support and reinforce your verbal communication, providing additional context and clarification.

Facilitate discussion

A great consulting presentation encourages interaction and discussion. Thoughtfully crafted slides can prompt questions, discussions, and further exploration of the topics at hand.

Demonstrate expertise

Through your consulting presentation, you can showcase your expertise in your field. This is particularly important for consultants, as clients are more likely to trust and value the insights of someone who appears knowledgeable and well-prepared.

Time management

Effective consulting slides help in managing time during your presentation. They keep you on track and ensure that you cover all the necessary points without going off-topic or running out of time.

Memorability

People will more likely remember well-structured and visually appealing consulting presentations. This is essential in a consulting context, where clients may need to recall your recommendations and insights at a later stage.

Remember : the key is not just having consulting slides for the sake of it, but ensuring that they add value to your presentation and contribute to achieving your goals.

What Makes a Good Consulting Presentation?

Maintaining a story flow is one of the most crucial elements of consulting presentations. It highlights your message, directing the audience’s attention toward the ideas presented.

The first step is to work on your presentation structure by establishing the introduction, body, and conclusion. After the action title, each slide should focus on one point.

Still, all of them must relate to the same topic. So your full deck conveys consistent ideas.

If you are part of a consulting team, you can use the straw-man approach to develop your slide decks. It is an iterative strategy that supports productive brainstorming and problem-solving.

After outlining a proposal, you discuss and test it together. According to the results and feedback, you improve the original proposal to create a new one. Repeating this process helps you move in the right direction until you complete a satisfying presentation.

The Pyramid Principle is also an excellent technique to help you structure your consulting slides. Consultant Barbara Minto, who worked at McKinsey, created this method to clarify communications.

With it, you start by presenting the point or solution you want to transmit. Then you include logical arguments that support it.

Lastly, you introduce evidence, analysis, and data that back up these arguments. This way, your presentation becomes impactful and has more credibility.

After understanding the consulting presentation development process, check out the examples below. Many presentations, like these created by 6 renowned firms in the consulting industry, are available online.

How to Create Stunning Consulting Slides

Creating stunning consulting slides involves a combination of thoughtful content, effective design, and a keen understanding of your audience. Here’s a guide to help you create stunning consulting slides:

• Identify your target audience and tailor your content and design to their preferences and expectations. Consider the level of expertise and familiarity your audience has with the subject matter.
• Clearly outline the purpose of your consulting presentation. Are you informing, persuading, or seeking approval? Structure your consulting slides to align with your main objectives, ensuring a cohesive and logical flow.
• Keep the text concise and focused. Use bullet points and avoid cluttering consulting slides with excessive information. Emphasize key messages and essential data to make the information easily digestible.
• Prioritize information using visual hierarchy. Important points should stand out through size, color, or placement. Guide the viewer’s attention by strategically organizing elements on each slide.
• Maintain a consistent visual theme, incorporating your company’s branding elements such as colors, fonts, and logos. Consistency enhances professionalism and reinforces your brand identity.
• Incorporate relevant, high-quality images that complement your content. Avoid generic stock photos when possible. Images should enhance understanding and evoke the right emotions related to your message.
• Present data using charts, graphs, and visuals to make complex information more accessible. Choose appropriate visualization formats based on the type of data you’re presenting (e.g., bar charts, pie charts, graphs).
• Experiment with layout and design to create visually appealing consulting slides. Avoid overcrowding and aim for a clean, professional look. Use white space effectively to reduce visual clutter and enhance overall aesthetics.
• Choose readable fonts and maintain consistency throughout your presentation. Ensure that text is easily legible, even from a distance. Use font size and style to emphasize key points without overwhelming the viewer.
• Less is often more. Aim for simplicity in design and content. Remove unnecessary elements that don’t contribute to the overall message.
• Familiarize yourself with the flow of your slides and practice your delivery. Ensure that the slides complement your spoken words rather than duplicating them.
•  Seek feedback from colleagues or peers to gain different perspectives on your slides. Use constructive criticism to refine and improve your presentation.

By combining engaging content with a visually appealing design, you can create stunning consulting slides that effectively communicate your message and leave a lasting impression on your audience.

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Consulting Presentations Examples

The following consulting presentation examples are divided by consulting firm and year.

Bain & Company Consulting Presentations

• Achieving Operational Excellence at University of California, Berkeley (2010)
• 2011 China Luxury Market Study
• Luxury Goods Worldwide Market Study, Fall-Winter 2016
• Global Diamond Industry Report 2017
• Con Edison Business Cost Optimization Summary

Boston Consulting Group (BCG) Consulting Presentations

• Port of Los Angeles Clean Truck Program
• Project US Mail Volumes to 2020
• Reshaping NYCHA support functions
• The Open Education Resource Ecosystem
• The Media and Entertainment Industry in NYC

Corporate Ventures in Sweden

Loose dogs in Dallas: Strategic Recommendations to Improve Public Safety and Animal Welfare

10 Steps to Sustainability

This consulting slide deck helps the client create a strategic plan for sustainability in their business. In this particular case, they highlight each step above the supporting data.

In addition, BCG created a hashtag to include on the title page. Using social media boosts audience participation and expands the reach of your presentation.

Gauging Long-Term Impact in the Social Sector

This example shows you how to create a narrative even if your focus point includes many abstract concepts. BCG uses graphics and delivers a compelling presentation template with each slide.

Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited Consulting Presentations

4 approaches to automating work using cognitive technologies

Deloitte presentations usually include an introduction to provide context for the following data. It is all about automating with cognitive technologies.

The consulting presentation maintains the same font size on the first few slides. Plus, key expressions are in bold.

Redesigning Work in An Era of Cognitive Technologies

Findings on health information technology and electronic health records

This consulting presentation follows a survey of U.S. Physicians by Delloite. After a small introduction, each of the PowerPoint slides highlights one key takeaway from the survey.

The consulting slides use illustrations for clear and impactful data.

TMT Outlook 2017: A new wave of advances offer opportunities and challenges

This consulting slide deck helps clients foresee trends in technology, media, and telecommunications. It is longer than other consulting presentations. It highlights the key points and uses poll questions to maintain audience engagement.

The Shopping Centre Handbook 4.0

Deloitte Kenya Budget 2022/23 Webinar

Ernst & Young Global Limited (EY) Consulting Presentations

The evolving value chain in life sciences

This PowerPoint presentation has a simple design. The target audience can relate to the content and graphics on the slides.

They vary the font size to structure the information. Besides, their logo is on every slide , making both the presentation and the company more memorable to readers.

How fit is your allocation strategy?

European Banking Barometer

EY Germany FinTech Landscape

MAPS2018 Keynote address on EY report: Life Sciences 4.0 – Securing value through data-driven platforms

Power transactions and trends Q2 2019

Global Capital Confidence Barometer 21st edition

EY Price Point: global oil and gas market outlook, Q2 | April 2022

McKinsey & Company Consulting Presentations

USPS Future Business Model

How can companies capture veteran opportunities

The Internet of Things and Big Data: Opportunities for Value Creation

Context for Global Growth and Development

Addressing the Global Affordable Housing Challenge

A labor market that works: Connecting talent and opportunity in the digital age

This consulting presentation is the executive summary of a McKinsey Global Institute report. It focuses on the labor market and how platforms moving digital transformation forward have affected it.

The last section of the slides has specific suggestions for the audience. It highlights key takeaways for clients to create a solution for connecting talent available on the market to their company.

Quarterly 50th Anniversary Highlights

There is no doubt McKinsey is a consulting giant. This PowerPoint presentation compiles the highlights of their 50th anniversary.

They use images and quotes from consultants, interviewees, and clients. This way, they introduce a human element in a consulting presentation with no numeric data.

Challenges in Mining: Scarcity or Opportunity?

Insurance Trends and Growth Opportunities for Poland

Digital globalization: The new era of global flows

Your presentation should also underscore the quality of your consulting services. In this consulting slide deck example, McKinsey uses detailed graphics . They ease understanding of the key points and convey a sense of competence to the audience.

Digital Luxury Experience

Technology’s role in mineral criticality (World Materials Forum)

European Banking Summit

Investment and Industrial Policy: A Perspective on the Future

PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) and Strategy& Consulting Presentations

Project Management: Improving performance, reducing risk

PwC Golden Age Index – How well are countries harnessing the power of older workers?

