1. Storytelling in PowerPoint
January, 2014

2. Before we start – three quick things1
STORYTELLING
>
POWERPOINT
The primary focus of this workshop is storytelling, not PowerPoint. The principles described on pages 6-10 can be applied to any medium. PowerPoint happens to be a very effective medium for storytelling. 2
POWERPOINT ≠
PRESENTATIONS
PowerPoint can be a perfect substitute for Microsoft Word in developing comprehensive, complex reports/materials. This workshop is designed to show you how. It is not a workshop on presenting or communicating to an audience. 3
THESE MATERIALS =
GOOD TEMPLATE
These PowerPoint materials are organised and designed according to the rules taught in this workshop. Please feel free to use this document as a template for future reports you write. It has been used this way by numerous Treasury teams.

3. AGENDA Agenda Item Timing Telling stories with PowerPoint 30 min
Focus of section
Agenda Item
Timing
Telling stories with PowerPoint
30 min
Exercise #1: The Story
40 min
Exercise #2: The Slide
20 min

4. Why we tell stories, and how PowerPoint can help
Every piece of Treasury advice tells a story. The question is whether or not it’s a good one.
In a good story, everything makes sense. Good stories, for our purposes, have a beginning, middle and end. They are easy to understand and easy to remember.
PowerPoint is a useful storytelling tool. It allows more room for creative expression than other common communications mediums (e.g., Microsoft Word); for the uninitiated, this is also its curse.
There are a couple rules and tricks that can make PowerPoint highly effective and easy to use.
The purpose of this presentation is to offer some guidelines on how to tell a story, and share some advice on how PowerPoint can help.

5. Every piece of Treasury advice tells a story
Source: Treasury

6. In a good story, everything makes sense
Four things every story should have:
Logical flow
Rational content
Every story is different, but many follow a similar SCR structure:
Situation (context)
Complication (problem)
Resolution (solution)
Frameworks can simplify storytelling, linking together different sections.
Every bit of content in your slides should be included consciously, e.g.,:
Consistent font, text size, colour
Parallel language
Layout left-to-right , typically (as people read).
“MECE” argument
Efficient production
Your argument should be “Mutually Exclusive” (i.e., non-overlapping/redundant) and “Collectively Exhaustive” (i.e., covering everything).
“Issue Trees” are an effective scoping tool to use at the outset (see page 11).
You should take every possible shortcut in creating materials:
Reuse old slides
Learn keyboard shortcuts
Follow 3 step storytelling process
Divide and conquer the work.
Source: Treasury analysis

7. Examples of story structure
ILLUSTRATIVE
Vision-led (followed by SCR)
Purpose-led (responding to request)
Logical flow (no strict structure)
Our vision is to create a prosperous and inclusive New Zealand that is confident, connected and innovative.
New Zealand is already a great place to live. However, some people are struggling to get ahead and economically we lag behind.
These issues are linked to four interconnected challenges we face.
We have identified four priorities to overcome these challenges. Success will depend on government working in partnership with business to foster international connections.
Adopting this strategy will help us to drive enduring and inclusive economic growth – and realise higher living standards for all Kiwis.
The purpose of this report is to offer clarity on short-term housing supply projections for Auckland, and to evaluate options that might augment those projections.
We worked with MBIE and Auckland Council to develop and test our estimates.
We anticipate that between 5,750 and 5,900 new houses will be built in Auckland from Nov 2013 to Nov 2014.
Government has few direct levers that might affect these supply numbers in the short term.
Every piece of Treasury advice tells a story. The question is whether or not it’s a good one.
In a good story, everything makes sense. Good stories, for our purposes, have a beginning, middle and end. They are easy to understand and easy to remember.
PowerPoint is a useful storytelling tool. It allows more room for creative expression than other common communications mediums (e.g., Microsoft Word); for the uninitiated, this is also its curse.
There are a couple rules and tricks that can make PowerPoint highly effective and easy to use.
The purpose of this presentation is to offer some guidelines on how to tell a story, and share some advice on how PowerPoint can help.
Source: Treasury analysis

8. How to write your story PowerPoint Example STEP 1:
Write the story down
(by hand)*
Write the story in bullet form. Then test it with others. This will serve as a tool for scoping your work, and can be a great team whiteboarding exercise.
STEP 2:
Draw the story out
(by hand)
On a blank sheet of white paper, draw the pages that tell your story. Include the analysis and exhibits that will support your argument. Identify likely data sources upfront. Then test it with others. This will save a lot of time you might otherwise spend writing PPT slides that don’t matter.
STEP 3:
Convert the story
(into PPT)
Write the headline of each slide first. Then add the analysis that supports it. If you don’t yet have the analysis done, insert a blank slide with the heading at the top, as a placeholder.
*Note: Step 1 should be applied no matter what medium you use to write your story
Source: Treasury analysis

9. “Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler.”
Be concise...
“I didn’t have time to write a short letter, so I wrote a long one instead.”
– Mark Twain
“Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler.”
– Albert Einstein
Source: Google; Treasury analysis

10. ...because every additional word hurts all the others
ILLUSTRATIVE
Tradeoff between number and impact of words
If you have one word on the page, the full impact of that word is felt.
As you add more, the power of each individual word is diminished.
At a certain tipping point, all of your words lose all of their value – the point at which people stop reading.
Max
The point at which it doesn’t matter what you say, because no one is going to read it.
Impact of words
Zero 1 …
more than 1 …
too many
# of words
Source: Treasury analysis

