How to use slides to build trust and drive action

Most presentations don't fail because of bad slides. They fail because no one feels a connection. They look like lectures. While the best presentations feel like stories. And stories aren’t just entertaining. They’re how humans connect, trust, and remember. Here’s how to make your next presentation unforgettable: 1️⃣ Introduce the Villain ↠ Start with the problem you’re solving ↠ Be specific—what pain points does your audience face? ↠ When they feel the problem, they’ll lean in 2️⃣ Position Your Solution as the Hero ↠ Show how your solution saves the day ↠ Make it aspirational, not just functional ↠ Think: “This could change everything for you.” 3️⃣ Add Personal Touches ↠ Share your “aha” moment: how did you solve this? ↠ Vulnerability creates trust ↠ Your story becomes theirs 4️⃣ Use the Power of Three ↠ People love patterns ↠ Give them three parts: ↠ The challenge, the breakthrough, the transformation 5️⃣ Create a Visual Journey ↠ Your slides should feel like a movie, not a spreadsheet ↠ Bold visuals + concise words = memorable ↠ The simpler, the better 6️⃣ End With a Mic Drop ↠ Leave them with ONE unforgettable message ↠ Tie it back to their pain—and what they can do next ↠ A powerful ending moves people to act 7️⃣ Rehearse Until It Feels Natural ↠ Practice your story—not your slides ↠ Your authenticity is your superpower ↠ The more natural you feel, the more they’ll believe you Great presentations don’t just share information. They spark emotion. Build trust. Inspire action. What strategy resonates most with you? ♻️ Share this to inspire someone to tell their best story and follow Andrea Petrone for more.

Imagine you've performed an in-depth analysis and uncovered an incredible insight. You’re now excited to share your findings with an influential group of stakeholders. You’ve been meticulous, eliminating biases, double-checking your logic, and ensuring your conclusions are sound. But even with all this diligence, there’s one common pitfall that could diminish the impact of your insights: information overload. In our excitement, we sometimes flood stakeholders with excessive details, dense reports, cluttered dashboards, and long presentations filled with too much information. The result is confusion, disengagement, and inaction. Insights are not our children, we don’t have to love them equally. To truly drive action, we must isolate and emphasize the insights that matter most—those that directly address the problem statement and have the highest impact. Here’s how to present insights effectively to ensure clarity, engagement, and action: ✅ Start with the Problem – Frame your insights around the problem statement. If stakeholders don’t see the relevance, they won’t care about the data. ✅ Prioritize Key Insights – Not all insights are created equal. Share only the most impactful findings that directly influence decision-making. ✅ Tell a Story, Not Just Show Data– Structure your presentation as a narrative: What was the challenge? What did the data reveal? What should be done next? A well-crafted story is more memorable than a raw data dump. ✅ Use Clean, Intuitive Visuals – Data-heavy slides and cluttered dashboards overwhelm stakeholders. Use simple, insightful charts that highlight key takeaways at a glance. ✅ Make Your Recommendations Clear– Insights without action are meaningless. End with specific, actionable recommendations to guide decision-making. ✅ Encourage Dialogue, Not Just Presentation – Effective communication is a two-way street. Invite questions and discussions to ensure buy-in from stakeholders. ✅ Less is More– Sometimes, one well-presented insight can be more powerful than ten slides of analysis. Keep it concise, impactful, and decision-focused. Before presenting, ask yourself: Am I providing clarity or creating confusion? The best insights don’t just inform—they inspire action. What strategies do you use to make your insights more actionable? Let’s discuss! P.S: I've shared a dashboard I reviewed recently, and thought it was overloaded and not actionably created

Most partnership decks are 20 slides. And still miss the one that matters. It’s not the logos. Not the TAM. Not the “values alignment” slide. It’s this: “What will be our first win within 6 months?” Because trust scales on proof. This is the slide that changes the conversation. It shows: • You’ve thought about execution • You understand their risk • You’re not pitching, they're investing in something real Here’s how to write it: 1. Name the win ⤷ Specific, measurable, valuable for both 2. Set the signal ⤷ What will this success prove to each org? 3. Assign ownership ⤷ One person on each side with clear accountability 4. Time box the result ⤷ Within 6 months. No more. Here’s why this matters: Every leader has a few Promise Cards each year, these are moments when they vouch for you internally. → They back the deal → They stake their reputation → They burn political capital If they play a card for you, there’s only one move: deliver. Do that, and you: • Get the Promise Card back, ready to play again • Earn a new one from someone who now trusts you more • Build momentum that opens doors on both sides This is how credibility compounds. If you can’t define the first win, you’re not ready to start. Add the slide. Start with proof. Then scale what works. Want help designing this into your next pitch? Use the IDEAL+ framework. Get it here, for free: https://philhsc.com/ideal ➕ I’m Phil Hayes-St Clair. Follow me for more like this. ♻️ Repost to help someone you know.

Want Board Trust? Stop Sounding Smart and Start Being Clear You don’t earn board trust by showing off how much you know. You earn it by making sure they understand what matters. I’ve seen CFOs deliver technically flawless reports that went nowhere. Because no one in the room could answer the only question that counts: “So what?” Simplicity Isn’t a Style Choice. It’s a leadership skill. The more complex the sector: aged care, NDIS, not-for-profit; the more value you create by simplifying the signal. Boards don’t want a PhD in funding models. They want to know: 1. What’s working? 2. What’s about to break? 3. Where should we double down? You can’t get there by flooding them with metrics. You get there by framing the issue with sharp insight and straightforward language. Here’s What High-Trust CFOs Do Differently 1. They don’t report everything. They report what moves the business. Every number earns its place. Everything else goes. 2. They give context, not just commentary. “We’re under budget” means nothing without risk, impact, and next steps. 3. They never let compliance bury strategy. They keep the organization safe without making safety the ceiling. Want Influence? Stop Hiding Behind Complexity. Boards trust CFOs who help them think clearly under pressure. Who reduce risk and noise. Who turn 60-page packs into 3-slide conversations that actually move decisions forward. Simplicity is not dumbing it down. It’s proving you’ve mastered it. Try This Pick one metric from your last board report. Ask: “If a director read this and nothing else, would they know what to do?” If not, reframe it. You’re not there to impress. You’re there to guide. CFOs, when was the last time simplifying a report changed the room? Let’s hear it. Because simplicity builds trust, and trust drives everything. #CFOLeadership #BoardTrust #FinancialSimplicity #ExecutiveFinance #LinkedInSeries