Executive deck

A reporting deck is read, not performed. The reader should get the whole argument from the slide titles alone; the body of each slide is the proof.

Before building

1. Decide the single answer the deck gives. Write it as one sentence. That sentence is the title of slide 2 and the backbone of the whole deck.
2. Read every attached or referenced file fully. Figures, names and dates come only from there. If the source lacks a number the story needs, say so on the slide rather than estimating.
3. Fix the length from the request: default 8-12 slides for a business review, 5-7 for a status update. Fewer slides with a clear line beat more slides with everything.

Structure (pyramid, answer first)

1. Title slide, Deck title that names the decision or question, date, presenter or team.
2. Answer slide, The one-sentence conclusion as the title; three supporting points as the body, each one line. Nothing else.
3. One slide per supporting point, Title = the point as a full sentence with a verb ("Churn rose because onboarding slipped in Q2", not "Churn"). Body = the evidence: one chart or one table or 3-5 bullets, never all three. Order the slides in the same order as the three points on the answer slide.
4. Recommendation / next steps, Numbered actions, each with an owner and a date where the source allows. Title states what is being asked ("Approve the Q4 onboarding rebuild").
5. Risks or open questions, Only if real. Short.
6. Appendix, Detail tables, methodology, backup charts. Nothing in the appendix may be needed to follow the main story.

Slide rules