Learn to Design Your Slides like a McKinsey Presentation Deck

Designing Consulting Presentations – Matching McKinsey Presentation Style

Businesses employ presentations for various purposes, including education, information dissemination, motivation, and training. The significance of delivering management consulting presentations is crucial to business strategy, as it allows for effective communication and collaboration between consultants and clients. Management consulting presentation services can be highly advantageous for consulting companies like any other business sector. McKinsey’s presentation deck lays out the importance of following an organized structure of slides, and many consultants across the globe follow the best practices laid out in these slide decks. Are you searching for best practices for creating ppt slides matching a McKinsey Presentation type? As discussed in this article, agencies offering management consulting presentation services widely follow the industry’s best practices.

Comprehensive Analysis of a typical McKinsey Presentation Deck

Management consulting helps organizations improve operational efficiency and achieve goals by offering specialized professional services. Consultants explain services, methodologies, and solutions to clients. These consultants often deliver their results in consulting slides in a particular style and order, e.g., McKinsey Presentation. Some specialized agencies offer presentation design services, saving consultants precious time. Effective consulting presentations necessitate meticulous structuring, Contraction, and an aesthetically pleasing format to captivate the audience’s attention. Furthermore, they must understand the firm’s value proposition and how it benefits the client’s organization.

Ex-McKinsey Professionals: Masters of Clear, Impactful Presentations

Ex-McKinsey professionals are former consultants from top firms like McKinsey, known for their expertise in management consulting and presentation design. They apply advanced design principles—simplicity, visual hierarchy, and data visualization—to create clear, impactful presentations. Their ability to simplify complex data and deliver persuasive business solutions makes them valuable assets for any organization.

Ex-McKinsey Presentation services specialize in creating clear, impactful presentations with a focus on simplicity, bold typography, contrasting colors, and data visualization. Using tools like Think-cell and dynamic transitions, these services enhance executive communication, ensuring persuasive, tailored presentations that effectively deliver key messages to clients, investors, and stakeholders, boosting business value.

The 7 sequential steps of the McKinsey Presentation Deck

For a McKinsey-style consulting presentation, ensure a concise title and minimalist design with clean lines and consistent fonts. Organize content logically, focusing on one idea per slide. Use visual storytelling with charts and graphs, tailor the presentation to the client’s needs, and practice your delivery to communicate confidently and effectively

1. Defining the Problem: Defining the problem requires thoroughly analyzing the client’s operations, market, and industry trends.

2. Structuring the Problem: By structuring the problem, individuals and teams can focus on specific aspects and collaborate on finding appropriate solutions.

3. Prioritizing Issues: By prioritizing the issues, we can provide a clear and concise presentation highlighting the most critical areas for improvement and allowing for a focused discussion on solutions.

4. Developing Issue Analysis: By developing a robust issue analysis, consultants can demonstrate their expertise and credibility to clients, ultimately leading to a successful and impactful presentation.

5. Analysis Plan: By following a structured analysis plan, consultants effectively communicate findings and recommendations to clients, aiding informed decision-making.

6. Conducting Analyses: This involves utilizing various analytical tools and techniques, such as SWOT analysis, market research, and financial analysis.

7. Synthesizing Findings and Developing Recommendations: Synthesizing findings and developing recommendations requires practical communication skills to convey complex information clearly and concisely.

12 Expert Tips for Designing and Delivering a Winning McKinsey Presentation Style

To help you achieve this, here are 12 expert tips on delivering a compelling McKinsey Presentation style, preparation, and execution.

1. Exploring the Hierarchical Structure of the Problem in Detail: In detail, it is crucial in practical problem-solving. This method leads to better solutions.

2. Constructing an Outline for a Flawless Presentation: This serves as a roadmap that organizes the content and flow of ideas, ensuring a smooth and coherent delivery.

3. Record the Key Points for Clear and Concise Messaging: This involves identifying the main purpose of the message and outlining the most critical information to convey.

4. The Importance of Outlining Key Points on Slides: Main ideas and supporting details on slides, the presenter can guide the audience through the presentation in a structured and cohesive manner.

5. Unlocking the Power of Custom Templates in PowerPoint: By creating personalized templates, presenters can save time and maintain presentation consistency.

6. Approaches to Acquiring Important Data: Utilizing qualitative and quantitative methods can provide a well-rounded understanding of the topic.

7. Harnessing the Potential of Effective Data Visualization: Businesses and organizations can make informed decisions and gain valuable insights by harnessing the potential of effective data visualization.

8. How Think-Cell Simplifies PowerPoint Chart Creation: Think-Cell streamlines the chart creation process, making it an essential tool for professionals looking to enhance their PowerPoint presentations.

