Part X

The changesTitle Slide Should Do Work

A useful title slide can establish:

• Organisation: Who is the client?
• Audience: Who specifically are you advising?
• Team: Who are you?
• Role: In what capacity are you presenting?
• Context: What decision or challenge is being addressed?
• Date: When is the recommendation being presented?

You do not necessarily need every element in large text.  The goal is to orient the audience immediately.

Consider a Message-Based Title

Instead of using only: ACME CORPORATION, consider whether the title can begin reinforcing the central message. For example:

• Restoring Profitable Growth at ACME or:
• From Customer Churn to Sustainable Growth or:
• Building ACME's Next Engine of Growth

The title begins positioning the story before the presentation starts. But don't force creativity. Clarity is more important than cleverness.

The First 30 Seconds

The first 30 seconds should establish confidence and direction. The judges should quickly understand:

1. Who are you?

2. Who are you advising?

3. Why are you here?

4. What decision are you helping them make?

You do not need a long introduction. You need a purposeful one. For example: "Good afternoon, Ms Chen and members of the executive team. You asked us to determine how theACME judgescan interpretrestore profitable growth while protecting the restpremium ofcustomer yourexperience presentation.that has built the brand. Today, we will show you why the problem begins with customer retention—and what ACME should do about it." In a few sentences, the audience knows:

• who they are;

• what the problem is;

• what the presentation will address;

• and where the story is going.

Don't Waste the Opening

Avoid spending valuable time on statements such as:

• "Hello, our names are..." followed by lengthy team introductions. Or:
• "Today we're going to talk about..." followed by an agenda that simply lists the slides. Or:
• "Thank you for giving us this opportunity..." followed by a long preamble before reaching the case.

Professional courtesy matters. But so does time. Your opening should begin the argument.

The Opening Test

Before finalising the opening, ask:

• AUDIENCE Do we know exactly who we are speaking to?
• ROLE Have we stepped into the role established by the case?
• CONTEXT Does the audience immediately understand why we are here?
• DECISION Is the problem or decision clear?
• RELEVANCE Does the opening connect to something important to the audience?
• TIME Are we getting into the substance quickly?
• CONFIDENCE Does the opening make us sound like advisors rather than students reading a case?

If the answer is yes, you have positioned the presentation effectively.

Discover Your Mad Skills Principle

You are not presenting to a company. You are advising people inwho specificneed rolesto make a decision.

Know who havethose specificpeople concerns.are. Understand what matters to them. Then communicate the solution accordingly.

The Bottom Line

Your presentation begins before the first analytical slide appears. Use the title slide and opening moments to establish:

WHO WE ARE → WHO YOU ARE → WHY WE ARE HERE → WHAT DECISION WE NEED TO MAKE

Do not make the judges spend the first minute figuring out the context. Position the room. Then begin the story.

Chapter 15: Story, Connection & SCQA

Video: Build a Clear Thinking Pyramid: The Minto Pyramid Principle for Case Solutions

Once you have positioned the audience, you need to give them a reason to care about what comes next. A strong case presentation is not simply: Slide 1 → Slide 2 → Slide 3 → Slide 4. It is a connected argument. Each part should help the audience understand why the next part matters.

The goal is to create a clear journey from: CONTEXT → TENSION → QUESTION → ANSWER. One useful structure for doing this is SCQA: SITUATION → COMPLICATION → QUESTION → ANSWER

Storytelling Does Not Mean Telling a Story

When teams hear "storytelling," they sometimes believe they need to begin with an inspirational quote, personal anecdote, dramatic statistic, or elaborate narrative. You don't. Business storytelling is primarily about connection and progression. The audience should understand:

• Where are we? then:
• What changed? then:
• Why does that matter? then:
• What decision must we make? then:
• What should we do?

That is a story.

Create a Meaningful Connection

A strong opening can connect the case to:

• the organisation’organisation's missionmission;

  and values;

• its values;

• the customer;

• the product;

• the service;

• the employee;

• the community;

• the human impact;

• or a relevant experience.

ButFor example, if the organisation exists to make healthcare more accessible, you might begin by reconnecting the strategic challenge to the patient experience. If the company has built its brand around customer trust, your opening might connect a current problem directly to the risk of losing that trust. The connection mustshould remind the audience: Why does this decision matter?

Don't Force the Story

An opening story should never exist simply because someone told you: "Good presentations start with a story." A weak personal anecdote can waste time and make the presentation feel artificial. Before using a story, quote, analogy, statistic, or emotional opening, ask:

• Does this help the audience understand the case? Then: Does it connect naturally to our recommendation?

If not, leave it out. The story serves the strategy. The strategy does not serve the case.story.

SCQA

SCQA anprovides interestinga storysimple simplyway becauseto itstructure the opening argument.

Situation

What is interesting.happening? The opening should connect toEstablish something importantclear and berelatively indisputable. For example: ACME has built a personalstrong orpremium emotionalbrand connectionand has grown successfully for the audience.

SCQA

A useful structure for organising the opening is:

• Situation
  • What is happening?
  • The situationaudience should be clearable andto indisputable.
  think:
  v
Yes.
• That's where we are.

  Complication

  What

  • Whatchanged? Introduce the tension. For example: Over the past three years, however, customer retention has changed?
  declined
  while
acquisition
• Wherecosts have increased. Now there is thea tension?problem.
  The
  • Whataudience makesshould thethink: currentSomething situationneeds unsustainable?
  to
  change.

