Chapter 11: Reflecting the Pyramid on a Screen
tpp pyramid-principle presentation slides storyboarding visual-communication
Status: Notes complete
Overview
Chapter 11 addresses the challenge of translating a pyramid into a live visual presentation — a fundamentally different task from writing a document. While most people assume a visual presentation is simply “a report in slide form,” Minto argues that it is more like a show: it requires a star (the speaker), a script, a storyboard, technically excellent visual elements, and skillful management of timing, pacing, and suspense.
The chapter covers two kinds of slides — text slides and exhibit slides — along with specific rules for designing each. It then presents a six-step storyboarding process for moving from the completed pyramid to a finished, rehearsed presentation. Throughout, Minto draws on Gene Zelazny’s principles of slide design from Say it with Charts.
The central insight is that the speaker is the star, not the slides. Slides are visual aids that keep the presentation moving; the distinction between what you say (script) and what you show (slide) is fundamental, and most presenters fail by collapsing the two.
Core Concepts
Visual Presentation: A live, oral presentation supported by projected slides, requiring audience management, pacing, and entertainment skills that go beyond writing.
Text Slide: A slide that uses words to clarify the structure of the presentation or to emphasize important thought groups such as conclusions, recommendations, or next steps. Best ratio: approximately 10% of all slides.
Exhibit Slide: A slide using charts, graphs, tables, or diagrams to demonstrate relationships that cannot readily be made clear with words alone. Best ratio: approximately 90% of all slides.
Script: The full text of what the speaker will say, written out in order — distinct from what appears on the slides.
Storyboard: A planning tool — a sheet of paper turned sideways and divided into sections representing blank slides — used to lay out which points become which slides and what visual treatment each will receive.
Build Slide: A slide revealed progressively, part by part, to maintain audience attention and manage the complexity of a complex diagram.
The Problem with Typical Presentations
The typical business slide is a dense list (Minto’s “Guiding Principles” example shows seven long numbered points). Problems:
- It is a list, not a set of related ideas summarized by an insight
- Seven items is too many to grasp
- The presenter reads each word aloud, boring the audience
- Or the presenter changes the words from what is on the screen, causing confusion
This is what Gene Zelazny calls a “visual recitation,” not a visual presentation.
Minimum requirements for a business presentation:
- Text slides containing only the most significant ideas, properly grouped and summarized, stated as briefly as possible
- Clear exhibit slides (charts, tables, diagrams) to support those ideas
- A well-thought-out storyboard and script
Designing Text Slides
The star of a live presentation is the speaker; the slides are visual aids whose function is to keep the presentation moving.
The key principle: Make a clear distinction between what you say aloud (the full, nuanced script) and what you show on screen (the stripped-down, essential idea).
Exhibit showing script vs. slide:
- Script includes all context, all three explanatory bullet points about Jackson Foods’ out-of-stock crisis
- Slide shows only: title “CURRENT REALITY,” bold subtitle “High out-of-stock levels,” and three short phrase bullets (Problems in manufacturing / Poor supply chain processes / Weak manufacturing/supply chain alignment)
Text slides best limited to emphasizing the major points of the pyramid (Exhibit 61 shows the hierarchy: Situation slides, Complication slides, Main Point + Key Line slide, then First Key Line point + support points, and so on through the pyramid).
Seven Guidelines for Text Slide Content (What You Show)
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Present and support one idea at a time. The exception: when enumerating a set of points (as in a summary slide or a list of points to be developed further).
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Use statements, not captions. “Sales outlook is favorable” leaves no room for wrong assumptions; “Sales outlook” tells the viewer nothing. Always state the point.
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Keep the text brief. No more than about 6 lines or roughly 30 words per slide. If an idea needs more, use more slides.
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Use simple words and numbers. Long technical terms and complicated phrases distract viewers. Keep numbers simple: “4,876,987.”
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Make the type size readable. Rule of thumb: divide the viewing distance (feet) by 32 to get the minimum legible letter height in inches (e.g., 16 feet ÷ 32 = 0.5 inches minimum letter height).
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Design slides to be visually interesting. Vary layout, type selection, and color. Think of the text slide as an exhibit that uses words to show relationships among ideas — like Exhibit 62 (the machine efficiency diagram showing three avenues: improving machines, crews, and supervision).