9. Fine-tuning Individual Slides and Structure for Optimum Engagement: This involves paying close attention to the presentation’s design, content, and flow.

10. How to Create a Winning Executive Summary: A well-written executive summary is essential for making a positive first impression and setting the stage for a successful business venture.

11. Outline the key points of the McKinsey Presentation and conclude with the Main Takeaway: The main takeaway from this presentation is that effective communication is crucial for success in any organization, and it requires continuous effort and practice to improve and maintain it.

12. Key Points to Remember and Main Conclusion: Emphasizing key points and having a strong main conclusion is crucial for delivering a successful and impactful presentation.

***

To enhance presentation design, seek ideas from online resources. They offer design layouts for effective visualizations. Using modern PPT ideas can elevate slides to look more professional and elegant. Designing presentations and improve them professionally requires considerable time and effort. Design agencies with a team of deck designers come up with contemporary and professional designs. The use of organizational chart in PowerPoint assumes great significance in representing the company hierarchy in a logical and easy to comprehend manner. Often in consulting slide decks, the executive summary slide gets prime importance, as the top-level audience look at the summary and understand what the slide deck is all about. PowerPoint slides are important for presentations, offering a framework for text, images, charts, and graphs. Organize the process flow for a process chart and use suitable charts to show data flow. Refer to PowerPoint samples for better chart types that match your data.

***

Explore these 11 Dynamic Charts Made with Think-cell.

1. Waterfall Chart: McKinsey & Company attributes invention of this chart, modernly used by financial firms to show gains and losses.

• A waterfall chart presents a total value that is incremented or decremented.
• Waterfall chart helps understand how an initial value is affected by a series of positive and negative values.
• The columns are color-coded so you can quickly tell positive from negative values.
• The intermediate values used in waterfall charts can either be time-based or category-based.

2. Gantt Chart: Gantt chart was introduced by Henry Laurence Gantt’s (1861-1919).

• A Gantt chart is a powerful project management tool used to track and schedule tasks within a project visually.
• A Gantt chart displays tasks, their start and end dates, dependencies, and milestones with its horizontal bar chart layout.
• Additionally, Gantt charts can be shared with team members and stakeholders, ensuring everyone is on the same page and working towards the same goals.

3.  Mekko Chart / Marimekko chart / Mosaic Plot: Mekko Chart was introduced by Hartigan and Kleiner in 1981 and expanded in 1994.

• A Mekko Chart is also known as a Marimekko chart or Mosaic plot.
• It is a powerful data visualization tool that displays categorical data in stacked rectangles.
• This type of Chart allows for the comparison of multiple variables at once, making it helpful in identifying patterns, trends, and relationships within the variables.

4. Scatter and Bubble Chart: Fernanda Viegas and Martin Wattenberg introduced bubble charts as charts representing items by labeled circles whose areas are proportional to the displayed quantity.

• A Scatter and Bubble Chart is a valuable tool for visualizing and analyzing data relationships.
• By plotting data points on a two-dimensional graph, this type of Chart allows for a quick and easy interpretation of patterns and trends.
• The scatter chart is handy in showing the correlation between two variables. In contrast, the bubble chart adds dimension by representing a third variable through the size of the data points.

5. Pie Chart: Playfair’s Statistical Breviary, published in London in 1801, contains what is generally credited as the first pie chart.

• A pie chart is a graphical representation of data that is divided into slices to show the relationship between different categories.
• It is an effective tool for presenting complex information in a visually appealing and easy-to-understand format.

6. Line Chart: William Playfair liked line charts and used them thoroughly in his Commercial and Political Atlas, a compilation of charts and statistics on England’s trade balance, published in 1786.

• A line chart is also known as a line graph and curve chart.
• It is a data visualization tool that displays information in a series of points connected by straight lines.

7. Clustered Chart: Cluster analysis originated in anthropology by Driver and Kroeber in 1932 and was introduced to psychology by Joseph Zubin in 1938 and Robert Tryon in 1939.

• A clustered chart, also known as a grouped bar chart, is a type of visualization used to display and compare multiple categories of data.
• This type of Chart is beneficial when showing the relationship between different groups within a larger category.
• This Chart Is used in business presentations, scientific research, and financial reports.

8. 100% Chart: 

• A 100% chart visualizes data that displays categories and their corresponding values as percentages.
• This Chart is handy for comparing the distribution of different categories within a data set.
• With a professional tone, a 100% chart can be utilized in various industries, such as finance, marketing, and research, to aid decision-making and communicate crucial information.

