build-storyline

Build Storyline — Deck Narrative Backbone

Build the storyline: a sequence of messages where each line becomes one slide title, phrased as an action title (the finding, not the topic — Market grew 40% while revenue fell 5%, not Market Analysis). The reader must get the whole argument from the titles alone. Flow: problem → context → analysis → solution → roadmap. Structure before design — no slide bodies until the storyline is agreed.

Procedure

Step 1 — Anchor the opening with SCQA. Before any slides, write the four-line spine (this is what the whole deck answers):

• Situation — the stable baseline the audience already agrees with.
• Complication — what changed / what's at stake (creates urgency).
• Question — the crisp, answerable question the complication raises.
• Answer — your recommendation (the punchline; often the exec-summary slide).

If you can't state a sharp Question, stop and get it from the user — the deck has no spine without it.

Step 2 — Pick a template. Match the situation, then load the matching flow from references/templates.md:

• pitch — market opportunity → competitive position → product strategy → plan.
• problem — problem framing → root-cause (issue tree) → solution options → prioritization → next steps.
• roadmap — objective → phases → activities → timeline → success criteria.

Step 3 — Write action titles. One complete message per line. Bake in the specific number, not the vague adjective (Revenue grew 25%, not strong performance). Use parallel structure across sibling slides (Factor 1: $XM impact → Factor 2: $XM impact). Keep it to 15–25 slides for an exec deck; if you need 50, the story isn't tight.

Step 4 — Run the ghost-deck test (verification gate). Read the action titles in sequence, ignoring everything else. They must:

1. Tell the complete argument with no logical jumps.
2. Answer the Step-1 Question and land on the Answer.
3. Each carry a clear "so what" (not raw data).