Heavy material PPT Training

Question

Hi,

I am about to start a job as a strategy consultant in MBB (BCG specifically). I already got some years of exp. in consulting. However, the projects I have been facing so far did not require crafting creative and material heavy PPTs, being mostly Excel intense or using fixed templates.

I fear I will struggle in creating "ex-novo client ready" ppts, especially in a fast pace environment. Does anyone have any recommendation on a training course I could follow to improve in this area in the quickest time possible?

I tried with training courses offered by my current company but there is no great focus on this.

Many thanks in advance!

Answer 1

Hello,

Congrats on your new job ! I was a Senior Manager with BCG and have worked and mentored many people that started out in MBBs. Here is what I recommend:

Get the BCG ppt look and feel and messaging right: read their reports and see how they do the messaging, how they present information, how they draw conclusions. These are usually reviewed by the top BCG partners and set a fair expectation on how deliverables should look and feel (even if you will do ppt). Getting this right is crucial because I know a few cases similar to you where the partners where not impressed with the ppts of new joiners and started disregarding them or they got a bad first impression. As you are an experienced hire they will have high expectations
Additionally you also need to prepare for your first discussions: in your first days you might get more access to senior people in the organization. They will want to know things such as what projects you want to work on, what do you want to develop. Having a clear view will help you get staffed on the engagements that you really want to work on. Think about what are the top 3-5 key messages that you want these people to remember about you in staffing calls/ extracurricular activities/promotions etc

I you want to discuss more, don't hesitate to chat me. In my opinion, investing in a career coach that will help you get early promotions, help you strategize to get the best projects and that shares their network will probably give you a 50x in return over 10 years. I am also happy to teach you the ppt top skills that you need. It would probably take one session

Answer 2

Well done on securing the BCG job.

A great way to start is by looking at articles and reports that BCG posts online, which will give you a clue to their visual identity and teach you both (i) the main types of chart they use (e.g., bar chart, waterfall, mekko, conceptual, etc.) and (ii) the types of data which are normally represented by each chart.

As for learning the hard skills (i.e., quick, elegant, client ready slides with no formatting errors) - this is something most people learn on the job in the first 6 months or so. Especially if you do DD or corp strat projects, you’ll pick it up fast.

If you do really want to get ahead on this, it’s worth engaging with a coach - you’ll learn much quicker than via a course.

Answer 3

Hi,

When you start your job

Ask colleagues for the best decks/slides they have created
Find material internally in the knowledge network
Ask your manager to send you example decks of what they consider to be best-in-class decks

All of the 3 above will be infinitely more helpful than whatever you can find online.

Answer 4

Hi!

Totally get your concern! PPT work at BCG is on a different level, and it’s normal to feel unsure if your past projects were more Excel-focused. The good news is that it's very learnable with the right practice. For structure, the Pyramid Principle helps a lot. For design and clarity, Storytelling with Data is great. If you're looking for more hands-on material, courses like SlideScience or the Wonsulting consulting deck course on Udemy are practical and pretty close to MBB expectations.

Also try replicating slide decks from actual consulting examples online. Focus on having one clear message per slide, strong logic, and clean layouts. And once you're on the job, feedback will help you get better fast.

Best,
Alessa