9. Stacked Column and Bar Chart: William Playfair (1759 – 1823) is credited with the inventions of the bar, line, and area charts in 1786. His time-series plots are still presented as models of clarity. He was a Scottish engineer and political economist. Playfair is considered the founder of graphical methods of statistics.

• A stacked column and a bar chart represent data commonly used in business and finance.
• Stacked columns and bar charts are commonly used in presentations, reports, and business analytics to aid in decision-making and data analysis.

10. Area Chart: William Playfair (1759 – 1823) is credited with the inventions of the bar, line, and area charts in 1786. His time-series plots are still presented as models of clarity. He was a Scottish engineer and political economist. Playfair is considered the founder of graphical methods of statistics.

• An area chart is a type of data visualization that displays the changes in a data set over time or across categories.
• The Chart comprises a series of data points connected by a line, with the area below the line shaded in a specific color.
• This color shading allows easy comparison between groups or categories within the data set.

11. Area 100% Chart:

• It is widely used in business and finance to represent the distribution of values within a dataset.
• With its easily interpretable format, the Area 100% Chart allows for quick and accurate analysis, making it an essential tool in decision-making processes.
• The Area 100% chart can enhance data clarity and aid decision-making processes.

***

Utilizing PowerPoint presentations can enhance slide aesthetics with examples for graph-making, data visualization, and design themes. Custom templates save time and maintain a consistent design. PowerPoint design is essential for impactful presentations – simple, clean, engaging. Flow chart organizes complex info visually. Template enhances presentation quality – crucial for business. Here are some common design layouts in McKinsey Presentation Deck, especially for consulting slides design.

1. Pillar Diagram

• A pillar diagram, or a column chart, is a visual representation of data that displays information in vertical columns.
• A pillar diagram can enhance the understanding and communication of complex data, making it a valuable tool in business.

2. Matrix Design

• This design allows businesses and organizations to identify patterns, relationships, and trends within their data, leading to more informed decision-making.

3. Process Flow Diagram

• It aids in communication and understanding among team members, stakeholders, and clients. As a professional, utilizing a process flow diagram can significantly enhance productivity and streamline operations.

4. Harvey Balls

• American consultant Harvey Poppel created them in the 1970s, and have since become a widely recognized symbol in the business world.
• Harvey Balls has become an essential tool for professionals in various industries to communicate data and progress effectively.

5. Venn Diagram

• Venn diagrams are widely used in various fields, such as mathematics, statistics, and business analysis, to name a few.
• Their simplicity and effectiveness make them a valuable tool for organizing and analyzing complex information.

6. SWOT Analysis

• SWOT analysis stands for: S-Strengths, W-Weaknesses, O-Opportunities, T-Threats analysis.
• These are the valuable tools used in businesses and organizations to analyze their current position in the market.
• Conducting a SWOT analysis is crucial for achieving long-term success in their industry.

7. Market Sizing Visualization

• Market sizing visualization is a powerful tool businesses use to understand a particular market’s potential size and scope.
• This tool not only helps businesses to understand the market landscape but also enables them to communicate their findings to stakeholders and investors effectively.

8. Map Slide

• Map Slide is a powerful tool designed to enhance presentations and communicate complex geographical data effectively.
• Map Slide is the ultimate solution for incorporating dynamic and informative maps into any presentation.

9. Organization Chart

• An organization chart, also known as an org chart, is a visual representation of the structure of an organization.
• A well-designed organizational chart promotes efficiency, transparency, and accountability.

10. Heat Map Visualization 

• Heat map visualization is a powerful data analysis technique that utilizes color coding to represent the intensity of values in a data set.
• As a result, heat map visualization has become an indispensable tool for professionals across a wide range of fields.

Key design principles – Consulting Presentation 

1. The Pyramid Principle: The Pyramid Principle by Barbara Minto is a method for effective communication and structuring ideas. It emphasizes starting with a single main idea and building supporting points for a cohesive argument.

2. The MECE Principle: The MECE principle, Mutually Exclusive and Collectively Exhaustive, is crucial in problem-solving. It requires all options to be distinct and complete, with no overlap or gaps. This principle is vital in management consulting and strategy, providing a structured approach to problem-solving.

3.  The KISS Principle (Keep It Short and Simple): The KISS principle, also known as “Keep It Short and Simple,” is a fundamental concept in communication and design. It encourages individuals to convey their ideas and messages concisely and straightforwardly without unnecessary complexity or jargon. This principle is especially crucial in professional settings, where clear and efficient communication is essential for success.