PwC Trends in the workforce

PwC management consultants deliver a well-built consulting presentation template. They include a sidebar with a content index for facilitated navigation.

Turning big data into big revenue

Apache Hadoop Summit 2016: The Future of Apache Hadoop an Enterprise Architecture View

Putting digital technology and data to work for Tech CMOs

PwC helps its audience support business strategies by putting digital technology to work. This consulting presentation is dynamic and includes practical suggestions .

The approach is similar to a consulting engagement. You not only access valuable information, but you also have assistance in using it to improve your company.

World Economic Forum: The power of analytics for better and faster decisions by Dan DiFilippo

Consulting services often include publishing slide decks for a broader public audience. This presentation uses bullet points to recap the World Economic Forum annual meeting topics. It includes infographics to enclose plenty of information without overcharging the PowerPoint slides.

Medical Cost Trend: Behind the Numbers 2017

Strategy& – Sector performance and structure sector reform

Strategy& – The 2016 Chief Digital Officer Study

Strategy& – Consumer Research into Rapid Charging

Strategy& – Making zero-emission trucking a reality

FAQs About Consulting Slides

1. how can i create visually appealing consulting slides that effectively communicate my message.

Striking a balance between aesthetics and content is the key to producing consultation presentations that are aesthetically engaging.

It’s crucial to employ polished fonts, professional-looking color schemes, and high-quality photographs.

Your slides’ information should be understandable, succinct, and clear at the same time. Focus on using visual aids like charts and graphs to explain your arguments rather than using excessive amounts of words.

2. What is the best way to structure a consulting slide deck for maximum impact?

Making a great impression depends on the proper structure of your consulting slide show. Establishing your purpose and essential statements should come first.

Next, arrange your content in a straightforward and logical fashion. Break up material with headings, subheadings, and bullet points, and add visuals to keep readers interested and engaged.

3. How can I effectively use charts and graphs in my consulting slides to convey data and analysis?

In consulting slides, charts and graphs may be highly useful for communicating facts and analysis.

Yet, it’s crucial to utilize them wisely and make sure they’re simple to read and comprehend. Select the appropriate chart or graph type for your data, and make sure your labels and captions are precise and unambiguous.

Highlight important elements with color, but be careful not to use too much as it could become overwhelming.

4. What are some common mistakes to avoid when creating consulting slides?

While producing consulting slides, frequent faults to avoid include adding excessive text, employing poor-quality graphics, and being overly complex.

Keep your slides straightforward and simple to follow, and concentrate on your main points. Avoid using technical or jargon-filled terminology that can confuse non-experts.

5. How can I ensure that my consulting slides are engaging and hold my audience’s attention?

While presenting consultation slides, it’s crucial to keep your audience interested and engaged. Let your views come to life by using examples, comedy, and narrative approaches.

Provide time for questions and comments while maintaining a steady pace. Above all, make sure that your material is pertinent and catered to the wants and needs of your audience.

6. What are some strategies for creating consulting slides that are easy to understand for non-experts?

Effective visual aids and clear, short wording are essential for creating consultation slides that laypeople may easily grasp. Avoid technical jargon and acronyms and speak in plain, understandable terms.

Make your information more readable and understandable by including visual aids like pictures, charts, and graphs to explain your arguments.

7. How can I effectively use storytelling in my consulting slides to make a compelling argument?

Using storytelling to create engaging consulting presentations can be quite effective. Create a coherent narrative arc first, then support your claims with examples and experiences.

Add visual elements to your narrative, and use evidence and analysis to back up your claims. To make sure that your storytelling is compelling and effective, practice your presentation.

8. What are some best practices for presenting consulting slides to clients or audiences?

Effective consulting slide presentations involve thorough planning and preparation. Make sure you are familiar with all of your content by repeatedly practicing your presentation.

Engage your audience with body language and eye contact, and be receptive to inquiries and criticism. Above all, project enthusiasm and confidence in your writing.

9. How can I incorporate feedback from stakeholders into my consulting slides to improve their effectiveness?

Your consultation slides can be made more successful by including stakeholder feedback. Determine the most important areas for which input is required first, and be receptive to constructive criticism.

Use comments to improve your material and make sure it is interesting and relevant for your audience. Maintain an open mind and be prepared to adjust as necessary.

10. How can I effectively balance the amount of information on each consulting slide to avoid overwhelming the audience?

In order to prevent confusing your audience, it’s important to balance the amount of information on each consulting slide. Focus on your main points and use clear, succinct language.

Employ charts and graphs to illustrate your arguments, and use headings and bullet points to break up long paragraphs of text. Keep in mind that simplicity and clarity often win out over complication.

Conclusion on Consulting Slides from Top Consulting Firms

Before building your next consulting presentation, analyze the information and examples above. They will help you understand how to create a solid structure. You can start by writing a compelling introduction.

Keep your audience engaged throughout the presentation. Then, outline the crucial points in your message. Showing clients how to act according to the data you presented builds trust.

Furthermore, take time to improve and turn to other consultants for advice. No matter the goal of your presentation, you will create outstanding consulting slides.

Ready to Dive in for More Fun?

Check out these extra resources to uncover all the details about the consulting business:

• How to Get Clients as a Consultant
• How to Run a Consulting Business & Be Successful
• How to Promote Your Consulting Business? From A-Z
• The Most Effective Marketing Strategies for Consultants
• How to Become an Independent Consultant
• What is a Business Automation Consultant and How You Can Be One
• How to Become a Tax Consultant and Be Great at It

• Tamara Jovanovic

Tamara Jovanovic is an SEO Content Specialist who enjoys learning about different industries, people, and how to solve problems through content. She is curious by nature and eager to experiment with new ideas that could provide value to readers. Often she spends hours analyzing why things worked or didn’t so she could be equipped with data and improve with every new task. Likes reading, learning, playing games, growing plants, and enjoying a good cup of coffee.

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Home Blog Business Consulting Report: How to Write and Present One

Consulting Report: How to Write and Present One

Consultants have many tools of the trade at their disposal — frameworks, analytics dashboards, data science models, and more. Yet many clients still expect to receive a narrated consulting report. So how do you write one? This guide will show you. 

What is a Consulting Report?

A consulting report is a high-level summary of the findings and recommendations a consultant provides for the client. In essence, it’s a long-form document, detailing the background of the research, methodology, and key findings, along with the recommended course of action. Consultancy reports are often followed up by a complimentary presentation, aimed at introducing your research methods and persuading the client of the validity of your recommendations and follow-up execution steps. 

The MIT further states that: 

“Consulting reports are written by outside experts for groups or organizations that do not have the time or the expertise to treat the subject or problem. Hence, a consulting report may present experimental work on a problem defined by a client.”

In other words, consulting research shines extra light on specific problems your client is facing and suggests the expertise to solve them. 

Consulting Report Examples 

From marketing and finance to public relations and sustainability, consultancy is performed across various domains. Respectively, the form and content of consulting documents also differ a lot. To give you a baseline of a consulting report structure, we’ve lined up several examples from top consulting firms, including:

McKinsey Consulting Report Example

Bcg consulting report presentation example, student consultancy report example.

This in-depth consulting memo from McKinsey follows a narrative structure. It opens with a compelling executive summary, followed by the main body of research, organized in four main sections. Since this is a briefing document, the group rounds up the report with a future outlook, rather than a list of traditional recommendations, prompting the reader to dwell further on the importance of the discussed issues.

This presentation by the BCG team for the New York State Housing authority is a fine specimen of a recommendation report template many other industries can follow. Simple, on-point, and highly effective, the presentation succinctly summarizes the scope of research, lists the key research methods, and then dives into describing the main findings and recommendations. 

For those still at school, the above consulting report template could serve as a nice reference point for writing professional, in-depth consulting reports. This report errs on the longer side (since it’s also an academic paper submission) and includes comprehensive information on the client, research objectives, methodology, findings, recommendations, and limitations. In business settings, most reports tend to run shorter, however. 

How to Write a Consulting Report: a Bottom-Up Approach 

Anyone working in management consulting or studying in this field will need to master the art of writing business consulting reports. After all, much of your work will be tied directly to discerning those documents to your firm’s clients. 

Yet while you might be a top-notch analyst and strategic thinker, writing may not be your forte. Soundly, it’s a skill you can master with some practice. This section will show you how to write a consulting report from scratch. 

How Do You Format a Consultant Report?

