Drafting a strawman/storyline for a deck

Question

Hi all,

I often struggle when creating a strawman for presentations, particularly with structuring it for different types of decks. I'd love to hear how you approach this process and any tips you can share. Specifically, I'd appreciate insights on:

a) Your approach to building a strawman
b) Examples of (anonymized) strawmen's you've used before
c) How this approach adapts across different types of presentations:

Research-focused decks
Convincing or persuasive decks
Decision-making decks (like for steerco's)

My Current Approach:
I typically start with an issue tree to identify the main challenges and drivers. Here’s an example based on my current personal project, which is improving my sleep quality:

1. Issue Tree:

Main Challenge: Improving my sleep
- Why
  - Personal issues
  - Professional issues
- As-Is
  - Sleep quality (e.g., achieving deeper sleep)
    - Too much stress
    - Food choices (e.g., reduce caffeine)
  - Sleep duration
    - Going to bed too late
    - Waking up during the night
    - Waking up too early
- To-Be
  - (Not defined yet – I need to identify the root causes first)
- Roadmap (fill in later)

2. Storyline

Executive Summary
Why
- Lack of sleep is causing various personal and professional issues (overview per category).
As-Is
- The main driver of sleep issues is poor sleep quality (e.g., make a graph showing sleep duration and types like N1, N2).
- Stress is a key factor impacting sleep (e.g., graph stress patterns using HRV and food intake data).
To-Be
- (To be written once the As-Is is clear)
Roadmap

Answer 1

Hey!

Your approach to building a strawman is a good start, and using an issue tree to break down challenges is solid. At McKinsey, I learned that the key to an effective strawman is having a clear, structured storyline that flows logically, regardless of the type of deck. Start with the end in mind by defining the objective first—what decision or insight do you want to drive? Tailor your structure to that goal. Typically, any deck can be broken down into three main sections: Executive Summary, As-Is (Problem/Current State), and To-Be (Solution/Future State). State the key message upfront, use data to show why the issue exists, and outline the solution or recommendation along with the roadmap. For research-focused decks, emphasize data findings and insights; for persuasive decks, focus on key arguments with compelling visuals and clear evidence; for decision-making decks, present clear options with pros and cons. Always leave room for feedback and iterations—start with a rough draft and refine it with your team. These principles apply across presentations and ensure a structured and logical flow.

God luck!
Alessa