The importance of PowerPoint Templates

Before diving into McKinsey presentation sections, it’s essential to grasp why a structured template is crucial for a consulting slide deck. A PowerPoint template with branded designs ensures consistency in slide layouts. Aligned slides create a strong brand presence and consistent look during the show. Presentation design agencies provide templates for slides, ensuring a professional and functional look. For business presentations, PowerPoint is highly regarded for its features to enhance slide design. Utilize PowerPoint templates to establish consistent layouts for future use, tailored to specific meeting requirements such as investor meetings, training sessions, and regular business meetings. Select industry-appropriate themes from various online sources offering a wide range of templates.

If you are not the one looking for a general themed templates, then seek the support of a presentation design agency to deliver a custom template for building your PowerPoint slides.

The structure of a McKinsey presentation

The structure of a McKinsey presentation is carefully designed to communicate complex information and insights to our clients effectively. A complete consulting presentation typically contains the following five overall sections: 1. Frontpage, 2. Executive summary, 3. Body of slides, 4. Recommendation / Next steps, 5. Appendix.

1. Frontpage: The front page sets the tone for the presentation with the title, date, presenters’ names, and client’s logo. It highlights key objectives and takeaways, offering a clear roadmap for the audience and a professional, impactful, visually appealing presentation.

2. Executive Summary: This section introduces the presentation’s tone and engages the audience. The Executive Summary should outline the problem, solution, outcomes, team’s introduction, expertise, data, and insights. A good summary encapsulates key ideas, elucidating the presentation’s purpose and value.

3. Body of Slides: This section contains slides with key content and analysis, designed for clarity using data, charts, and visuals. Each slide flows logically to reinforce key messages, leading to a compelling conclusion and call to action. McKinsey presentations rely on well-crafted slides for success.

4. Recommendation / Next Steps: Recommendation/Next steps slides summarize key findings, propose action items for the client. Recommendations aim to improve performance, address challenges, capitalize on opportunities. It may include a timeline, resources, risks. The goal is to guide the client towards actionable solutions.

5. Appendix Section: The appendix in a slide deck provides extra info and materials, important for professional presentations to help the audience understand the topic better. It has graphs, charts, images, and visuals to explain critical points effectively. A typical McKinsey presentation consists of the Appendix section.

Common errors that go unnoticed while creating a Consulting Presentation

The common errors that go unnoticed in the creating and designing of consulting slides can be classified into: 1. Work planning, 2. Document structuring, 3. Slides content creation, and 4. Formatting. Let us explore each one of them, highlighting key factors to consider to perfect the consulting slide design and presentation.

Key errors in Work Planning

1. Jumping in without a plan

When jumping into a plan first start writing the recommendation, finding relevant information, or conducting any analysis.

• Are you clear about your intended objectives?
• What is the important question under consideration?
• What category of document are you intending to compose?
• What assumption will guide your investigation?
• What data is required to demonstrate your assumption?
• How will you acquire the necessary information?

It is noteworthy to start preparing your deck creation process with the below pointers for getting structured and organized data and content plans.

1. Skipping the hypothesis
   The hypothesis serves as the foundation for the entire study, providing a clear direction and purpose for the research. Skipping the hypothesis in a research study can have serious implications on the validity and reliability of the findings.
2. Summary page
3. Skeleton document
4. Identify the essential data to be included in each slide.
5. Plan your execution.

Key errors in Document Structuring 

1. Leading with the analysis, not the answer: Leaders prioritize analysis over just giving an answer. Quick solutions can be rushed and biased.

2. Not structuring the document logically: Not structuring a document logically can hinder its effectiveness and impact on the audience. Unorganized information makes it hard for readers to follow and comprehend, leading to confusion, frustration, and loss of interest.

3. Not organizing the document: Organizing a document aids clarity and efficiency at work. A clear structure highlights key information, reducing delays, errors, and enhancing team productivity.

Key Errors in Slides Content Creation

1. Cramming too much on each slide: Cramming info on slides in a presentation can harm its effectiveness. It overwhelms the audience and hinders retention of key points.

2. Writing weak action titles: Weak titles need more power to grab attention and convey content essence. Often vague, generic phrases don’t entice readers. Impact and writing effectiveness could improve. Weak title: Top Strategies for Business and Beyond. Strong title: The Ultimate Guide to Creating Engaging Business Presentations with Impactful Visuals and Messaging

3. Including irrelevant charts: Charts should enhance information, not just for looks. It’s important for a professional presentation to include charts relevant to the topic.

Key errors in Formatting

1. Inconsistent Formatting: Inconsistent formatting can significantly impact a document or presentation’s overall appearance and readability. This includes checking for:  1. PowerPoint template, 2. Font, 3. Font size, 4. Chart color, 5. Textbox color, 6. Color palette, and 7. Client logo. 