A consulting report should provide a logical flow of information and give clear, coherent answers to the client’s questions. One of the most optimal consulting report formats is this one:

• Consulting report cover
• Executive summary 
• Background 
• Key facts and business context 
• Findings 
• Recommendations
• Appendices (if any) 

Most consulting report templates follow a variation of this structure. 

1. Start From the Background Section 

The easiest way to get started is by putting down a background section first. Why? For several reasons. First, this is the type of information you receive the earliest into the client’s project. So you can always write it down beforehand. 

Secondly, by writing the background section first, you once again refresh the main problem you were hired to solve and the methods you’ve used. Then you can always get back to this section to double-check if you have properly addressed the stated problems and assumptions in other sections. The background section of a consultant report has to answer the following questions: 

• What is the project scope?
• Who and why commissioned the project?
• What were the initial assumptions?
• What type of data/assumptions were excluded?
• Who was involved in the project (from both sides)?
• Who is the author of the report?
• What research methods were used? 

2. Highlight the Key Facts

It’s no secret that your readers are busy executives. Most will skim through the recommendation report before finding the time for a proper read-in. Thus, your goal is to put the most important gist right in front of them.

One of the easiest formatting techniques for that is doing three standout sections:

• Executive summary — a standard high-level summary of the main findings. 
• Main facts — a featured section with quantifiable stats and facts about the project. 
• Key recommendations — main takeaways and next steps for the reader.

Pro tip: Use data visualizations — charts, graphs, etc. — to highlight the main data points graphically and showcase the correlations between them.

Recommended template: Infographic Dashboard Elements PowerPoint Template

3. Work on the Findings Sections

“Findings” are the “meatiest” part of your report. This section should introduce solutions to the client’s specific problems. Plus, explain the reasoning and logic behind your research. 

One thing many new consultants struggle with is making the findings sections coherent and logically organized. If that’s your case, try the MECE technique . 

Mutually Exclusive, Collectively Exhaustive (MECE) was invented by Barbara Minto, one of the first female consultants at McKinsey, an expert in effective communication, and also the author of Pyramid Principle .

“The great value of the technique is that it forces you to pull out of your head information that you weren’t aware was there, and then helps you to develop and shape it until the thinking is crystal clear. Until you do that, you can’t make good decisions on slides or video.” Barbara Minto

The MECE structure helps you ensure that within any bucket of data (e.g. one finding) all the information is:

• Mutually exclusive (ME) — neither set overlaps with one another. 
• Collectively exhaustive (CE) — neither set has obvious omissions or information gaps.

The easiest way to verify that all your findings are MECE is to create a decision tree diagram for the main sections and use it as a reference when writing. 

4. Create a List of Recommendations 

Recommendations should be very concrete, succinct “next steps” for the client. Think of them as report takeaways — one-liners anyone can easily remember and retell to another stakeholder.

Here are several effective formulas for framing your recommendations in a management consulting report: 

• To help you with X, we recommend Y, because of Z. 
• Data showed us that issue X, related to goal Y, can be solved with the Z approach. 
• We used [tool/approach/tech] X to analyze issue Y, and recommend Z as the optimal course of action. 

5. Work on the Executive Summary 

Finally, get back to the executive summary. Writing it last (after completing other sections) makes the job easier since you just have to cherry-pick the most important findings and recommendations. Then bring them up to the beginning of the copy. 

One good technique to try for writing an executive summary is the BLUF method . Short for bottom line up front, this communication technique developed by the military prompts you to put the most important details first, then elaborate via secondary information.

Here’s an example of McKinsey executive report summary using this technique:

Productivity Tip: If you are preparing a consulting report presentation, then the executive summary templates provided by SlideModel can be helpful.

Need more tips? Check our separate guide to writing and presenting an executive summary . 

Recommended business consultant report templates:

• PEST analysis template
• McKinsey 7S diagram 
• Problem-solving stages

How to Present a Consulting Report 

In most cases, you’ll not just hand in the report to the client, but will also do a short presentation, summarizing the main findings. Here’s how to prepare for it. 

1. State the Background/Context First 

Peter Block, a veteran consultant and published author, writes in “ Flawless Consulting ” book that:

The consultant’s primary task is to present the picture — this is 70 percent of the contribution you have to make.

Most clients want to understand their business position at present (as-is state) and see the big picture of reaching the desired to-be state — aka a point where their main goal(s) is fulfilled. 

As a consultant, you have to connect these two points for them. So first articulate the problem very clearly. Explain why the client is in the current state and why they must act now. Back your claims with relevant data points. 

Peter Block recommends selecting data in the following manner: 

• The client can change these 
• The metrics are important to the organization 
• The company already works to improve these metrics (at least to some extent) 

2. Demonstrate What Can Be Done 

The goal of your recommendations report presentation is to make the client trust your judgment and follow-up on suggestions. Then persuade them what the recommendations you are proposing will do good for their business.

One of the most efficient presentation techniques, in this case, is modeling different scenarios. For example:

• Before/after implementing recommendations 
• Alternative paths — present multiple options and scenarios 
• Likely outcomes e.g. If/then for different recommendations 

During this part of your presentation, your goal is to show the audience “what you would have down in their shoes”. 

3. Elaborate On Your Strategy 

To overcome doubts and initial resistance, you not just need to show the client that this is a solid way forward but also explain the rationale behind it. What you want to do is find out what is bothering them and then address those issues in your presentation.

Specifically, you need to explain why your recommendations are not just plausible but warranted. So allocate several slides in your consulting report presentation towards explaining your:

• Methodology
• Frameworks 
• Tools and technology 

In each case, focus on communicating the rationale behind your decision-making. Then, once again, highlight how your findings/recommendations will help the client reach their goals. 

Close your consulting presentation with a compelling slide, showing the outcomes they can gain if they choose to go with your recommendations. 

To Conclude 

Consulting work can get hectic at times. Not only do you need to have strong analytical skills, but also double as a persuasive public speaker when it comes to communicating the strategy to clients. On the other hand, consulting work is also tremendously rewarding — the recommendation reports and presentations you produce can change the odds for the success of many businesses. And the better you learn to communicate the value of your consulting work in writing, the more thought-after consultant you become!

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221+ Free and Downloadable Consulting Presentations

Table of contents, what is a consulting presentation.

Organizations bring in management consultants when they are grappling with a difficult problem that they aren’t sure how to solve.

Consultants provide the client with unbiased advice that is supported by insights that they have seen in other organizations.

These consultants go through a rigorous problem-solving process. Put simply, they identify the underlying problem, consider all credible solutions to the problem, and recommend the most appropriate solution for the organization.

At the end of the consulting engagement, the Partner or Project Leader will meet with the client and discuss their recommendations. They will also provide the client a consulting presentation that summarizes the analysis and recommendations.

How do you present a consulting presentation?

In most cases, the consulting presentation isn’t “presented” as such. Instead, the consulting Partner or Project Leader will talk through a few key slides from the consulting presentation in their final meeting with the client.

In reality, a consulting presentation is a slide deck that summarizes the analysis and recommendations for the client to reference after the consulting team has finished the engagement.

How do you write a consulting presentation?

As a consultant, you very quickly realize there are two important parts to writing a consulting presentation:

• The ‘thinking’. This is the rigorous problem definition, analysis, synthesis, and insight that happens before you open up PowerPoint. Without this, even the most well-crafted consulting presentation lacks impact.
• The presentation.  This is the distinctive, structured, and clear way that consultants build their slide decks. Without this, even the most powerful insights lose their force.

You start your consulting presentation by focusing on the thinking. And only after you clearly understand the problem and the potential solutions, do you think about opening up PowerPoint and writing the consulting presentation.

It’s beyond the scope of this article to walk through the entire process of writing a consulting presentation. But we have a complete, end-to-end course that walks you through the process. Check out the Slide Science System here.

Downloadable consulting presentations and examples

One of the best ways to learn how to write consulting presentations is to look at how real consulting firms construct their consulting presentations.

Below, we’ve put together a list of free, downloadable consulting presentations from top consulting firms, such as McKinsey & Co, Bain, BCG, Oliver Wyman, L.E.K Consulting, Kearney, and more.

All of these consulting presentations are available in the public domain. We’ve just rounded them up for convenience.

You can download all the presentations in bulk (plus some bonus presentations) using this form:

Download 120+ strategy consulting presentations for free

Looking for slide inspiration? Download 120+ consulting slide decks from top strategy consulting firms, such as McKinsey, BCG and Bain!

