Your 100-page Slide Deck Isn't A Strategy: How to Craft Compelling Strategic Outputs

We’re all familiar with it right?

The convoluted strategy deck packed with graphs, bullet points, and analysis?

The uncomfortable truth for most people is that their dense PowerPoint presentation isn't a strategy.

The job isn’t to present all the information you can, it’s to make the case for the best path forward.

To be clear, this is isn't an article about how to craft a compelling strategy (if that's what you're looking for you can find that here) instead it's about something equally (more?) important - how to communicate that strategy so that it drives changes across an organisation.

Strategy Is About Conviction and Clarity

Strategy is a belief about the best way forward. It’s not simply about explaining what you’re going to do, but why it’s the right thing to do. What are you willing to bet on? Without a strong point of view, a strategy is just a list of actions that won’t inspire people to follow.

Remember that more information doesn’t equal more impact. The goal is to move people with clarity, not overpower them with details.

Make a Convincing Case

Strategy should be presented as a well-structured argument. It’s not an opportunity to show people how much work you’ve done. You tackled the complexity so that they don’t have to - so stop cramming every piece of analysis that you’ve performed into your outputs.

Instead start with a strong point of view: What’s the core opportunity? Why are we choosing this path over others? Every element should support that central argument, building toward a clear conclusion. It’s not about explaining everything - it’s about convincing people to believe in a direction.

Avoid Overcomplication and Move People

Endless slides leads to a lost narrative. Overcomplicating the message with too much data or too many metrics creates doubt. People need confidence that the strategy is grounded, purposeful, and achievable - not a complex maze they’ll never fully understand.

Slide decks as the output for strategy numb the audience. They’re passive, safe, and forgettable. On the other hand, arguments are active and engaging. They require the audience to think, challenge, and to buy in.

Delivering your strategy as an argument asks people to believe in something, not simply be informed of it.

Try This Instead: Strategy as a Written Argument, Not a Slide Deck

So if the strategy deck is no good - then what IS the right output for Strategy?

Well, how would you explain it to a colleague in the corridor?

Why should the way you share the strategy with the organisation be any different?

When you put your strategy into writing the goal should be the same - any one who reads it, gets it, is compelled by it and remembers it.

A single page of writing with some clear arguments culminating in ‘so this why we’ve decided to do X’.

Lawyers know this. A written argument forces clarity, invites scrutiny, and builds conviction. It ensures that the focus is on the reasoning behind the strategy, not on flashy visuals or excessive data.

It helps people grasp the 'why,' not just the 'what,' and encourages them to internalise the strategy in their own words and context - which, at scale, is exactly what we need.

Routine or Progress?

Look, I get it - almost all organisations have key documents and processes that have become the norm, and these things can be hard to question. However, even just remembering the purpose of our strategic output is a critical first step.

If you’re convinced that your strategy is being pulled through consistently already then great for you. But if it’s become just another document, just another part of the routine then maybe it’s time to start asking a few more questions.

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