2. Missing Details: Please include details to make the document appear complete and professional. Some of the details including: 1. Chart title, 2. Chart axis title, 3. Chart legend, 4. Sources, 5. Footnotes (e.g., assumptions), 6. Page number, and 7. Client logo. 

3. Adding Unprofessional Visuals: The use of unprofessional visuals can harm a document’s effectiveness and credibility. Visual aids can enhance appeal and comprehension, but must be used professionally.

5 key approaches to building Consulting Slides like a McKinsey Presentation

1. Craft a Compelling Storyline: A presentation’s primary and most crucial measure entails crafting an enthralling storyline that immediately captivates your audience’s attention.

• Discern the pivotal message you intend to convey and meticulously arrange your content following it.
• Implement storytelling methodologies to infuse vibrancy and engagement into your presentation.
• Assure a coherent progression between disparate sections, crafting a harmonious expedition for your esteemed audience.

2. Data-Driven Insights: 

• Enhance the robustness of your recommendations by including dependable data, verifiable facts, and pertinent statistics to bolster their credibility.
• Employ relevant charts, graphs, and visual aids to communicate intricate information concisely and understandably effectively.
• Adopt the McKinsey approach of delivering presentations rooted in data-supported insights, thereby establishing trust and credibility with clients.
• Validate the soundness of your findings by ensuring the accuracy and timeliness of your data.

3. Visually Stunning Slides: 

• Craft visually captivating slides that enhance your content and reinforce your core messages, effortlessly facilitating the audience’s comprehension of intricate ideas.
• Maintain a minimalist, sleek, organized, and polished design to prevent potential distractions.
• Employ top-notch visuals, cohesive typography, and color palettes that resonate with the client’s brand or subject matter.
• Integrate influential visuals thoughtfully to fortify your key points and leave a memorable imprint on your audience.

4. Know Your Audience: 

• Conduct a thorough audience analysis in advance, ensuring a comprehensive understanding of their distinctive requirements, obstacles, and areas of interest.
• Craft a personalized presentation that effectively addresses their concerns and offers insightful solutions.
• Incorporate industry-specific vocabulary and terminology that resonates profoundly with your audience.
• Tailor your illustrative examples and case studies to enhance the credibility and relevance of your presentation, thereby elevating its impact and relatability.

5. Interactive Elements:

• Incorporate dynamic polls and surveys into your presentation to foster active audience engagement.
• Foster audience participation and address their inquiries by hosting interactive Q&A sessions in real time.
• Enhance the liveliness and engagement of your presentation by integrating interactive quizzes or games aligned with the topic.
• Interactive polls and surveys sustain audience engagement and yield valuable insights for more impactful delivery.

Recommendation

When presenting to clients or pitching ideas, creating impactful slides is crucial for leaving a lasting impression. By crafting slides like a McKinsey deck, you improve presentations and convey messages effectively. Use compelling visuals and concise information to captivate your audience. Remember the key elements of a McKinsey deck to enhance your slides for maximum impact. Do you feel tense about wasting your time on slide design? Save time, assign your design tasks to our experienced team, and craft the perfect consulting slide deck matching McKinsey presentation standards.

FAQs

1. How do you create a consulting slide?

To create a consulting slide, start by defining the objective or key message of the slide. Then, gather and organize relevant data, facts, and insights that support your message. Use clear and concise language, along with visual elements like charts, graphs, or diagrams to communicate information effectively. Structure the slide in a logical and visually appealing manner, with a title, introduction, main points, and conclusion. Remember to keep the slide simple, avoiding excessive text or clutter.

2. What is a consulting style presentation?

A consulting style presentation is a type of presentation that is focused on providing expert advice, recommendations, and solutions to a specific problem or challenge. It typically involves a consultant or a team of consultants delivering the presentation to a client or an audience. The presentation style is typically informative, persuasive, and interactive, with the goal of delivering valuable insights and actionable strategies to the audience. Consulting style presentations often include data analysis, case studies, and practical examples to support their recommendations and help clients make informed decisions.

3. What do you mean by consulting?

Consulting refers to the practice of providing expert advice and guidance to individuals or organizations in a specific field or industry. A consultant is someone who has specialized knowledge and experience in a particular area and uses that expertise to help clients solve problems, make decisions, and improve their performance. Consultants may work independently or as part of a consulting firm, and their services can range from strategic planning and business development to process improvement and project management.

4. How does McKinsey create a presentation?

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

5. What are the 5 P’s of consulting?

The 5 P’s of consulting are Purpose, Process, People, Product, and Profit. These elements are essential for a successful consulting engagement and help consultants deliver value to their clients.