How to create McKinsey Style slides ppt
What McKinsey knows about Presentation Design that you don’t?
Ever wonder why McKinsey and BCG presentations look so damn good? After designing 15+ years creating presentations for CEOs and business leaders, I’ll share the secret sauce for crafting presentations that nail it in McKinsey style
In this article, I ll share in-depth ( & interesting ways) of designing presentations in McKinsey style.
This includes following
- Structuring in McKinsey style of Deck
- How Insights are Shown in McKinsey Style Decks
- How McKinsey Uses Storyline in Presentations
- McKinsey Style Slide (by slide ) Design
- How Charts are used in the McKinsey Style Deck
- Designing Executive Summaries in McKinsey’s way
- Common Mistakes & how to avoid them in designing McKinsey style PPT
Instead of using a lot of jargon, font style, and nitty–gritty, I suggest a simpler and more memorable analogy to help you design a McKinsey-style deck without pushing yourself hard.
The best way of doing this is to think like a Movie Director
- Your presentation is a blockbuster movie
- You need a compelling story that grabs attention
- Every slide is a scene moving your story forward
So like a Director, you think of your audience first. It’s not about ‘your satisfaction’ it’s about your audience’s entertainment/objective. You need to look into your target audience in this case it’s CEOs, Board members and decision–makers.
And there is a common trait you find in all.
- They are super busy
- They want to talk about what matters
- They want results ( fast)
So when you know your audience it becomes easy ( and your job) to present anything which can fulfil all parameters of their attention.
Below is the magic formula to do that
Below are some pro level hacks to get your presentation as close as possible to McKinsey Style
The Magic Formula
- Hook them from the start (Introduction)
- Build your case (Main Content)
- Deliver the punch (Recommendations)
This formula works every time, whether it is for McKinsey, EY, or Deloitte. Why, cause the target audience shares a similar trait and for all these companies their target audience are basically the same.
Pro-Level Slide Design Hacks
- Split slides into 2-3 sections max
- Use half for visuals, half for key points
- Stick to Arial font (12-14 size) – trust me on this
- Keep colors minimal and professional
- Always add slide numbers and sources
- Give your slides room to breathe with margins
Ok, so far in theory you would understand how McKinsey and other consultancy firms prepare their presentation but it’s time where rubber meets road. You need to learn how to prepare your own McKinsey-style deck
Once you know how McKinsey Style Slides works , you know how the McKinsey style Presentation works and you can stop here and try these hacks. However if you interested in learning a little deep and moving from ‘How’ to ‘Why” then keep on reading. Because I am gonna talk about the psychology behind these slide designs, reason why they make total sense for McKinsey or any other consultancy firm and for that matter you.
Step-by-Step Guide for Designing Presentation for Consultants
The Secret Weapon: “Action Titles”
Now if you are slightly aware about Presentations, it mainly contain
- Title
- Sub Heading
- Pointers
- Supporting image/graphs
However, McKinsey style majorly focuses on “Titles” , yes, just by playing around Title right your entire deck become
- Professional
- Engaging
- Meaningful
So you should you should pay good attention ( & time) to the slide title.
Let’s understand more about McKinsey style Titling and why they use it.
Think newspaper headlines – each slide Headline (title) should tell a complete mini-story. If someone only reads your slide titles, they should get the whole picture.
But before you go into deep, you need to understand the structure of McKinsey style of Deck first.
1. Structuring in McKinsey style of Deck
Traditional presentations often follow a Problem-Argument-Solution (PAS) format. But in consulting, we flip this approach on its head – because C-suite audiences think differently.
When presenting to senior decision-makers, lead with solutions. Why? Because executives need to quickly grasp the “so what” before diving into details.
Here’s how top consultancies structure their narrative
- Solution First: Present your recommendation upfront
- Supporting Arguments: Back your solution with compelling evidence
- Context & Problems: Weave in challenges and background as needed
This approach respects executives’ time and decision-making style.
They want to see the destination before reviewing the journey that got you there. Your presentation becomes more compelling when it aligns with how senior leaders process information and make decisions.
The Pyramid Principle
Implementing the Pyramid Principle in Your Deck:
- Title Slide: Presentation Topic
- Executive Summary & Recommendations
- Key Insight #1 Summary
- Supporting Data Point A
- Supporting Data Point B
- Supporting Data Point C
- Closing Slide: Conclusion/Next Steps
Repeat this sequence for each key insight you want to present. Structure flows from high-level conclusions to detailed supporting evidence, making your presentation both executive-friendly and logically compelling.
