--- name: presentation-storyline description: "Build a presentation storyline before any slides: audience analysis, a one-sentence big idea with stakes, a specific call to action, structures from answer-first and SCQA to what is versus what could be, three supporting points with evidence, opening and close, action-title slide outlines, objections, time plans and a headline test. Use whenever someone needs to plan a presentation, pitch, board or leadership update, conference talk, training session or all-hands, structure a deck, find their key message or fix a deck that has no clear story." license: CC-BY-4.0 metadata: author: Afeez Adebayo author_url: https://afeezadebayo.com author_linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/afeez-adebayo/ author_x: https://x.com/za_icon source: https://afeezadebayo.com/skills-md/productivity/communication-presentations/presentation-storyline/ category: productivity subcategory: communication-presentations version: "1.0.0" created: "2026-10-13" updated: "2026-10-13" --- # Presentation Storyline Most weak presentations are not caused by bad slides. They are caused by no story: a pile of information in the order the presenter discovered it, with the conclusion on the last slide and no clear reason for the audience to care. Audiences remember a message, a few reasons and one or two vivid examples; they forget lists. Barbara Minto's Pyramid Principle (lead with the answer, then group supporting arguments) and Nancy Duarte's work on presentation structure (contrast between what is and what could be) both start from the same idea: decide what you want the audience to think and do, then build everything around it. [Reference, The Minto Pyramid Principle; Duarte, Resonate] This skill builds the storyline before any slide is designed: audience analysis, the one-sentence big idea, the call to action, a structure that fits the situation, the supporting points and evidence, the opening and closing, a slide-by-slide outline with action titles, a time plan and a test that the story holds when read as headlines only. ## Operating principles 1. **Story before slides.** Write the storyline in text first; design later. 2. **One big idea.** A single sentence that states your point of view and what is at stake. 3. **Audience first.** What they know, believe, fear and need to decide shapes everything. 4. **Answer first for business audiences.** Lead with the recommendation; use the rest to earn it. 5. **Every slide earns its place.** Each one moves the audience toward the call to action. 6. **Headlines tell the story.** Reading only the slide titles should make the full argument. ## Inputs - Purpose: inform, persuade, decide, teach, inspire or report. - Audience: roles, seniority, knowledge, attitude, what they care about, who decides. - Time available and format (in person, video call, recorded, pre-read deck). - Raw material: data, notes, documents, previous decks. - Constraints: template, mandatory content, approvals. ## When to use, and when not to Use it for leadership updates, board and investor presentations, sales and client pitches, project kickoffs, conference talks, training sessions, all-hands updates and any deck that must change what people think or do. Don't use it for visual slide layout (`slide-design`), delivery and rehearsal (`presenting-delivery`) or a written memo that should replace the presentation (the Workplace Writing `memos-one-pagers` skill). ## Workflow ### Step 1. Analyse the audience Answer in writing: ``` Who is in the room, and who decides? What do they already know and believe about this topic? What do they care about most (money, risk, customers, team, time)? What objections or fears will they have? What do we want them to think, feel and do at the end? ``` ### Step 2. Write the big idea One sentence with a point of view and the stakes. Test: could someone disagree with it? If not, it is a topic, not an idea. | Topic (weak) | Big idea (strong) | |---|---| | Q3 marketing results | Paid social is now our cheapest source of qualified leads, so we should move 20% of search budget to it in Q4. | | Customer onboarding | New customers who finish setup in week one stay twice as long, so fixing setup is our biggest retention lever. | | Hiring plan | Without two senior engineers by March, the payments launch slips a quarter. | ### Step 3. Write the call to action The specific decision or behaviour you want: "Approve £40,000 for Q4", "Pilot the new process with two teams", "Book a demo". ### Step 4. Choose a structure | Structure | Flow | Best for | |---|---|---| | Answer first (pyramid) | Recommendation, three reasons, evidence, next steps | Executives, decisions, consulting-style updates | | SCQA | Situation, complication, question, answer | Problem-solving, strategy, proposals | | Problem, solution, benefit | Pain, what we propose, what changes | Sales pitches, internal proposals | | What is, what could be | Contrast current reality with a better future, repeatedly, then the call to action | Vision, change, keynotes | | Past, present, future | Where we were, where we are, where we are going | Reviews, all-hands, investor updates | | Teach | Why it matters, concept, example, practice, recap | Training and workshops | ### Step 5. Choose three supporting points Group evidence into two to four reasons that together prove the big idea. Each reason must be a full sentence that supports the idea on its own. Fewer, stronger reasons beat many weak ones. ### Step 6. Gather evidence for each point Data, customer examples, quotes, comparisons, demonstrations. One strong example usually beats five weak data points. Note the source of every number. ### Step 7. Design the opening The first minute decides attention. Options: the key number, a short customer story, a surprising