Chapter 5: A Presentation Is a Story with a Purpose

A case presentation is a ~~story.~~story, ~~But~~but not in the traditional sense. You are not trying to entertain the judges for ten minutes. You are not writing a mystery. You are not trying to build suspense until the final slide. You are trying to help the audience understand:

where the organisation is now;
what has changed;
why that change matters;
what decision needs to be made;
what you recommend;
why the recommendation is credible;
how it will be executed;
what it will accomplish.

That is the story.

The Case Story

A useful communication structure is:

Situation: What is happening? Establish the context.
Complication: What has changed or created urgency? Introduce the tension.
Question: What decision needs to be made? Focus the audience.
Answer: What do we recommend? Give the direction.

Then:

Proof: Why should you believe us? Show the evidence, analysis, financial logic, and decision reasoning.
Execution: How will we make it happen? Show implementation, ownership, timing, resources, and risk mitigation.
Impact: What will it accomplish? Reconnect the recommendation to the organisation's objectives.

This creates a progression: Context → Tension → Decision → Answer → Proof → Action → Value. That is the communication version of the case-solving process.

Why Story Matters

Without a story, a case presentation can quickly become:

"Here's our customer analysis." Then:
"Here's our SWOT." Then:
"Here's our financial analysis." Then:
"Here are three alternatives." Then:
"Here's our recommendation."

Every section may be individually correct. But the audience has to reconstruct their relationship. A stronger presentation sounds more like: "Customer retention has declined sharply among the company's most valuable customers. Our analysis shows that the problem is being driven primarily by a deteriorating customer experience rather than weak acquisition. That means increasing acquisition spending will not solve the root cause. We therefore evaluated three retention-focused alternatives..." Now the analysis is connected. Each idea creates the need for the next one.

SCQA

One of the most useful structures for creating this connection is SCQA: Situation → Complication → Question → Answer.

Situation

Establish the context. Start with something the audience can accept relatively easily. For example: ACME has built a strong premium brand and experienced sustained growth over the past decade. The audience understands where the story begins.

Complication

Create the tension. Something has changed. For example: Over the past three years, Retention among ACME's highest-value customers has declined while acquisition costs have increased. Now the current situation is no longer sustainable. The complication creates a reason for action.

Question

Define the decision. Turn the tension into the problem management needs to solve. For example, how can ACME restore profitable growth without damaging the premium customer experience that differentiates the brand? Now the audience knows exactly what the presentation needs to answer.

Answer

Give the recommendation. For example, ACME should prioritise Retention through a targeted loyalty strategy that prioritises its highest-value customers. Now the audience knows where you are going. The rest of the presentation explains why they should believe you.

Don't Make It a Mystery

Teams sometimes believe that revealing the recommendation early reduces the drama. That may be ~~true.~~true, ~~But~~but drama is usually not the objective. Clarity is. Senior decision-makers frequently want the answer first. Then they want the supporting logic.

Think: ANSWER → WHY → HOW → IMPACT, not: ANALYSIS → ANALYSIS → ANALYSIS → SURPRISE!

Your judges should not spend eight minutes wondering what your recommendation is. They should spend those eight minutes evaluating why the recommendation makes sense.

Storytelling Is About Connection

The storytelling videos associated with this chapter reinforce an important idea: a memorable presentation often includes a human or emotional connection. That connection might come from:

a customer;
an employee;
a stakeholder;
the organisation's mission;
a product;
a location;
an experience;
a consequence of the decision.

The purpose is not simply to make the presentation more emotional. The purpose is to give the audience something concrete to connect the strategic decision to. For example: "For ACME's most loyal customers, this is not simply a pricing decision. It changes whether the premium experience they have trusted for years still feels worth paying for." Now the strategy has a human dimension.

The 5 P's as a Storytelling Lens

A useful storytelling lens is the 5 P's.

People

Who matters in the story? Consider:

customers;
employees;
decision-makers;
stakeholders.

Place

Where is the decision happening? Consider:

market;
geography;
organisation;
industry;
competitive environment.

Pictures

What can the audience see? This might include:

visuals;
examples;
customer journeys;
data;
diagrams.

Personal

What makes the issue relatable? This could involve:

a customer experience;
a stakeholder consequence;
a recognisable situation.

Platform

How are you delivering the story? Think about how:

slides;
speaking;
visuals;
transitions;
Q&A

work together. You do not need to force all five into every presentation. Use them as prompts for building greater connection.

Story Should Support Strategy

A story becomes dangerous when it begins to drive the solution rather than support it. For example, your team may discover a powerful anecdote about one unhappy customer. That does not necessarily prove that the entire market has the same problem. Likewise, a dramatic employee story may be emotionally compelling but strategically irrelevant. Ask whether the story represents the broader evidence? and whether it helps the audience understand something important about the decision? If not, leave it out.

The Story Spine

Before building slides, try completing this sequence:

Situation: The organisation is currently __________.
Complication: However, __________ has changed.
Question: Therefore, management needs to decide __________.
Answer: We recommend __________.
Proof: We believe this because __________.
Execution: We will implement it through __________.
Impact: This will enable the organisation to __________.

If those seven statements connect logically, you probably have a story. If they feel disconnected, keep working.

The "Why Are You Telling Me This?" Test

For every section of the presentation, imagine the judge asking: "Why are you telling me this?" Your answer should be immediate. For example:

Customer Analysis
- Why are you showing it?
- Because it shows that our highest-value customers are leaving fastest.
Financial Analysis
- Why are you showing it?
- Because it demonstrates that Retention creates more economic value than additional acquisition spending.
Implementation
- Why are you showing it?
- Because the judge needs to see that the strategy can be executed within the organisation's current capabilities.

If the answer is unclear, the section may not belong, or its purpose may need to be clearer.

Discover Your MAD Skills Principle

A presentation story is not designed to entertain. It is designed to make the logic of the decision easier to follow.

Every section should answer a question created by the section before it.

The Bottom Line

A strong case story moves the audience through: Situation → Complication → Question → Answer → Proof → Execution → Impact. The audience should always understand:

where they are,
why it matters,
where you are taking them,
why they should follow you there.