Or if you’d rather download the slides individually, you can use the list below:

Accenture presentations

• Accenture – Accenture Consumer Behavior Research: The value shake-up (2021)
• Accenture – Cracking the Code on Consumer Fraud (2022)
• Accenture – Federal Technology Vision 2021: Full U.S. Federal Survey Findings (2021)
• Accenture – Fintech New York: Partnerships, Platforms and Open Innovation (2015)
• Accenture – Fueling the Energy Future (2019)
• Accenture – Intelligent Operations for Future-Ready Businesses (2021)
• Accenture – Right Cloud Mindset: Survey Results Hospitality (2022)
• Accenture – Shaping the Sustainable Organization (2022)
• Accenture – Tech Adoption and Strategy for Innovation & Growth (2021)
• Accenture – The Decade to Deliver: A Call to Business Action (Unknown)
• Accenture – Unleashing Competitiveness on the Cloud Continuum (2021)
• Accenture – When, Where & How AI Will Boost Federal Workforce Productivity (2020)
• Accenture – Whole Brain Leadership: New Rules of Engagement for the C-Suite (2021)

Alvarez & Marsal presentations

• Alvarez & Marsal – European Distressed Credit Watch List (2016)

AT Kearney presentations

• AT Kearney – A.T. Kearney 2017 State of Logistics Report: Accelerating into Uncertainty (2017)
• AT Kearney – Australia: Taking Bigger Steps (2016)
• AT Kearney – Consolidation of the US Banking Industry (2018)
• AT Kearney – Covid-19 and Effects on Turkey (2020)
• AT Kearney – Lifting the Barriers to Retail Innovation in ASEAN (2016)
• AT Kearney – Pursuing Customer Inspired Growth (2017)
• AT Kearney – Strategy Study (2014)
• AT Kearney – The Accelerating Growth of Frictionless Commerce (2016)
• AT Kearney – The Future of Commercial Vehicle Powertrains (2012)

Bain & Co presentations

• Bain – China Luxury Market Study (2011)
• Bain – Altagamma 2014 Worldwide Markets Monitor (2014)
• Bain – Bain/IAB Digital Pricing Research (2008)
• Bain – Beauty@Digital – A study by Bain & Google (2016)
• Bain – Business Cost Optimization at Con Edison (2019)
• Bain – China Luxury Study (2013)
• Bain – Con Edison Business Cost Optimization Summary (2019)
• Bain – COVID-19 – Commercial Aviation: outlook and scenarios (2020)
• Bain – COVID-19 Fact base and potential implications for Brazil (2020)
• Bain – Covid-19 Retail Webinar: Scenarios and Implications for Brazil (2020)
• Bain – Covid-19: A Multimillion Results Journey through Operations Efficiency (2020)
• Bain – Covid-19: Argentina’s Consumer Pulse Update (2020)
• Bain – Covid-19: Brazil’s Consumer Pulse Update (2020)
• Bain – Covid-19: Chile’s Consumer Pulse Update (2020)
• Bain – Covid-19: Columbia’s Consumer Pulse Update (2020)
• Bain – Covid-19: Situation Report and Action Agenda (2020)
• Bain – e-Conomy SEA 2019 – Swipe up and to the right: Southeast Asia’s $100 billion Internet economy (2019)
• Bain – e-Conomy SEA 2020 – At full velocity: Resilient and racing ahead (2020)
• Bain – e-Conomy SEA 2021 – Roaring 20s: The SEA Digital Decade (2021)
• Bain – Employee Inspiration: How to Create Energy That Drives Better Customer Outcomes (2016)
• Bain – How to Accelerate Digital Solutions to Win in the New Normal (2020)
• Bain – Introducing Bain and the way we work: Presentation to FCEE-UCP (2007)
• Bain – Introduction to Bain & Company / Report on resilience (2021)
• Bain – Luxury and Coronavirus: Figures, Trends and CEO Agenda (2020)
• Bain – Procurement through COVID-19 (2020)
• Bain – Pursuing a 5 Star Employee Experience (Unknown)
• Bain – School Start-up Plan: Overview and Instructions (Unknown)
• Bain – Stress Management at Bain (Unknown)
• Bain – The Future of Luxury: A Look Into Tomorrow to Understand Today (2018)
• Bain – The future of supply chain in a post-COVID world (2021)
• Bain – UC Berkeley Operational Excellence (2010)
• Bain – University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill – Cost Diagnostic: Final Report (2009)

BCG presentations

• BCG – 2018 True-Luxury Global Consumer Insight (2018)
• BCG – Assessment of Pathways to Education – Executive Summary (2011)
• BCG – Bringing innovation to the front-line – Vector Control market features and incentives for innovation (2017)
• BCG – Campus Reopening Guide (2020)
• BCG – Corporate Ventures in Sweden (2016)
• BCG – Corporate Ventures in Sweden: How to improve the connection between Swedish start-ups and corporations? (2016)
• BCG – COVID-19 – Urban Mobility Is Evolving in Unexpected Ways (2020)
• BCG – COVID-19 Therapies and Vaccines (2020)
• BCG – Decoding the Chinese Internet 2.0: Get Ready for the Next Chapter (2017)
• BCG – Decoding the Chinese Internet 2.0: Get Ready for the Next Chapter (2019)
• BCG – Decoding the digital opportunity in retail (2017)
• BCG – Evaluating NYC Media Sector Development (2012)
• BCG – Fast-moving consumer goods: Driving value creation in an era of disruption (2020)
• BCG – Global Challengers 2018: Digital Leapfrogs – Research Highlights (2018)
• BCG – Healthcare System Reform and Short-term Opportunities – Iceland Health Care System project (2011)
• BCG – In support of the APS Review: Future trends and scenario planning to 2030 – Appendix – APS Megatrend Survey (2019)
• BCG – Interoperables Verfahren für Internet und mobile Zahlungen: Angebot zur Erstellung eines Feinkonzepts (2012)
• BCG – IT Services – The Rates of Success, Goals, and Future Priorities of Digital Transformations, by Sector (2022)
• BCG – Leading in an Era of Constant Change – The Head, Heart, and Hands of Transformational Leadership (2019)
• BCG – Loose Dogs in Dallas (2016)
• BCG – Melbourne as a Global Cultural Destination – Final Report (Summary) (2017)
• BCG – Next Generation Manufacturing – Winning through Technology & Innovation (2016)
• BCG – Nursing Facility Task Force: Massachusetts Healthcare Collaborative (2019)
• BCG – Port of Los Angeles Clean Truck Program: Presentation to the Los Angeles Board of Harbor Commissioners (2008)
• BCG – Project US Mail Volumes to 2020 (2010)
• BCG – Reshaping NYCHA support functions – BCG Engagement: key findings and recommendations (2012)
• BCG – Retail Banking in the New Reality (2020)
• BCG – Russian Consumers and the New Economic Reality: Russian Consumer Sentiment 2018 (2018)
• BCG – San Pedro Bay Clean Truck Program: CTP options analysis (2008)
• BCG – Seven Forces Reshaping Enterprise Software (2019)
• BCG – Shifting Trade Rules and the Future of North America’s Auto Industry (2018)
• BCG – Smart Cities – how to master the world’s biggest growth challenge (2014)
• BCG – Sprinting to Value in Industry 4.0: Perspectives from and Implications for U.S. Manufacturers (2016)
• BCG – Study on enhancing the competitiveness of the iron and steel industry in Malaysia: Final report (2012)
• BCG – Telco Sustainability Index(2020)
• BCG – The Bionic Future (2019)
• BCG – The Electric Car Tipping Point (2017)
• BCG – The end of management as we know it? – Could agile can be an antidote to this existential crisis? (2019)
• BCG – The Great Mobility Tech Race – Winning the battle for future profits (2018)
• BCG – The Innovation Bottom Line: How Sustainability is Paying Off (2013)
• BCG – The Media and Entertainment Industry in NYC: Trends and Recommendations for the Future (2015)
• BCG – The Open Education Resource Ecosystem (2013)
• BCG – The Open Education Resources ecosystem: An evaluation of the OER movement’s current state and its progress toward mainstream adoption (2013)
• BCG – The Role of New, Renewable and Clean Energy in Achieving SDG7: Policy, Investment, Technology (2019)
• BCG – The Role of The Regulator in Enabling Digitization of The Insurance Industry (2017)
• BCG – The True-Luxury Global Consumer Insight (2017)
• BCG – Transforming retail through advanced analytics & AI (2018)
• BCG – True-Luxury Global Consumer Insight (2015)
• BCG – Understanding the path to digital marketing maturity – Digital Marketing Maturity study – Australia & New Zealand (2018)
• BCG – Unlocking the growth opportunity of the ‘Responsible Consumer’ – Unilever work session (2015)
• BCG – US CPG Growth Leaders: Who they are and why they win (2020)
• BCG – Value guided healthcare as a platform for industrial development in Sweden – feasibility study: Conference presentation (2009)
• BCG – Value guided healthcare as a platform for industrial development in Sweden – feasibility study: Final Documentation (2009)
• BCG – Victoria’s Creative and Cultural Economy – Fact Pack (2015)
• BCG – What AI & Advanced Analytics mean for strategy (2018)
• BCG – What’s Chipping Away at Automotive Production (2021)