contrast, a question the audience already has, or the recommendation itself. Then say what the talk will cover and what you will ask for. ### Step 8. Design the close Restate the big idea, the three reasons in one line each and the call to action with a date. Never end on "Questions?" alone; end on the ask, then take questions, then repeat the ask. ### Step 9. Build the slide outline One slide per point, with an action title (a full sentence stating the slide's message) and a note on the evidence it shows. ### Step 10. Run the headline test Read only the titles in order. They should tell the whole story and lead to the call to action. Fix any title that is a label ("Results", "Background"). ### Step 11. Plan the time About one to two minutes per slide for discussion-heavy talks; leave at least a third of decision meetings for discussion. ## Storyline template ``` Audience: Big idea: Call to action: Structure: Opening: Point 1: | Evidence: Point 2: | Evidence: <...> Point 3: | Evidence: <...> Objections and answers: -> Close: Time plan: ``` ## Slide outline with action titles ``` 1. Paid social now delivers qualified leads at half the cost of search (title slide with big idea) 2. Cost per qualified lead fell 48% on paid social since June (chart) 3. Lead quality matches search: same conversion to opportunity (comparison) 4. Search costs are rising as competitors bid on our brand terms (chart) 5. Moving 20% of search budget adds about 120 qualified leads a quarter (model) 6. Risks are limited and reversible within a month (risk table) 7. Decision today: approve the Q4 shift and a monthly review (ask) ``` ## Adapting by audience | Audience | Adjust | |---|---| | Executives and boards | Answer first, fewer slides, numbers and risks, decision explicit | | Technical experts | More method and data, still lead with the conclusion | | Customers and prospects | Their problem and outcomes first; product last | | Investors | Market, traction, team, economics, ask; a clear narrative arc | | All-hands | Why it matters to them, what changes, recognition, questions | | Mixed audiences | Big idea for all; detail in appendix or follow-up | ## Handling objections inside the story List the three objections most likely to come up and answer them in the deck before anyone asks: a slide on risks, a comparison with alternatives, or a line in the relevant section. Pre-empting objections builds trust and shortens debate. ## Pre-read decks versus spoken decks Decks sent to be read alone need more words, complete sentences and clear charts, because no presenter will explain them. Spoken decks need fewer words on screen, with the presenter carrying the explanation. Decide which you are making before you start; many bad decks try to be both. When both are needed, make a short spoken deck plus a written memo or appendix. ## Edge cases and judgement calls | Situation | What to do | |---|---| | Bad news to deliver | State it early with the cause and the plan; do not bury it | | No clear recommendation yet | Use SCQA and ask for a decision between options | | Very short slot (5 minutes) | Big idea, one reason with one example, the ask | | Very long slot (60 minutes) | Break into sections with mini-summaries and interaction | | Hostile or sceptical audience | Acknowledge their concerns first; show evidence; smaller ask | | Template forced by the company | Keep the storyline; put action titles in the template's title boxes | ## Handoffs to related skills - Visual layout and charts: `slide-design` - Rehearsal, delivery and questions: `presenting-delivery` - Data-heavy stories: `data-storytelling` - Pitches to investors or clients: `pitch-presentations` - Written alternatives: the Workplace Writing `memos-one-pagers` and `executive-summaries` skills - Decision meetings: the Meetings and Calendar `decision-meetings` skill ## Worked example A marketing lead had 32 slides of channel data for a 20-minute leadership slot, ending with "Next steps". The audience analysis showed the CFO cared about cost per qualified lead and the CEO about pipeline for the year-end target. The big idea became "Paid social now delivers qualified leads at half the cost of search, so we should move 20% of search budget to it in Q4". With an answer-first structure, three supporting points, one customer example and a risk slide, the deck shrank to 8 slides with action titles; 22 slides moved to an appendix. The headline test read as a complete argument. Leadership approved the shift in the meeting, asking only for a monthly review. ## Common mistakes - Starting with background and ending with the point. - Topic titles ("Results") instead of message titles. - Too many points, so none are remembered. - No explicit call to action. - One deck trying to be both a document and a talk. ## Output format ``` 1. Audience analysis 2. Big idea and call to action 3. Chosen structure and why 4. Storyline (template above) 5. Slide outline with action titles 6. Objections and answers 7. Time plan 8. Headline test result ``` ## Self-check before you answer - Can the big idea be disagreed with, and does it state the stakes? - Is the call to action specific with a date? - Do the slide titles alone tell the full story? - Are likely objections answered inside the story? --- Created by Afeez Adebayo, Marketing, SEO & Growth Expert Website: https://afeezadebayo.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/afeez-adebayo/ X: https://x.com/za_icon Source: https://afeezadebayo.com/skills-md/productivity/communication-presentations/presentation-storyline/ Licence: CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). You may copy, share and adapt this skill, including for commercial use, as long as you credit Afeez Adebayo and link to the source URL above. Keep this notice in any copy or adapted version.