Nail slide one in your important meeting by cutting data, setting clear expectations

The Problem

You’ve spent hours cutting your deck down from 35 slides to 9 for your important meeting. Every slide adds value and has data that will impress your manager’s peers. BUT, in slide one, you dive right into the data, hit them with too many details, and forget the forest among the trees.​​

The Big Small Thing

Nailing slide one is critical. 

Here are three sections that make a great opening slide:

• Purpose
• Exec Summary
• Request of your audience

Here’s what a slide-one dumpster fire looks like:

• 47 numbers
• In 8 point font
• With no clear framing of what your goal of the meeting is

This is slide abuse! It’s the curse of knowledge! 

How This Helps You Get What You Want

Senior leaders at your company see the latter all the time, so you can stand out by doing the former. I am often the executive decision maker in a meeting. When someone shares their Purpose, Exec Summary, and Request at the beginning of the meeting, I am oriented on the goal, and they are more likely to achieve that goal.

I get anxious if I am 25 minutes into a 30-minute presentation, and I don’t know what someone needs from me. A decision? Feedback? A brainstorm? Are you going to surprise me at the end with a completely unexpected request?! When you set expectations upfront, it helps you get what you want out of the meeting.

Let’s do this