Booz Allen Hamilton presentations

• Booz Allen Hamilton – Booz Allen Hamilton and Market Connections: C4ISR Survey Report (2016)
• Booz Allen Hamilton – Investor Presentation Deck (2023)
• Booz Allen Hamilton – IP Theft (2012)
• Booz Allen Hamilton – Joining Forces: Interagency Collaboration and “Smart Power” (2011)

Deloitte presentations

• Deloitte – 2022 Elected Officials Compensation Study (2022)
• Deloitte – Consumer privacy in retail (2019)
• Deloitte – Deloitte Kenya Budget 2022/23 Webinar (2023)
• Deloitte – Deloitte SEA CFO Forum Southeast Asia Business Outlook (2022)
• Deloitte – The Shopping Centre Handbook 4.0 (2019)
• Deloitte – TMT Outlook 2017: A new wave of advances offer opportunities and challenges (2017)

EY presentations

• EY – European Banking Barometer (2015)
• EY – EY Price Point: global oil and gas market outlook, Q2 (2022)
• EY – EY study: Initial Coin Offerings The Class of 2017 – one year later (2018)
• EY – Germany Fintech Landscape (2017)
• EY – Global Capital Confidence Barometer 21st edition (2019)
• EY – How fit is your allocation strategy? (2015)
• EY – IBOR transition: Opportunities and challenges for the asset management industry (2020)
• EY – MAPS2018 Keynote address on EY report: Life Sciences 4.0 – Securing value through data-driven platforms (2018)
• EY – Power transactions and trends (2019)

LEK presentations

• LEK – Strategic Hospital Priorities Study (2016)
• LEK – Brand Owner Packaging Survey (2018)
• LEK – APAC Hospital Priority Study Overview (2020)
• LEK – Media and Entertainment Study (2019)
• LEK – 5 Opportunities in the Nutritional Supplements Industry (2018)
• LEK – China Exit or Co-Investment Opportunities for German PE Investors (2013)
• LEK – Creating a Winning Recipe for a Meal Kits Program (2019)
• LEK – Infrastructure beyond COVID-19 (2020)
• LEK – Infrastructure Victoria – AZ/ZEV International Scan (2018)
• LEK – Navigating a digital-first home furnishings market (2019)
• LEK – Rail industry cost and revenue sharing (2011)
• LEK – The 4th Annual New Mobility Study (2019)
• LEK – The Merchandising Evolution (2014)
• LEK – The Rapidly Evolving Landscape of Meal Kits and E-commerce in Food & Beverage (2018)
• LEK – Top 8 Insights From the 2018 Beauty, Health & Wellness Survey (2018)

McKinsey & Co presentations

• McKinsey – A Blueprint For Addressing The Global Affordable Housing Challenge (2015)
• McKinsey – Accelerating Hybrid Cloud Adoption In Banking And Securities (2020)
• McKinsey – Addressing The Global Affordable Housing Challenge (2016)
• McKinsey – Attracting Responsible Mining Investment In Fragile And Conflict Affected Settings (2014)
• McKinsey – Capturing The Data & Advanced Analytics Opportunity In Capital Markets (2017)
• McKinsey – Capturing The Full Electricity Efficiency Potential Of The U.K. (2012)
• McKinsey – Challenges In Mining: Scarcity Or Opportunity? (2015)
• McKinsey – Context For Global Growth And Development (2014)
• McKinsey – Covid-19 – Auto & Mobility Consumer Insights (2020)
• McKinsey – Current Perspectives On Medical Affairs In Japan (2018)
• McKinsey – Digital And Innovation Strategies For The Infrastructure Industry (2018)
• McKinsey – Digital Luxury Experience (2017)
• McKinsey – Digitally-Enabled Processes In The NHS (2014)
• McKinsey – European Banking Summit (2018)
• McKinsey – Fab Automation – Artificial Intelligence (Unknown)
• McKinsey – Fintech: How Financial Institutions In Europe (Should) Prepare For The Future (2017)
• McKinsey – Five Keys To Unlocking Growth In Marketing’s “New Golden Age” (2017)
• McKinsey – From Poverty To Empowerment: India’s Imperative For Jobs, Growth And Effective Basic Services (2014)
• McKinsey – Helping Global Health Partnerships To Increase Their Impact (2019)
• McKinsey – How Companies Can Capture The Veteran Opportunity (2012)
• McKinsey – How Unconventionals Are Changing Global Oil And Gas Markets (2013)
• McKinsey – How Will Internet Of Things, Mobile Internet, Data Analytics And Cloud Transform Public Services By 2030? (2015)
• McKinsey – Insurance Trends And Growth Opportunities For Poland (2015)
• McKinsey – Investment And Industrial Policy (2018)
• McKinsey – Jobs Lost, Jobs Gained: Workforce Transitions (2017)
• McKinsey – Laying The Foundations For A Financially Sound Industry (2013)
• McKinsey – Lebanon Economic Vision – Full Report (2018)
• McKinsey – Manufacturing The Future: The Next Era Of Global Growth And Innovation (2013)
• McKinsey – Modelling The Potential Of Digitally-Enabled Processes, Transparency And Participation In The Nhs (2014)
• McKinsey – Moving Laggards To Early Adopters (2019)
• McKinsey – New Horizons In Transportation: Mobility, Innovation, Economic Development And Funding Implications (2020)
• McKinsey – Outperformers: High Growth Emerging Economies (2018)
• McKinsey – Overview Of M&A, 2016 (2016)
• McKinsey – Perspectives On Manufacturing, Disruptive Technologies, And Industry 4.0 (2014)
• McKinsey – Race In The Workplace: The Black Experience In The U.S. Private Sector (2021)
• McKinsey – Refueling The Innovation Engine In Vaccines (2016)
• McKinsey – Reinventing Construction: A Route To Higher Productivity (2017)
• McKinsey – Restoring Economic Health To The North Sea (2015)
• McKinsey – Technology’s Role In Mineral Criticality (2017)
• McKinsey – Technology’s role in mineral criticality (World Materials Forum) (McKinsey)
• McKinsey – The Changed Agenda In The Global Sourcing Industry (2019)
• McKinsey – The Five Frames – A Guide To Transformational Change (Unknown)
• McKinsey – The Future Energy Landscape: Global Trends And A Closer Look At The Netherlands (2017)
• McKinsey – The Future Of The Finance Function –Experiences From The U.S. Public Sector (2019)
• McKinsey – The Internet Of Things And Big Data (2013)
• McKinsey – Us Productivity Growth: The Company And Sector Story (2015)
• McKinsey – Using Artificial Intelligence To Prevent Healthcare Errors From Occurring (2017)
• McKinsey – USPS Future Business Model (2010)
• McKinsey – What Makes Private Sector Partnerships Work (2011)
• McKinsey – Women In The Workplace (2022)

Oliver Wyman presentations

• Oliver Wyman – Building Up Immunity of the Financial Sector (2020)
• Oliver Wyman – COVID-19 Primer Special Edition (2020)
• Oliver Wyman – CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE: THE 14BN RISK (2018)
• Oliver Wyman – European Patent Office Financial Study (2019)
• Oliver Wyman – Future Automotive Industry Structure Until 2030 (2018)
• Oliver Wyman – Responding to Covid-19 (2021)

