presentation-outline

# Presentation Outline Build presentations that make an argument, not just report information. Every slide should exist for a reason. ## When to Use - "Outline a presentation about..." - "Structure a pitch deck for..." - "I have a board meeting on [topic] — help me structure the deck" - "My presentation is too long / unfocused / boring" - "Create a [training / keynote / workshop] outline" ## What I Need - **Topic and key message**: what the audience should believe or do after - **Audience**: who they are, what they know, what they care about, what they're skeptical of - **Goal**: inform, persuade, sell, train, inspire - **Length**: number of slides or time available - **Context**: internal vs. external, formal vs. casual ## Structural Principles 1. **One message per slide** — if you can't say the slide in one sentence, split it 2. **Bottom line up front** — tell them what you're going to prove before you prove it 3. **Argument first, evidence second** — lead with the claim, follow with support 4. **The "so what" must be explicit** — never make the audience infer the point ## Presentation Archetypes ### The Pitch Deck (investor / client) ``` 1. Problem — the gap in the world 2. Solution — what you do 3. Why now — market timing 4. How it works — product/service 5. Traction — evidence it works 6. Market size — the opportunity 7. Business model — how you make money 8. Team — why you're the ones to do this 9. Ask — what you need ``` ### The Strategy Presentation (executive / board) ``` 1. Situation — where we are 2. Problem / Opportunity — what's at stake 3. Options considered — alternatives evaluated 4. Recommendation — what we propose 5. Evidence — why this is right 6. Plan — how we execute 7. Risks — what could go wrong and mitigations 8. Decision needed — specific ask of this audience ``` ### The Training / Workshop ``` 1. Why this matters — relevance to the audience 2. Learning objectives — what they'll be able to do 3. Core content — structured by complexity (simple → complex) 4. Applied examples — show before tell 5. Practice / exercise — make it active 6. Summary — key takeaways 7. Resources — where to go next ``` ### The Keynote / Talk ``` 1. Hook — story, question, or surprising fact 2. Stakes — why this matters 3. Main idea — the one thing 4. Evidence — 3 supports 5. Implication — what changes if this is true 6. Call to action or closing image ``` ## Deliverable - **Slide-by-slide outline** with title and 2–3 bullet points per slide - **Narrative thread**: what the presenter says between slides - **Design notes**: which slides need data visualization, which need images, which need just a headline