Chapter 28: Building a Persuasive Story

Learning Objectives

By the end of this chapter, you should be able to:

Organise a presentation around a compelling narrative

Distinguish storytelling from simply describing analysis

Connect evidence to recommendations

Create logical flow throughout a presentation

Maintain audience engagement

Reinforce the central recommendation

Why This Matters

One of the biggest misconceptions about case presentations is that judges evaluate slides independently. They d n't. They evaluate the story.

Great presentations feel inevitable. Each section naturally leads to the next. Every framework answers a question raised earlier. Every recommendation resolves a problem already introduced.

Weak presentations feel like disconnected analyses. Strong presentations feel like one coherent business conversation.

Discover Your Mad Skills Principle

People rarely remember every analysis. They remember the story that analysis created.

The Structure of Every Great Case Story

Rather than thinking in terms of slide order, think in terms of narrative:

Situation → Complication → Insight → Strategic Choice → Implementation → Impact

When your presentation follows this progression, judges never wonder, 'Why are they showing me this?' Every slide has a purpose.

Coach's Lens

One of the easiest ways to improve a presentation is to remove any slide that does not answer a question the audience is already asking. If the slide disappears and nothing changes in the story, it probably wasn't needed.

Story Before Slides

Many teams build slides first. Winning teams build stories first. Ask yourself: What conversation do we want the judges to experience? Then build slides that support that conversation. Slides should reinforce the story—not become the story.

Common Mistakes

Treating each slide independently

Repeating analysis instead of advancing the story

Introducing recommendations too late

Overwhelming judges with unnecessary detail

Ending without resolution

Mad Skills Drill

Take an existing presentation. Remove every slide title. Can someone still explain the story? If not, your presentation may be a collection of slides rather than a coherent narrative.

Chapter Summary

People remember stories. Judges remember logical arguments. The strongest case presentations combine both.

Key Takeaways

✓ Every slide should move the story forward.

✓ Build narratives before slides.

✓ Create tension before introducing solutions.

✓ Make the recommendation feel inevitable.

Looking Ahead

Once the story is built, we need to communicate it like executives rather than students. That begins with executive communication.