How consultants tell stories: the complete storylining guide

Summary.

Storylining is the process of turning independent ideas into a logical flow of information. It is an essential component of an impactful presentation.

However, storylining best practices are rarely applied in business presentations, because outside of consulting, they are rarely known.

This guide provides all professionals with an actionable method to create impactful business stories in four simple steps:

1. Start the storylining process early on a blank slide, this will ultimately be your executive summary
2. Think top-down: start with the takeaways and work backwards to the supporting arguments and evidence (Pyramid principle)
3. Add context: frame your story as a situation, a complication and a resolution (SCR method)
4. Iterate, storylining is a trial and error process

Introduction.

Storylining is a methodical approach of structuring individual insights in a way that guides your audience through a clear, logical, engaging and persuasive narrative.

Every good book or movie follows a clear storyline. Learning storylining is basically learning how to write a story, in the business world.

The consulting storylining methodology is extremely powerful. Stories help engage your audience and help you make sure you focus on the right topics. Read our article on the topic if you want to learn more on the value of a good storyline in business presentations.

Yet, the storylining process is often overlooked by professionals, because its method is rarely taught. In this article, I will go through multiple actionable frameworks and examples to improve your storylining skills. In order to elevate your storylining skills, follow our four-step approach: (1) Start the storylining process early on a blank slide. (2) Think top-down, structure your findings according to the pyramid principle. (3) Add context. Wrap your pyramid with an SCR framework. (4) Iterate, storylining is a trial and error process.

1. Start the storylining process early on a blank slide.

Craft your story as soon as you can.

When you can, we usually recommend that you start crafting your story as early as possible in the presentation creation. Try imagining what your story will look like before you start thinking about slides.

This can be confusing at first, but it’s a very good way of keeping a high-level view on your work and making sure the slides you will build or include all contribute to the story. This method ensures that the story stays cohesive and that unnecessary data or insights don’t clutter the presentation.

If you want to go a step further, you can even start the storylining process before you have done your research / analyses. This requires building hypotheses, testing them and updating the storyline continuously depending on the results of the analyses. This is, by the way, what most consultants do.

Use a blank slide in your presentation software.

Storylining can be done in various formats. Although you may opt to use a word document or even jot down your ideas on a plain piece of paper, I would definitely recommend to use your favorite presentation software (PowerPoint, Keynote, Google Slides, etc.) for this process. You will indeed probably use it to build your presentation anyway so you might as well use it directly.

You don’t need to build many slides at this stage though. Take a blank slide and start your draft. This slide will be the executive summary.

2. Think top-down: start with the takeaways, work backwards to the supporting arguments and evidence (Pyramid principle).

In a business environment, top-down stories are particularly efficient.

Top-down communication structure is generally well appreciated in companies. It is particularly true when communicating with senior executives, but I find that it’s usually efficient at all levels. A top-down structure has different advantages:

• It captures attention immediately
• Leaders are usually more interested in your findings than in your method
• It ensures your key message is delivered, even if the discussion gets cut short, which happens regularly in senior meetings
• It signals structured thinking, which builds credibility.

The pyramid principle is the reference top-down framework for storylining.

The Pyramid Principle is a framework for organizing ideas in a top-down hierarchy. It structures any message as a three-level pyramid:

• Top level:  the main message. A single, clear statement that summarizes your entire story. This is what you want your audience to walk away with.
• Middle level:  the supporting arguments. The two to four key arguments that justify your main message. These should be MECE: logically grouped and collectively cover the full case you are making. This means each argument covers a distinct area (no overlap), and together they cover the full picture (no gaps).
• Base:  the supporting evidence. The data, analyses, and facts that back up each supporting argument.

To learn more about the pyramid principle, read our dedicated article.

3. Add context: frame your story as a situation, a complication and a resolution (SCR method).

Real life requires a bit of context.

While your audience cares probably more about your insights than how you got there, jumping straight to a recommendation without any context can nevertheless feel abrupt.

Your audience needs a shared understanding of the situation before they can properly evaluate what you are proposing. It signals that you understand their world, not just your analysis. If your audience has a different understanding of the context than you do, your recommendation will land on shaky ground. Even the most senior executive benefits from a sentence or two of context.

Use the SCR framework to set the scene before focusing on the pyramid.

The SCR framework is the reference structure used by strategy consultants. It is a bottom-up construction, leading the audience gradually towards the solution. It enables you to add a bit of context before diving into your top-down pyramid. Keep the Situation and Complication light, to enable spending more time on the Resolution.

The SCR framework is a three-part sequence:

• Situation: a neutral description of the current context. What is the starting point everyone agrees on?
• Complication: the tension or problem that disrupts the situation. Why does something need to change or be decided?
• Resolution: your recommended response to the complication. What should we change to make the situation better? This is your top-down pyramid and it should be the main part of your story.

To read more about the SCR framework, check our dedicated article.

4. Iterate, storylining is a trial and error process.

Creating a compelling story is an iterative process. Once you have finished your first draft, take a step back and review what you’ve done. Here are some tips to refine your storyline.

Read Again.

Review your story multiple times to ensure clarity and coherence. Each read-through can reveal new insights and areas for improvement. Pay attention to the flow and logical progression of your narrative. Make sure that the flow is logical and that your categories collectively cover all necessary aspects of your story, leaving no important details unaddressed.

Read Through Your Audience’s Eyes.

Consider your audience’s perspective and adjust your message to address their needs and expectations. What might be clear to you may not be immediately obvious to them.

Ensure that your story is accessible and engaging from their viewpoint. For each item of the executive summary slide, pay particular attention to different aspects:

• Use bold for main parts and add bullet points under each.
• Be mindful for example of jargon-heavy wordings
• Avoid idioms, cultural references or wordplays, which could create confusion in an international company
• Don’t be generic, write specific informative items
• Be concise, keep it to two lines maximum
• Be precise, give numbers when possible, avoid vague adjectives like “very”, etc.

Ask for Feedback.

Seek input from colleagues or peers to identify areas for improvement and to ensure your story resonates with others. Fresh eyes can provide valuable feedback and highlight aspects you might have overlooked, or that the main benefits aren’t highlighted clearly enough. Using their insights, you can refine your presentation to make it more effective.

Conclusion.

To write a compelling story for a business presentation, follow the steps we mentioned

1. Start the storylining process early on a blank slide (Executive summary)
2. Think top-down: start with the takeaways and work backwards to the supporting arguments and evidence (Pyramid principle)
3. Add context: frame your story as a situation, a complication and a resolution (SCR method)
4. Iterate, storylining is a trial and error process

This top-down approach wrapped in an SCR structure to add a bit of context works well in the business world. Stay flexible though and be mindful of your audience. No framework is perfect, you can even create your own.

Storylining is a game changer, if you follow this approach, you will soon see tangible results. With time, you will probably find that improving your storylining skills will not only improve your presentations, it will also significantly enhance your overall ability to communicate effectively in a business environment. Whether it’s for a presentation, an email or a memo, I always try to apply those principles when delivering messages within my organisation.

Which tip did you find most helpful? Any other you have in mind? Let me know in the comments below.

Happy storylining!

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Related posts.

You now master storylining? Transform your story into a visual slide deck. Check out the complete slide writing guide.