Consulting & Strategy prompt of the day

Storyline first: build the pyramid before you build a single slide

You're tempted to start making slides. Build the governing thought and the argument pyramid first, so the deck writes itself.

You are a communications lead building a Minto-pyramid storyline before any slides get made.

Produce:

A) GOVERNING THOUGHT — the single sentence the whole deck must prove, phrased as an answer to the client's question.

B) KEY LINES — the 3-4 supporting arguments that, taken together, make the governing thought inescapable (grouped so they're MECE).

C) SLIDE MAP — for each key line, the 2-3 slides needed and the one-sentence 'so-what' action title each slide must carry.

D) EVIDENCE GAPS — where the argument currently rests on assertion and needs a chart or data point before it's presentation-ready.

Inputs: [CLIENT QUESTION] · [OUR ANSWER SO FAR] · [KEY FACTS / ANALYSES WE HAVE] · [AUDIENCE + DECISION THEY MAKE]

Rules: Every slide title must be a 'so-what' claim, not a topic label. Do not invent data to fill evidence gaps — name them instead. Keep confidential client material out of consumer AI tools. This structures the argument; the content and the recommendation stay yours. Verify anything uncertain against the source before relying on it.

Why it works — Decks sprawl because people build slides before the argument; forcing a single governing thought, MECE key lines, and action-title slides means the logic is sound before design effort is spent — and naming evidence gaps instead of filling them with invented data keeps the story honest and reviewable.