PwC presentations

• PwC – 18th Annual Global CEO Survey – Technology industry key findings (2015)
• PwC – Apache Hadoop Summit 2016: The Future of Apache Hadoop an Enterprise Architecture View (2016)
• PwC – Medical Cost Trend: Behind the Numbers (2017)
• PwC – Project Management: Improving performance, reducing risk (2014)
• PwC – PwC Trends in the workforce (2015)
• PwC – PwC’s Global Technology IPO Review (2015)
• PwC – PwC’s new Golden Age Index – how well are countries harnessing the power of older workers? (2015)
• PwC – The FDA and industry: A recipe for collaborating in the New Health Economy (2015)
• PwC – Turning big data into big revenue (2015)
• PwC – World Economic Forum: The power of analytics for better and faster decisions by Dan DiFilippo (2016)

Roland Berger presentations

• Roland Berger – Corporate Headquarters Study (2018)
• Roland Berger – The Lithium-Ion battery market and supply chain (2022)

Strategy& presentations

• Strategy& – Consumer Research into Rapid Charging (2019)
• Strategy& – Development & performance improvement of GECOL (2017)
• Strategy& – Driving the sustainability agenda on C-level (2020)
• Strategy& – Making zero-emission trucking a reality (2020)
• Strategy& – Sector performance and structure sector reform (2017)
• Strategy& – Sustainability strategies for oil and gas (2020)
• Strategy& – The 2016 Chief Digital Officer Study (2016)
• Strategy& – The Diversity Imperative: 14th Annual Australian Chief Executive Study (2014)

We’re always adding new consulting presentations to this list, so don’t forget to bookmark this page and come back regularly.

How to Craft Slides like a MBB Consultants?

In consulting , every day is about spreadsheet and presentation slides. Also known as “deliverables”, this electronic visual document is used to deliver information to customers while pitching, providing project updates, or sharing the end results, in a clear, compelling, and engaging way.

The article is going to analyse what makes an MBB-standard slide deck, including its structure, fundamental elements, and formatting tips.

Table of Contents

What is the structure of an MBB slide deck?

An MBB-standard slide deck consists of 5 sections: title page, executive summary, contents and exhibits, key takeaways, and appendices.

Section 1: Title page

Title page is the first slide, representing the purpose of the whole deck. It consists of a title, a headline, name of company, date and time. The title is usually less than 10 words long. It answers the question “What is the presentation about?”. A headline is an optional second description line, used for further elaboration.

Name of company depends on the owner of the slide deck, not who made it. If it belongs to the consulting firm’s authority, the slide will have that company’s name and use its signature colour-font scheme. Vice versa, if it is made for clients, the slide is owned by that organisation, using its logo and own design. Normally, the in-house designer will have a template in advance, the consulting firm only needs to insert data. When finished, the slide deck will be forwarded to the VGI centre for the final touch.

Section 2: Executive summary (or At a glance)

Executive Summary, or also called At A Glance, briefly summarises the presenting “story” with key points of the slide deck. Based on the purpose of the presentation, the content in the Executive Summary varies. Normally, it gives a snapshot of key initiatives in the strategic plan, company capabilities in the business proposal, customer profile, business updates in review meetings, or merely a project summary. T his helps readers, who have no time to read them all, be able to scan only the Executive Summary for overview and take away the most important insights. Due to its nature, usually, the Executive Summary takes the most time to write.

Section 3: Contents and exhibits

The primary purpose of slide deck is to visualise data in a clear and compelling style. Typically, there are 2 types of data in a presentation:

• quantitative content, which will be converted to charts, and
• qualitative content, which will be presented with diagrams or concept maps.

Specifically, to quantitative content, there are 6 chart families: bar/column family, line chart family, percentage family, Mekko family, scatter plot family, and waterfall family.

Content and Exhibits is the central section of the whole deck, where it decides if the presentation is well-qualified or not. There are 2 approaches that help keep the flow in a structured but engaging fashion: (1) Vertical Flow , which focuses on the key takeaway of each slide by applying Pyramid principle and MECE fashion, and (2) Horizontal Flow, which concentrates the storyline of the slide deck by connecting all titles to a meaningful story. 

Section 4: Take action or recommendations

Take Action, or Recommendation, is a conclusion with proper solutions for addressing issues, usually containing more than one slide with supporting quantitative and qualitative data. In consulting culture, result-oriented is the fundamental mindset, of which every decision must clearly show the outcome/ impact. So do the MBB slides.

Section 5: Appendices (optional)

Appendices section is supplemental material added at the end of the deck, composed of additional slides and information that do not include during a pitch. This section is optional, some decks have it but some don’t. They are usually detailed and back up such as data, process clarifications, additional charts or testimonials for further researching. Packing slides with loads of information only get audiences jumbled in details and miss the big picture. Therefore, incorporating appendix slides at the end of deck will keep the slides clean but still have backups to flip back if questions arise.

What are the key components of an MBB slide?

Top of slide – title.

• Action Title (or Lead) is a short summary of about 5-6 words, displayed at the top of the slide, in charge of 2 things: (1) represent the main ideas of the slide itself, and (2) direct the reading flows of the slide deck as a whole. The title should be specific and straightforward, rather than a generic one. For example, use “…” instead of “Market Size”. More importantly, it should make sense when it stands alone as well as when connected together in the presentation.
• Headline is an additional 10-word description down below the Action Title, in charge of supplementing ideas or explaining further the context of slide or just merely giving units of data.

Middle of slide – Chart

• Charts, there are 6 chart families: bar/column family, line chart family, percentage family, Mekko family, scatter plot family, and waterfall family.
• Legend, also called the graph series, is an area of chart describing metrics of charts, appears as a box to the right or left of the graph.
• Bubble (or callout): is an attached message, giving additional information in front of an element, and is usually used to state what has not yet included in the analysis.
• Stickers: normally displayed at the top right of the slides, working as a note for the purpose of the slide. Common stickers are (1) “For Discussion” – means the representing data and statements are quite controversial that need more discussion from listeners; (2) “Preliminary ” and “Highly preliminary” for those slides that have not come to the final conclusion; (3) “Indicative” implicitly shows that the given numbers are not 100% accurate but gives a good direction/the right picture for the slide deck; and (4) “Illustrative” to note that data are precisely true but rather hypothetical numbers, showing the relationship among variables.

Bottom of slide – Additional information

• Date: is the current date of making slides, stays at the bottom of the slide. Slide is not always for presenting, sometimes it circulates within the firms for referencing, the created date line helps readers know exactly when the slides are made and if the given fact/statement is suitable or not.
• Footnote is an additional explanation for the designated data above it, which is no need for onscreen presentation, placed at the bottom of slide.
• Page number & On-page tracker are for readers to easily keep track during the presentation, and able to refer to if needed.
• Sources are usually cited below the footnote, showing the credibility of the shown data as well as giving proper credit to authors. Besides, it helps readers locate the sources for further research.

Managing the flow of contents within a slide

It is important to keep a smooth flow within each slide and throughout the deck, making it easier and more enchanting to follow the slides. There are 2 main flows:

Vertical flow

Vertical flow is applied for the slide itself. This approach focuses on the purpose of each slide: “Why is the data meaningful to the situation?”, “What is the takeaway?”.

To fully and efficiently deliver the information, besides the basic elements mentioned above, each slide must consist of 3 main parts: (1) KEY MESSAGE as headings; (2) MAIN ARGUMENTS as subheadings; and (3) SUB-ARGUMENTS with SUPPORTING DATA for deeper analysis in form of charts.

The structure of each slide can be drafted based on the Pyramid principle in a MECE fashion. The Pyramid Principle is an approach for creating a logical and structured storyline, backed up by data. Quite similar to Issue Tree, a Pyramid starts with an introduction mentioning the issue and answer, and the rest are arguments to support the answer. Meanwhile, MECE means “mutually exclusive, collectively exhaustive” – breaking down items into small pieces without overlapping and no gap.

Besides, try to avoid clotheslines. It is a long list of bullets with no illustration, which is usually assumed as not structured but rather displayed in a random style. A solution is to group these bullets into big categories, with sub-arguments if needed, to show a MECE and strategic structure.

Horizontal flow

Horizontal flow is a story-based approach that concentrates on the slide deck as a whole. It helps connect all slides to make a meaningful flow and grab the audience’s attention. There are 2 basic steps:

• Step 1: Draft your data by sketching all ideas, arranging them chronologically, and connecting titles into a story flow. This plan is called “Mickey Mouse Master” or “straw-man”
• Step 2: Make slides based on the sketch. Consultants can both do it themselves, or hand it over to a specialised department called the VGI centres.