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Use “build” slides to heighten interest. Reveal complex slides part by part — show first the main circle, then add nested elements — so the full picture does not appear overwhelming all at once.
Designing Exhibit Slides
Exhibit slides (charts, graphs, tables, diagrams) communicate through visual relationships rather than words. They enable presentation of masses of data and complex relationships that words alone cannot convey effectively.
Key principle: Exhibit slides should convey their message as simply and readably as possible. The viewer cannot study them — they must be immediately clear.
Five kinds of questions exhibit slides answer (Exhibits 63–67):
| Question | Chart Type | Example |
|---|---|---|
| What are the elements? | Organization chart, process flowchart | Regional organization; supply chain process |
| How do amounts compare (to whole / to each other / over time)? | Pie chart; bar chart; column chart | Western Region = almost half sales; canned goods lowest profit; costs dropped most years |
| What has/how has it changed? | Line chart; paired bar chart | Sales plateau with rising costs; competition closing gap |
| How are items distributed? | Frequency distribution curve; histogram | Most orders over $1000; majority of orders mid-month |
| How do items co-relate? | Side-by-side bar comparison; scatter plot | Cost increases vs. overtime; company size vs. order size |
Rule for exhibit titles: State the point as a full sentence or a verb-containing phrase. “Western Region accounts for almost half the profits” is far more informative than “Share of profits by region.” This focuses the viewer instantly on the message, eliminating the risk of different viewers drawing different conclusions from the same visual.
Storyboarding
Storyboarding is the process of moving from the completed pyramid to a fully planned presentation. The approach:
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Write the introduction in full — every word, in order. This ensures nothing is left out and confirms the question being answered is valid for the audience.
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Have a blank storyboard form available. Write across the top of each blank slide the points you wish to illustrate visually: points from the introduction, plus Key Line points and one level below the Key Line.
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Rough out the visual way to illustrate each point. Use no real numbers at this stage — just indicate the types of data and relationships you want to show, with notes to the designer.
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Script the words to be said around each slide, ensuring the set of slides flows as a story.
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Complete the design of the slides and send them off to be properly drawn.
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Rehearse, rehearse, rehearse.
Exhibit 68 (Begin with the pyramid): Shows the Jackson Foods supply chain pyramid — main point “Must work to transform the supply chain into a significant service that acts as a competitive advantage” with four Key Line branches, each with sub-bullets.
Exhibit 69 (Storyboard the introduction, Key Line, and next level): Shows how the first nine slides map to the pyramid:
- Slide 1: “Current Reality: High costs, low levels of customer service” (+ three bullet sub-points)
- Slide 2: “Improvements to date: Ineffective” (+ four bullets on why)
- Slide 3: “Strategy — Transform the supply chain…”
- Slide 4: “First, stabilise the supply chain” (+ three sub-bullets)
- Slide 5: “Then launch projects to ensure continuous improvement” (complex diagram with three sub-branches and their items)
- Slides 6–9+: Exhibit slides supporting the first Key Line point in detail
Each slide has a sentence or phrase at the top conveying the point it illustrates — a reminder to the speaker and a signal to the audience.
Key Takeaways
- A visual presentation is a show, not a report in slide form: it requires a script, storyboard, visual excellence, timing, and rehearsal.
- The speaker is the star; the slides are aids — make a clear distinction between what you say and what you show.
- Ideal ratio: approximately 90% exhibit slides, 10% text slides.
- Text slides serve three purposes: clarifying structure, emphasizing thought groups (conclusions/recommendations), and demonstrating relationships that benefit from visual arrangement.
- Every text slide should present and support one idea using a full statement (not a caption), with no more than about 6 lines or 30 words.
- Exhibit slides answer one of five questions: What are the elements? How do amounts compare? How has it changed? How are items distributed? How do items co-relate?
- Chart titles must be full sentences or verb-containing phrases stating the point — not mere topic labels.
- The storyboard process has six steps: write the full introduction, plan slides from the pyramid, rough out visuals, script the words, complete the design, and rehearse.
- Use “build” slides to manage complexity and maintain audience attention.
- The overall flow of slides should mirror the pyramid: introduction slides, then Main Point and Key Line slide, then support point slides with exhibit support.
Related Chapters
- ch10-reflecting-pyramid-on-page — Page-based formatting: the written equivalent of the storyboard approach
- ch12-reflecting-pyramid-in-prose — Prose writing techniques complement the visual presentation approach