11. PowerPoint is a useful storytelling tool
Pros
Cons
Ideal use
Treasury report
Requires no explanation beyond report itself
Easy way to communicate text-heavy stories
Presents clear, well-understood action items
Lends itself to wordiness/ overcommunication, and therefore ignorability
Difficult to present in person
Poorly suited to sharing charts, graphs, frameworks
Codifying and sharing info remotely
Annotated agenda
Short and sweet
Easily structured (by agenda topic, timeframe)
Rarely tells a story
Poorly suited to sharing charts, graphs, frameworks
Pre-meeting prep
Structuring a meeting agenda
PowerPoint
Highly versatile (can be tailored for in-person presentation, or for sharing info remotely)
Well-suited to sharing charts, graphs, frameworks
Takes longer to structure and format (typically)
Easy to misuse and render illegible
Telling a story in person, or guiding a discussion
Communicating visually A3
Only one page
Rarely tells a story
Lends itself to vague, confusing, cluttered messaging
Sharing informational snapshots
Source: Treasury analysis

12. See Appendix for other slide templates
Slide rules
Title: The thesis of your slide. Everything fits underneath. Only one point per slide.
When the Treasury tells clear, compelling stories, the MoF can make better, faster decisions
Legend
Too long
Too short
Description of analysis, with units included
Distribution of the MoF’s time*
Percent
Key takeaways from analysis
The MoF is very busy and cannot possibly learn everything about everything.
Given his limited time and information, he depends on the Treasury to advise him as clearly as possible on the correct decision to take.
The more time he can spend making decisions rather than listening, the more time he will have available for speeches, etc.
Giving speeches
Listening to advice
Hugging babies
Making decisions
Legislating
* These proportions are illustrative
Footnote
See Appendix for other slide templates
Source: Treasury analysis
Source
Source: Treasury analysis; McKinsey & Co.

13. Slide tricks Shortcut Hotkeys
Drag in line; increase object size while holding proportions constant
HOLD: Click + Shift + Drag
Copy
HOLD: Click + Ctrl + Drag
Drag in line while copying
HOLD: Click + Shift + Ctrl + Drag
View: Slide Sorter
Alt + W + I
Align selected: Left
Centre
Right
Top
Middle
Bottom
Vertically
Horizontally
Alt + H + V + A + L C R T M B V H
Group items
Ungroup items
Alt + H + G + G
Alt + H + G + U
Enter text box (without clicking) F2
Paste special
Alt + E + S
Source: Treasury analysis

14. AGENDA Agenda Item Timing Telling stories with PowerPoint 30 min
Focus of section
Agenda Item
Timing
Telling stories with PowerPoint
30 min
Exercise #1: The Story
40 min
Exercise #2: The Slide
20 min

15. Exercise #1: The Story
Note: For the exercises, you should have brought along a copy of a PowerPoint slide pack you made in the past, or are currently working on.*
Instructions
Timing
Write down the story of your slide pack – one bullet for each headline.
Rewrite the story in no more than 5 bullets in line with the guidelines of this training. Imagine you just got into an elevator with the MoF and Gabs, and you have until the 12th floor to tell them everything that matters (and nothing that doesn’t).
Share your reflections with the group
5 min
15 min
20 min
*If you do not have your own slide pack, you can borrow from existing Treasury materials for this exercise.

16. AGENDA Agenda Item Timing Telling stories with PowerPoint 30 min
Focus of section
Agenda Item
Timing
Telling stories with PowerPoint
30 min
Exercise #1: The Story
40 min
Exercise #2: The Slide
20 min

17. Exercise #2: The Slide
Note: For the exercises, you should have brought along a copy of a PowerPoint slide pack you made in the past, or are currently working on.*
Instructions
Timing
Pick a slide from your story and rewrite it by hand.
Share your reflections with the group
10 min
Example – sketching nine slides per page
*If you do not have your own slide pack, you can borrow from existing Treasury materials for this exercise.

18. APPENDIX

19. Common types of slides
Source: McKinsey & Co.

20. “The Gant Chart”: Tool for workplanning
Plan for XYZ
Workstreams
Week 1
Week 2
Week 3
Week 4
Week 5
Week 6
Owner
Workstream #1
Name 1
Workstream #2
Name 2
Workstream #3
Name 1
Workstream #4
Name 3
MoF meeting
Date
Source: Treasury analysis; McKinsey & Co.

21. “The 2x2”: Tool for intervention prioritisation
ILLUSTRATIVE
Create list of interventions or policy options…
List of interventions
Impact
Feasibility
…and map to 2x2 matrix in order to prioritise
Fix housing affordability
Big
Low
$ cost
More frequent happy hours
Very big
High
Storytelling in PowerPoint
Medium
Medium
PICK AND CHOOSE
NO BRAINER
Impact
# people affected X
living standards opportunity
LOW HANGING FRUIT
AVOID
Feasibility
Likelihood of success
Source: Treasury analysis

22. “The Issue Tree”: MECE approach to problem solving
Example from Housing Narrative project scoping
Description
Data source
Owner
Raw land
Serviced land w/ infrastructure
Zoning
Supply
Resource constraints
Note: Some sections might be further broken down into subcategories (e.g., “building consents”, “construction sector efficiency”, “raw materials costs”, “infra/dev. contributions”, “credit markets”)
Auckland
Construction issues
Investment in owner-occupied housing
Christchurch
Other metros
Demand
Investment in non-owner-occupied housing
Rest of NZ
Consumption through renting
Source: Treasury analysis