Tips on how to read MBB slides

Consultants have to read mountains of decks at a time. Literal mountains. Hundreds of slides. On Friday nights. However, way too little time they have to read them all. Therefore, a smart approach is extremely necessary, to digest the most knowledge from those slides in the shortest time. Here is how a typical consultant will do:

After being assigned to a project, the very first thing to do is to find all materials. Normally, consultants will go straight to the company content library. At McKinsey people call it PD – Practice Development, which contains all documents of internal research and findings from previous client work.

Usually, these materials are in form of slides, which are organised in a structured and MECE fashion, which helps the reading process easier and faster. However, to read them efficiently, skim and scan in a top-down fashion. The order is to read the Executive Summary first, then Index, Titles, and Leads. This approach helps cover the fundamentals of the topic and easily spot out the right position of one specific

During the researching process, there are parts that consultants need to turn back the source and do some deeper research. With that previous skim-scan, consultants can easily spot the exact position of that section immediately.

Sometimes, when information from PD sources is rare, consultants can get additional information from the internal network, This will help find out similar projects that have done elsewhere in the world and contact the key personnel in charge of them. One significant point about the MBB network is that either that colleague already left the firm or still working, they are all super supportive and willing to help at their best. Consultants can have a call with the authors who made those slides to ask for more information. Normally, they will provide additional raw data files, or simply explain via phone. 

Tips on how to write MBB slides

#1. Have a top-down mindset. It is an analysis approach, found across the consulting industry, that goes from general to specific, focusing on identifying the big picture and all of its components. Especially in making slides, this helps structure the content systematically to communicate effectively and drive decision-making.

#2. Do Ghost Deck first. This is an early draft of a PowerPoint deck, planning only titles and headlines to create a meaningful storyline in advance. In addition, there can be some quick sketches of exhibits such as tables or graphs in this draft. Ghost Deck is used as a work plan, aligning on the approach and direction to get to the final version while minimising wasted work. Once the team or client agrees with the storyline, the rest of deck then continues to develop.

#3. Ensure writing concisely and wording professionally. As consultants have so little time to read all the material, a to-the-point consulting writing style will help ease this process. Besides, the use of words in slides are extremely important. Therefore, make sure to use the right consulting terms in the right place.

#4. Keep the Vertical Flow in each slide and Horizontal Flow in the whole deck. This ensures each slide defines the key issues clearly and persuasively, as well as organises a meaningful storyline and keeps a logical but engaging flow throughout the deck.

#5. Every content exhibited on slides must be data-supported. An argument is regarded as gibberish when it is not proven by credible evidence. Evidence can be hypothetical, anecdotal, testimonial, or statistical, visualised in forms charts, diagrams or tables.

#6. Every title must be specific and detail-oriented. Titles are the key takeaways of the slide itself and the whole deck, where consultants pay their foremost attention to quickly skim-scan the content before reaching deeper. Therefore, they must be clear and straightforward to deliver the right message in the shortest time.

#7. Every chart must have measurement units and source citation as it makes the visualised data meaningful and gives credibility to the chart itself. Unit is usually noted below the title of charts, while the source is cited at the end of the slide. Also, in case readers want to do further research, a citation of source will help them trace back to the original version much easier and faster.

Tips on how to format MBB slides

• Reach out to VGI. This is a Design Centre at McKinsey that specialises in creating MBB-standard slides. Consultants only need to draw up ideas, frames, or sometimes a complete slide with dummy text on papers, in other words, the Mickey Mouse Master. Take a picture. Send it to India. Set a deadline. Include a charge code of our project. 99.9% of the time, the VGI will send back output perfectly on time. This is the fastest and most guaranteed way to get a flawless well-qualified slide deck.
• Be meticulous. Consultants themselves must hold extremely high standards of everything to make sure every bullet, every spacing, every detail is on point, even if they are done by the VGI or not.
• Same elements on different slides at the exact position. This helps keep consistency among all slides. In order to do this, one way is to duplicate that slide, then fix the remaining elements. Another way is to select that element, copy it, then go to a new slide, and press paste, it will be shown at exactly the same spot as the previous one.
• Bold for highlight is a great way to emphasise key elements or important ideas, attracting readers’ attention.
• Have a consistent format scheme of colour, font, and size for an even look. This depends on the owner of the deck – the consulting firm itself or the client – to follow its scheme. Specially, to some clients, the in-house designer will have a template in advance, the consulting firm only needs to insert data.
• Consistent alignment of top – bottom – left – right and leave a small margin around slides, avoid missing information.
• Line spacing in between bullets and paragraphs to improve scannability.

Terminology & Recap

• Deck, or “PowerPoint presentation”, is a series of slides about one specific topic, used in almost every consulting situation, including final reports, formal presentations, and detailed analysis documents.
• Ghost Deck is the skeleton of the whole deck, consists of titles and headlines only. Most ghost decks are blank, however, some include rough sketches of exhibits (tables, graphs, etc.). Ghost Deck drafts out the storyline before going into details, helps minimise wasted work if there is any popup change in data.
• E xecutive summary is a summary, briefly recapping the most important insights of the presentation, placed as the second slide in the deck (after the Title Page).
• Appendix, also referred to as “back-up pages”, is a supplemental section of additional data that do not include during the pitch, placed at the end of the deck.
• Mickey Mouse Master, or “straw-man”, is a draft of a presentation, presenting the Ghost Deck on a 3×3 grid paper.
• VGI is a support centre at McKinsey, in charge of creating an MBB-standard slide deck by request. Consultants can send their Ghost Deck with specific data to the VGI office, give further explanation or requirement if needed, at set a deadline. The VGI office will take the request and send back the presentation to further touch if needed.
• Action Title is a short summary, about 5-6 words long written in a concise and to-the-point fashion, representing the key ideas in a meaningful story flow. It is placed at the top of the slide.
• Lead is an additional description presenting supplementing ideas or further explanation of the slide, placed below the Action Title.
• Legend is an area of chart describing its metrics, explaining characters, symbols, or marking patterns that are usually unfamiliar to readers, placed as a box to the right or left of the graph.
• Bubble, or “callout”, is an attached message, giving additional information in front of an element, and is usually used to state what has not yet included in the analysis.
• Sticker is a note stating the purpose of individually that specific slide, placed at the top right of it. Common stickers are “For Discussion”, “Preliminary”, “Indicative”, “Illustrative”.

Scoring in the McKinsey PSG/Digital Assessment

The scoring mechanism in the McKinsey Digital Assessment

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Consulting Slides vs. Regular Slides

By Paul Moss

Creating a good presentation can take a monumental amount of time, effort, and sometimes money. but fortunately, we can look to the consulting industry as a north star for high-quality presentation building best practices.  .

Over my career I’ve seen thousands of presentations – as a consultant, as a client, and now as an instructor. I’ve seen high quality slides from people at all different companies and in all different positions. But most often, the best slides tend to come from consultants.

This makes sense if you think about it… a consulting firm’s main deliverable is most often a PowerPoint deck, so it’s in their best interest to make these decks as high quality as possible. Especially when you consider the high price these consulting firms charge their clients, the  focus on  obsession with slide perfection feels slightly more justified. 

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The list of what sets consulting-style presentations apart from most other presentations is long and varied. But in my experience there are four things consulting firms do that set their presentations apart from the rest of the corporate world.

1. Structure

The biggest challenge any consulting firm faces in their presentations is having a large amount of data that they need to show in a small amount of space. The way they can do this so effectively is by putting proper structure to their slides.

More specifically, consulting firms follow the Pyramid Principle (see our video explanation  here ). The idea behind the Pyramid Principle is that when communicating you want to start by saying your main point first, before providing any details. In a normal conversation this is easy to do: “here is my main point, followed by reasons A, B, and C.”

But doing that same thing visually can be a little more tricky. Essentially you’re trying to help people look at the main point of your slide first, and then look at the details. Although it might not be immediately obvious, this is something consulting firms do extremely well.

Take a look at this slide from BCG for example. It’s from a presentation that’s trying to assess the relevance of Melbourne as a cultural destination. Can you spot the main message of the slide?

It’s right at the very top: “Melbourne has some leading education institutions.” Instead of telling you the main point verbally, they have to draw attention to the main point on the slide so that you look at it first. The way they do that here is by making the title a very eye-catching green, putting it right at the top with a line underneath, and making it the largest font on the slide.

