In this episode of The Consultant’s Way Podcast, Dean McMann and Anthony Paluska tackle one of the most persistent challenges for consultants: creating clear, compelling presentations. They explore why consultants often struggle to organize their wealth of knowledge into a concise, impactful message and share actionable strategies to address this.

Dean and Anthony emphasize the importance of clarity and purpose when building presentations. They suggest starting with two critical questions: why are we doing this presentation? and what takeaways do we want the audience to have? Defining these elements upfront sets the framework for everything that follows.

The hosts introduce a practical process called the message-back storyboard. It begins with brainstorming all possible ideas—essentially “dumping” everything onto the table—and then grouping and refining them to identify key themes and eliminate non-essential details. This approach avoids rework, ensures a clear flow of ideas, and sharpens the presentation's structure.

A major theme in the episode is balancing detail and clarity. Dean and Anthony caution against overwhelming audiences with unnecessary details. Instead, consultants should focus on presenting key messages upfront, supported by visuals or appendices for deeper exploration. They discuss the importance of engaging the audience by leaving room for questions, rather than delivering everything at once.

The episode also highlights the role of visuals in storytelling. While charts, graphs, and diagrams can be powerful tools, they can easily distract if not used thoughtfully. The hosts recommend sticking to familiar, client-relevant visuals and ensuring every visual element enhances rather than muddles the story.

Throughout the conversation, Dean and Anthony provide examples of real-world presentation challenges and share tips for handling executive-level audiences, where brevity, clarity, and structured communication are crucial. They conclude with a call to action for listeners to experiment with this structured approach, promising it will significantly enhance the impact of their presentations.

This episode offers a simple yet powerful toolkit for consultants to organize ideas, craft clear narratives, and deliver presentations that resonate with clients.