The exact process I use to structure presentations that have helped clients raise £250M+

You have a presentation next week. Maybe it’s a board update, a sales pitch, or an investor meeting. You know your content — the problem is figuring out what order to put it in.

Most people start with a blank slide and begin typing. That’s backwards.

After 24 years in corporate banking at JPMorgan, PwC, Royal Bank of Scotland, and Commerzbank — and training thousands of executives since — I’ve developed a step-by-step process for structuring any presentation. It works whether you have 5 slides or 50, whether you’re presenting to your team or the board.

Here’s exactly how to structure a presentation that gets results.

The 5-Step Process to Structure Any Presentation

Before you open PowerPoint, you need clarity on five things. Skip any of these and your presentation structure will fall apart.

Step 1: Define Your One Thing

Every presentation needs a single core message. Not three messages. Not “several key points.” One thing you want the audience to remember.

Ask yourself: If my audience forgets everything else, what’s the one thing they must remember?

Examples:

• Budget presentation: “We need £500K to hit our Q3 targets”
• Sales pitch: “Our solution cuts your processing time by 60%”
• Board update: “We’re on track, but need a decision on the expansion”
• Investor pitch: “We’re raising £2M to capture a £500M market”

Write this down before you do anything else. Every slide you create should support this one thing.

Step 2: Know Your Audience’s Starting Point

The biggest presentation structure mistake is assuming your audience knows what you know.

Before you structure anything, answer these questions:

• What do they already know about this topic?
• What do they care about most? (Hint: usually money, time, or risk)
• What concerns or objections will they have?
• What decision are they able to make?

A presentation to your team requires different structure than the same content presented to the board. Your team wants details. The board wants the decision and the headline numbers.

Related: How to Present to a CFO: The Finance-First Framework

Step 3: Choose Your Framework

Now you’re ready to pick a presentation structure. The right framework depends on your situation:

Situation	Best Framework	Why It Works
Sales pitch or proposal	Problem-Solution-Benefit	Creates urgency, then delivers relief
Executive briefing	Pyramid Principle	Answer first, details only if needed
Data presentation	What-So What-Now What	Turns numbers into decisions
Keynote or all-hands	Hero’s Journey	Inspires through narrative
Strategy recommendation	SCQA	Creates tension that demands resolution
Investor pitch	10-20-30 Rule	Forces clarity and brevity
Client meeting (flexible)	Modular Deck	Adapts to conversation flow

Deep dive: Presentation Structure: 7 Frameworks That Actually Work

Don’t know which to choose? Default to Problem-Solution-Benefit for external audiences and Pyramid Principle for internal executives.

💡 Want to combine these frameworks with AI? My AI-Enhanced Presentation Mastery course teaches you how to use Copilot as a strategic partner — cut creation time from 6 hours to 90 minutes while doubling impact.

Step 4: Build Your Slide Skeleton

Now — and only now — open PowerPoint.

Don’t write content yet. Just create placeholder slides with titles only. This is your skeleton.

Example: Problem-Solution-Benefit structure for a sales pitch

1. Title slide
2. The Problem (what pain they’re experiencing)
3. The Cost (what this problem costs them)
4. The Cause (why the problem exists)
5. The Solution (your answer — benefits, not features)
6. How It Works (3 steps maximum)
7. Proof (case study with specific numbers)
8. Next Step (one clear action)

Eight slides. That’s it. If you need more, you probably haven’t synthesised enough.

Pro tip: Read your slide titles in sequence. They should tell a complete story without any content. If someone read only your titles, would they understand your message?

Step 5: Fill In the Content (Last)

Only after your skeleton is solid do you write the actual content.

For each slide, ask:

• What’s the ONE point this slide makes?
• What’s the minimum evidence needed to prove it?
• What can I cut?

Most slides need 3-5 bullet points maximum. If you have more, you’re putting two slides’ worth of content on one slide.

Related: Stop Writing Slide Titles Like This (Before and After Examples)

How to Structure Different Types of Presentations

The 5-step process applies universally. But each presentation type has nuances. Here’s how to structure the most common ones:

How to Structure a Sales Presentation

Use Problem-Solution-Benefit. The structure is:

1. Problem — State their pain (be specific to their situation)
2. Cost — Quantify what it’s costing them
3. Cause — Explain why the problem exists
4. Solution — Your answer (benefits first, features later)
5. How It Works — 3 steps maximum
6. Proof — Case study with specific numbers
7. Next Step — One clear action

Spend 70% of your prep time on slides 1-3. If they don’t feel the problem, they won’t care about your solution.

