The rule: The main deck is for decisions . The appendix is for defense . If the CFO asks, “How did you calculate that 40%?” Sarah clicks to a backup slide with the full table. But she doesn’t force anyone to see it unless they ask.
The next morning, during the pitch to the executive team, the reaction is brutal. Five minutes in, the CEO starts checking his phone. The CFO squints at a complex waterfall chart and asks, “What am I looking at?” By slide 12, the COO interrupts: “Sarah, just tell me what you want me to do.” The project is put “on hold” (corporate for dead ).
That afternoon, she vents to Marco, the head of product design. Marco is known for decks that get things approved on the first try. He doesn’t use fancy templates; his slides look almost too simple. He agrees to a “deck autopsy.” The rule: The main deck is for decisions
Marco shows her a slide from the Gray Deck. It had the title “Market Analysis,” followed by TAM, SAM, SOM numbers, a competitor matrix, and a growth trend line.
For his revised version: “A giant green arrow pointing up, then a red circle around ‘Q4.’” But she doesn’t force anyone to see it unless they ask
Marco holds up a slide for three seconds, then covers it. “What did you see?”
She clicks to Slide 1: (A simple line chart showing their share dipping, a rival’s rising.) The CFO squints at a complex waterfall chart
The CEO says, “Show me the risk slide.”
Silence.
She walks into the boardroom. The same CEO, CFO, and COO are there, already looking at their watches.