Question

• Question

  • What needs to be solved?

  Turn
the
• complication into the decision. For example: How can ACME restore profitable growth without weakening the premium customer experience that differentiates the brand? Now the audience knows exactly what the presentation needs to answer.

  Answer

  What should the organisation do? Provide the high-level recommendation. For example: ACME should prioritise retention through a targeted loyalty strategy, beginning with its highest-value customers and scaling only after the pilot proves the economics. Now the audience knows where you are going. That is not giving away the ending. It is helping the judges understand the argument that follows.

  The SCQA Flow

  The complete story might sound like:

  • WhatSituation: isACME yourhas solution?built a strong premium brand and achieved sustained growth.
• Complication: Customer retention has declined for three consecutive years while acquisition costs continue to rise.
• Question: How can ACME restore profitable growth without weakening the customer experience that differentiates the brand?
• Answer: We recommend prioritising retention through a targeted loyalty strategy, beginning with the company's highest-value customers.

SCQA createsIn a bridgefew betweensentences, contextyou andhave recommendation.established:

WHERE WE ARE --> WHAT CHANGED --> WHAT WE NEED TO SOLVE --> WHAT WE SHOULD DO

That gives the rest of the presentation purpose.

ExecutiveGive SummaryThem the Destination

StartSome withteams anare executivereluctant summaryto asreveal the judgesrecommendation early. They want to build suspense. This is usually unnecessary. You are not writing a mystery novel. Senior decision-makers often want to understand quickly:

answer
• Whatquickly. Then they want to understand: Why should I believe you? This is happening?
why
• Whatan matters?
• What do you recommend?
• What will it accomplish?

Your executive summary givescan thembe theso destinationeffective.

The youExecutive takeSummary

A goodstrong executive summary can include:answer four questions:

• The ProblemProblem: What is the most important issue?
• AThe High-LevelRecommendation: RecommendationWhat should the organization do?
• The Key ActionsActions: How will the recommendation work?
• The Expected ImpactImpact: What will the organization gain?

For example:

The judges now understand the destination. The rest of the presentation explains why this is the right destination and how the organisation gets there.

Keep the Executive Summary CRISP

An executive summary is not a miniature version of every slide that follows. Do not try to squeeze:

• the entire SWOT;

• three alternatives;

• a decision matrix;

• financial calculations;

• five implementation phases;

• six risks;

• and twelve KPIs

onto one slide.

The executive summary should answer: What do I need to know before you begin? Not: How much information can we fit on one slide? Keep it CRISP. The audience should be able to understand the essential solution quickly.

Don't Confuse the Executive Summary With the Analysis

The executive summary answers. The rest of the presentation provides the proof.

Think:

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Here is what we recommend and why it matters. --> ANALYSIS Here is what we discovered. --> ALTERNATIVES Here are the credible choices. --> DECISION Here is why our recommendation wins. --> FINANCIALS Here is why it makes economic sense. --> IMPLEMENTATION Here is how we make it happen. --> RISK Here is how we protect the strategy.

This creates a much clearer presentation than asking the judges to wait until the final few minutes to discover what you recommend.

Build a Thinking Pyramid

The SCQA structure also connects naturally to the broader idea of the thinking pyramid. Start with the central answer.  Then support it with the few major arguments required to make it credible. For example:

Recommendation

Launch the targeted loyalty strategy. Supported by:

• CUSTOMER: Retention is the primary driver of the current problem.
• FINANCIAL: Improved retention creates greater value than additional acquisition spending.
• FEASIBILITY: The organisation already possesses most of the capabilities required to execute the strategy.

Each of those arguments can then be supported by evidence. The structure becomes:

RECOMMENDATION --> KEY ARGUMENTS --> SUPPORTING ANALYSIS --> EVIDENCE

This helps prevent the presentation from becoming a collection of disconnected facts.

Connect the Slides

A strong story also depends on transitions. Do not treat each slide as an isolated presentation. At the end of one section, help the audience understand why the next section follows. For example: "We have established that declining retention is the primary driver of the profitability problem. The next question is what ACME can realistically do about it." Now the alternatives section feels natural.

Later: "Of the three options, the loyalty strategy provides the strongest combination of financial impact, capability fit, and implementation speed. Let us show you what that recommendation looks like." Now the recommendation feels inevitable. Good transitions make the presentation feel like one argument rather than fifteen slides.

The Story Test

Before finalising the opening and executive summary, ask:

• SITUATION Is the starting point clear and credible?
• COMPLICATION Have we created a meaningful reason for action?
• QUESTION Is the decision management needs to make obvious?
• ANSWER Have we stated our recommendation clearly?
• CONNECTION Does the opening connect to something the audience actually cares about?
• EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Can the judges understand the destination quickly?
• PROOF Does the rest of the presentation clearly support what we told them?
• FLOW Does each section naturally create the need for the next?

If not, the presentation may need restructuring.

Discover Your Mad Skills Principle

Don't make the judges discover your story. Build the story so they can follow your thinking.

A strong opening creates context. SCQA creates tension and direction. The executive summary gives the destination. The rest of the presentation provides the evidence.

The Bottom Line

A strong presentation opening moves the audience through: SITUATION → COMPLICATION → QUESTION → ANSWER. Then the executive summary reinforces: PROBLEM → RECOMMENDATION → ACTION → IMPACT. From there, the rest of the presentation has one job: Prove that the answer you gave them is the right one. The goal is not suspense. The goal is clarity, connection, and confidence.