Think of it as an inverted pyramid: start with the big picture (what matters most to executives) and progressively dive deeper into supporting details. Your closing slide should reinforce key actions or decisions needed.
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2. What are Insights & what is required to show in McKinsey Style Decks
Companies like Deloitte, BCG or McKinsey focus on “insights”.
Insights are findings from your analysis that reveal
- Key patterns
- Problems
- Opportunities
They come from thorough research and data analysis, forming the critical bridge between your initial findings and proposed solutions.
For example, after studying customer behaviour data, you might discover that “90% of users abandon their shopping cart when shipping costs appear in the final step“—this insight would lead to your solution of displaying shipping costs earlier in the purchase journey.
Strong insights require rigorous analysis and often uncover non-obvious patterns that drive real business impact. While solutions might seem straightforward in hindsight, the deep analytical work needed to uncover these actionable insights is what sets top consulting work apart.
“Arguments should follow a clear logical flow to support your conclusion.”
For example, if our conclusion is to launch operations in Germany first, our supporting arguments would be strategically arranged:
- Germany offers the largest addressable market in the EU, with 83M consumers and €4T GDP
- Our product’s features directly address strict German data privacy requirements
- We already have an established German-speaking customer support team
Notice how each argument builds upon the previous one – from market opportunity to technical readiness to operational capabilities. This structured approach creates a compelling narrative that makes our conclusion feel inevitable, rather than just listing random facts.
This strategic arrangement of arguments is what sets apart persuasive presentations from mere data dumps.
3. How McKinsey Uses Storyline in Presentations
Stories are powerful because they naturally package data and arguments in a way that’s easy for listeners to understand and remember. Think of a story like a pill capsule – it delivers the important content in a digestible format.
As consultants, we need to weave stories into our presentations. These aren’t traditional “once upon a time” tales, but rather a logical flow of information that carries through to the end.
You might wonder why I suggest developing your storyline before creating individual slides. Here’s why: A storyline is like a thread holding pearls together in a necklace. Just as beautiful pearls are useless without a thread connecting them, your data and arguments need a clear storyline to become meaningful. The storyline puts everything in the right order and shows how each piece connects.
How does the storyline work?
Just check out the following example. I believe by going through this you will understand the importance of the storyline and see the storyline in action
Without a Storyline
- Slide 1: Product Features
- Slide 2: Market statistics
- Slide 3: Financial projections
- Slide 4: Competitor analysis
- Slide 5: Team introduction
This random order might overwhelm the audience with disconnected facts.
With a Storyline
- Set the Stage: Start with a problem (e.g., “Customers are struggling to find eco-friendly and affordable cleaning products”).
- Introduce the Hero: Present your product as the solution to the problem.
- Build Credibility: Show market statistics that highlight the demand for your product.
- Create Trust: Explain why your team is best positioned to deliver this solution.
- Deliver the Promise: End with financial projections to showcase the potential return on investment.
Takeaway
By weaving a storyline, you guide the audience logically through the problem, solution, and impact. It ensures that each slide feels connected, making the data and arguments more compelling and memorable.
Are you a Consultancy or Training organization, looking for PPT makeovers or new presentations?
4. McKinsey Style Slide (by slide ) Design
There are a few key components of a slide
- Head Line
- Subheading
- Pointers/Image/Graphs
The image below shows a typical slide from McKinsey
Here’s the thumb rule of slide design in McKinsey Style PPT
Your slide titles should tell an important part of the story. Even if someone reads only the titles without the data or images, they should still grasp the overall message.
Each title should connect to the storyline, building clarity slide by slide.
Subheadings, Data, or Arguments
The next step is ensuring your subheadings, data, or arguments support the title. Weak data or arguments can undermine the credibility of your slide and the entire deck.
This is why the golden rule of slide design is:
“One Slide, One Message.”
The title is that message, and it must be fully justified by the content on the slide.
Think of your title as part of the story (a pearl), and the supporting data as the thread that holds it together.
5. What about visuals like images, graphs, or charts in McKinsey Style PPT?
They play a critical role too! In next section, I’ll guide you on how to decide what belongs in the slide body.
Have you ever stuck, staring at a blank slide and figuring out the best chart or visualization can be overwhelming? How do you know you’re choosing the right one?
Don’t worry—there’s a science to it, and I’m here to simplify it for you.
Charting is About Clarity in McKinsey Style Deck
Imagine you’ve just completed a sophisticated analysis, and now it’s time to present your findings. It’s tempting to include all the complex details to showcase your hard work.
But here’s the truth:
“less is more.”