But then the way they structure the rest of the slide is also very important. Again going back to the Pyramid Principle, they want you to see the second layer of detail next, which in this case is the subtitles of the slide. See how they’re slightly less obvious than the title, but still made to stand out? They’ve made them bold, and put lines underneath so they grab your attention.

Then lastly the logical bottom layer of the pyramid comes in the form of the text and charts. This is the supporting detail and data.

The visual layers of a slide might not be something you notice consciously, but this is something that consulting firms care about quite a bit. They want you to process the levels of the slide one layer at a time because that’s the most efficient, and structuring it according to the Pyramid Principle is how they can trick your brain into doing it naturally.

The second difference I see most often is in the use of visuals. Typically, these visuals come in the form of charts.

Charts work well for consulting firms because they provide a couple of really important benefits. The first is that they allow the audience to process a large amount of information quickly. And secondly, they provide instant credibility.

Consulting firms are hired to provide really expensive advice, so it’s important for them to show how they reached their conclusions, and why those conclusions are credible. From my experience, clients and executives like to see data because it provides them the evidence they need to make informed decisions.

Let’s take a look at another slide from the same BCG presentation. This one is all about how fewer students are choosing to study creative subjects.

Notice how prominent the chart is on this slide. It still follows the Pyramid Principle structure by starting with the main message (the slide title), then going into the details with the chart, but really there’s not much else to this slide. The chart does most of the talking.

Can you imagine how much harder this slide would be to understand if instead of a nice chart they decided to put a table with all the same numbers? It would take a lot longer for the audience to process the slide, and the connection with the main point in the title wouldn’t be quite as obvious.

In most consulting style presentations charts play a really significant role – they help the audience understand the information quickly, and they’re a great way to provide support for the key message. So if you can find ways to include relevant and insightful charts in your own presentations, you’ll be much better off.

3. Insights

The next difference is the emphasis on insights, and this is a big one. As a junior consultant I remember all the time people asking, “What’s the so what?”. Which is really just a way of saying, “What should the client take away from this slide?”.

As annoying as it was to hear this question on repeat during the life of a project, it’s actually incredibly important. When a client looks at a slide they’re going to be overloaded with information, so it’s important to help them quickly and easily understand what they need to know, and how they can act on it. This is something consulting firms understand well, and they have a number of tactics to make sure their slides can be processed quickly and easily.  

One that I’ve already mentioned is the use of an effective title. Rather than just putting a topic for the slide at the top, the titles are a full sentence that clearly spell out the key takeaway from the slide. This is a hallmark of any consulting style presentation.

But notice how they how clearly draw attention to the insights in other parts of the slide. With the subtitles they’ve essentially done the same thing. Instead of saying something like, “Creative Schools”, they’ve spelled out in clear and plain english what they want you to know, which is that “Melbourne has some of the world’s best creative schools”. Then on the right they’ve done the same thing, “Student tertiary participation in art and design is relatively strong”.

Here’s another example of showing insights from the same presentation.

Notice how they have a callout for the chart to show that Melbourne has 800 venues, equivalent to the 5th highest per capita. That’s something that I can already see just by looking at the chart and the numbers at the bottom, but they’ve called it out because it’s an important insight that they want me to understand.

Then finally notice how on this slide once again the insights are made clear. Above each chart is a line that tells the audience exactly what they should takeaway from the chart. It’s simple, direct, and very clear.

4. Formatting

Then the final difference I tend to see often is a  focus on  obsession with formatting. I can remember being on consulting teams where we would gather together before sending a final presentation to the client, and each with our own printed copy, we’d go through every single detail on every single slide to look for any sort of formatting error we could find. Misplaced logos, font sizes that were a half size too small, or even an extra space between words.

At the time it felt ridiculous, but over time I came to realize just how important these sorts of things are in representing the name of the consulting firm. For these firms, their product is typically a PowerPoint deck, and they charge a lot of money for that information, so packaging it in a way that brings credibly and prestige to the firm is really important.

Here’s a prime example from the same BCG presentation:

In this slide there’s a good variety of different elements – a chart, a callout, quote boxes, footnotes. But notice how everything is so well placed. For example, despite the quote on the right being a bit shorter than the one on the left, they kept the boxes the same size so it looks more visually consistent. Or see how the numbers below the chart are all perfectly aligned in a straight line, and also all evenly spaced apart.

You might have also noticed the formatting consistency from slide to slide. When you compare this slide with one of the previous slides it’s easy to tell just how visually consistent BCG is, even for little things like the color and design of the callout box.

This sort of stuff probably feels really small and insignificant, but when you put it all together it really makes a difference in improving the overall look of a presentation. 

Creating a good presentation can take a monumental amount of time, effort, and sometimes money. But fortunately, we can look to the consulting industry as a north star for high-quality presentation building best practices. With a focus on  structure, visuals, insights, and formatting,  these firms are able to create presentations that are clear, engaging, and persuasive.  

Source information: Melbourne as a Global Cultural Destination Boston Consulting Group / Victoria State Government https://creative.vic.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0006/115764/BCG-Melbourne-as-a-Global-Cultural-Destination-Summary-for-CV-website.pdf

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TechBullion

Presentation design for consultancy firms: elevating your client engagement.

In the competitive world of consultancy, the ability to convey complex ideas in a clear, compelling, and visually appealing manner is crucial. As a leading presentation design agency , Prezlab understands the unique challenges faced by consulting firms and is dedicated to helping you craft presentations that not only inform but also impress and persuade your audience. In this article, we will explore how a specialized presentation design company can transform your PPT slide design, making your presentations more impactful and engaging.

The Importance of Presentation Design in Consultancy

Consultancy firms thrive on their ability to provide expert advice and strategic solutions to their clients. However, even the most insightful analysis can fall flat if not presented effectively. Here’s why professional presentation design is essential for consultancy firms:

• First Impressions Matter: The first impression of your presentation can set the tone for the entire client engagement. A well-designed presentation showcases your professionalism and attention to detail.
• Complexity Simplified: Consulting often involves dealing with complex data and concepts. Effective PPT slide design helps simplify and clarify these complexities, making them more accessible to your audience.
• Engagement and Retention: Visually appealing slides capture the audience’s attention and aid in retaining their interest throughout the presentation.
• Brand Consistency: A presentation design company ensures that all your slides align with your brand’s visual identity, reinforcing your brand’s presence and credibility.

Key Elements of Effective PPT Slide Design

To create a compelling presentation, focus on these key elements:

• Clarity and Simplicity: Avoid overcrowding slides with too much information. Use concise text, clear headings, and ample white space to make your slides easy to read and understand.
• Visual Hierarchy: Organize your content in a way that guides the audience’s eye through the information logically. Use font size, color, and placement to establish a visual hierarchy.
• Consistent Design: Maintain a consistent design theme throughout your presentation. This includes using the same fonts, colors, and slide layouts to create a cohesive look.
• High-Quality Visuals: Incorporate high-quality images, icons, and graphics to illustrate your points. Avoid using generic clipart, as it can make your presentation look outdated.
• Engaging Visual Aids: Use charts, graphs, and infographics to present data in an engaging and easily digestible format. Ensure they are accurate and relevant to your message.

How Prezlab Can Enhance Your Presentations

At Prezlab, we specialize in providing bespoke presentation design services tailored to the needs of consultancy firms. Here’s how we can help:

• Customized Designs: We create custom PPT slide designs that align with your brand and the specific needs of your presentation. Our team of designers works closely with you to understand your objectives and audience.
• Data Visualization: Our experts in data visualization can transform your raw data into compelling visual stories that highlight key insights and trends.
• Template Creation: We develop reusable presentation templates that maintain brand consistency and streamline the creation of future presentations.
• Training and Support: We offer training sessions to help your team create and deliver presentations effectively, as well as ongoing support to ensure your presentations always look their best.

In the consultancy industry, the ability to present information clearly and effectively can make the difference between winning and losing a client. By partnering with a professional presentation design agency like Prezlab, consulting firms can elevate their presentations to new heights, ensuring their messages are not only heard but also remembered. Investing in professional PPT slide design is an investment in your firm’s success, helping you stand out in a competitive market and build stronger client relationships.

Let Prezlab transform your presentations and help you deliver your message with impact. Contact us today to learn more about our presentation design services.

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