Template: Sales Presentation Template: The Structure Top Performers Use

How to Structure an Executive Presentation

Use the Pyramid Principle. Lead with your answer:

1. The Answer — Your recommendation in one sentence
2. Supporting Point 1 — Strongest argument + evidence
3. Supporting Point 2 — Second argument + evidence
4. Supporting Point 3 — Third argument + evidence
5. Implications — What this means for the business
6. Next Steps — What you need from them

Never more than 3 supporting points. If you have more, group related points together.

Template: Executive Presentation Template: 12 Slides That Command the Room

How to Structure a Board Presentation

Boards have specific expectations. Your structure must include:

1. The Ask — What decision you need (slide 1, not slide 12)
2. Context — Brief background (what they need to know)
3. Recommendation — Your proposed course of action
4. Business Case — ROI, costs, timeline
5. Risks — What could go wrong and your mitigation
6. Decision — Restate the ask with clear options

Board presentations fail when the ask is buried. Put it on slide 1.

Template: Board Presentation Template: The Complete Guide

How to Structure a Data Presentation

Use What-So What-Now What for every data point:

• What — The facts (specific numbers with context)
• So What — Why it matters (interpretation)
• Now What — What to do about it (action)

Every chart needs a “So What.” If you can’t explain why data matters in one sentence, don’t include it.

Related: Team Dashboards That Tell a Story (Not Just Show Numbers)

Common Presentation Structure Mistakes

I’ve reviewed thousands of presentations. These mistakes appear in 80% of them:

Mistake 1: Starting with Background

“Let me give you some context…” is how most presentations start. It’s also where most audiences check out.

Fix: Start with why they should care. Context comes after you’ve earned their attention.

Mistake 2: Building to the Conclusion

Academic training teaches us to present evidence then reach a conclusion. Business presentations are the opposite.

Fix: Lead with your recommendation. Provide evidence for those who want it.

Mistake 3: Too Many Points

If you have 7 key messages, you have 0 key messages. The audience will remember none of them.

Fix: Three points maximum. If you need more, you haven’t synthesised enough.

Mistake 4: No Clear Ask

“Let me know what you think” is not an ask. “I need your approval by Friday” is an ask.

Fix: End every presentation with one specific action and a deadline.

Related: How to End a Presentation: 7 Closing Techniques I Teach C-Suite Executives

Using AI to Structure Your Presentation

Tools like ChatGPT and PowerPoint Copilot can accelerate your presentation structure — if you use them correctly.

Related: The AI Presentation Workflow That Cut My Creation Time in Half

Good prompt:

“Create a presentation structure using Problem-Solution-Benefit framework for [TOPIC]. Include slide titles only — no content yet. The audience is [AUDIENCE] and the goal is [DECISION NEEDED].”

Bad prompt:

“Create a presentation about [TOPIC].”

AI gives you speed. Your judgment gives you substance. Use AI for the skeleton, then refine with your expertise.

Related: Best Copilot PowerPoint Prompts That Actually Work

Frequently Asked Questions

How many slides should a presentation have?

There’s no universal answer, but here are guidelines: 1 slide per minute of speaking time is a reasonable maximum. A 20-minute presentation should have 15-20 slides. More importantly, each slide should make ONE point. If you have 40 slides for a 20-minute presentation, you’re probably putting too little on each slide — or talking too fast.

What’s the best presentation structure for beginners?

Start with Problem-Solution-Benefit. It’s intuitive (problem → solution → why it matters), works for most situations, and forces you to focus on the audience’s needs rather than your content. Once you’re comfortable, expand to Pyramid Principle for executive audiences.

How do I structure a presentation with lots of data?

Use What-So What-Now What for every data point. Don’t show data without interpretation. Every chart should answer: What does this show? Why does it matter? What should we do about it? Cut any data that doesn’t directly support your one core message.

Should I structure differently for virtual presentations?

Yes. Attention spans are shorter online. Use more frequent transitions (every 2-3 minutes), bigger text, and more visuals. Keep slides simpler — viewers are on smaller screens. And build in interaction every 5 minutes to maintain engagement.

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Get Presentation Structures That Work

The 5-step process will help you structure any presentation from scratch. But if you want to skip the blank-slide struggle, I’ve done the work for you.

The Executive Slide System includes:

• 17 PowerPoint templates — Every structure covered in this article, ready to use
• 51 AI prompts — Generate content for each slide in minutes
• 7 presentation frameworks — Pyramid Principle, Problem-Solution-Benefit, SCQA, and more
• Before/after examples — See exactly what transforms a weak presentation into a strong one

My clients have used these templates to raise over £250 million in funding and get budgets approved at Fortune 500 companies.

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Mary Beth Hazeldine is the Managing Director of Winning Presentations, where she trains executives at investment banks, biotech companies, and SaaS firms to present with impact. Her clients have raised over £250M using her presentation frameworks.