Your slide should use the simplest chart with the least amount of data required to support your action title. Think of it as creating a “minimum viable chart”—just enough to convey your point clearly and effectively.
The Four Types of Insights through Charts in McKinsey style presentation
Charting doesn’t have to be complicated. In fact, there are only four types of insights you can visualize:
01
Comparisons
Show how one dataset is similar to or different from another.
Example: Comparing Company A’s revenue with Company B’s revenue.
02
Relationships
Show how changes in one dataset correspond to changes in another.
Example: Ice-cream sales increasing as temperatures rise.
03
Distributions
Show how data is spread over time or another variable.
Example: The range of salaries across a group of employees.
04
Compositions
Show the breakdown of a dataset into its parts.
Example: The underlying drivers of cost growth.
That’s it! Once you know whether you’re showing a comparison, relationship, distribution, or composition, you can use a simple decision tree to pick the perfect chart.
The Slide Science Charting Decision Tree for Mickey style Presentations
As an PPT Experts, we would like to streamline the slide-building process. We reviewed countless slide decks and noticed recurring patterns in how insights were visualized. I first learned this from Den and verified it back with the same outcome.
No need to complicate it, use most appropriate chart as per table or image below
And there is a pattern. Here is the simplified view of
Are you a Consultancy or Training organization, looking for PPT makeovers or new presentations?
6. Designing Executive Summaries in McKensie way
In this section you ll learn how to write effective executive summaries. The Pyramid structure we discussed earlier proves valuable here too – it’s a universal approach used by leading consultancies worldwide.
Key Principles of Executive Summaries
01
Lead with Your Main Message
- Start with a bold statement that captures your core point
- Support it with clear, relevant evidence
- Every supporting point reinforces your main argument
02
Understand Your Audience
- Senior executives are time-constrained
- They need key conclusions immediately
- While wanting access to supporting details
03
Structure for Impact
- Use bold headlines to highlight key messages
- Support headlines with focused bullet points
- Ensure each point builds toward your conclusion
Leading consultancies use this approach because it respects their audience’s needs – delivering essential insights quickly while providing the depth needed for informed decision-making.
Here is one example
Notice how the Title / Bold first line tells the complete summary of the slide, even if you read the first title alone you will get to know the point that this slide is making.
Follow Pyramid Structure
Pyramid Structure for Executive Summary
The executive summary should encapsulate the entire storyline of the slide deck, adhering to the pyramid structure.
This approach breaks down the content into
01
Situation
Provides the baseline knowledge necessary to understand the context and origins of the problem.
- What foundational information is needed?
- How did this problem arise?
02
Complication
Highlight the core problem and its significance.
- What issue requires resolution?
- Why is addressing this issue crucial?
03
Resolution
Offer solutions and actionable recommendations.
- How will the problem be solved?
- What are the proposed steps forward?
In Summary
01
Design Bold Headlines
- Begin each executive summary with a clear, single-line statement
- Support your headline with focused bullet points
- Ensure each point strengthens your main message
02
Maintain Narrative Flow
- Every statement should connect to your overall storyline
- Keep your message consistent throughout
- Create a seamless connection between sections
03
Apply the Pyramid Structure
- Start with your conclusion
- Build support through logical layers
- Make complex information easily digestible
This approach ensures your executive summary is both powerful and accessible, delivering key insights quickly while maintaining depth and clarity.
Structure That Sells
- Executive Summary (The TL;DR for busy executives)
- Table of Contents (Your story roadmap)
- Main Chapters (Your compelling narrative)
- Recommendations (The money slides)
- Appendix (Supporting evidence)
7. Rookie Mistakes to Avoid in designing McKinsey style deck
- Going crazy with animations
- Rainbow color schemes
- Cramming slides with text
- Forgetting to cite sources
- Using fancy fonts
Are you a Consultancy or Training organization, looking for PPT makeovers or new presentations?
How to Create McKinsey Slides PDF?
The best way to create a McKinsey-style PDF slide is to design a presentation in Microsoft PowerPoint & then save it as a PDF. The default PowerPoint canvas may not be suitable and you need to change the canvas to A3/4 size depending upon its requirement.
Looking for McKinsey handbook PDF? Check it out here
Most Important Tip: Before you even open PowerPoint, ask yourself “Who’s going to see this?” Everything flows from there.
Remember: A great presentation isn’t about fancy graphics or complex charts. It’s about telling a clear, compelling story that makes your audience say “Aha!”
Real Talk: The best presentations I’ve seen don’t just share information – they solve problems and tell stories that stick with you.