My first manager forced me to sketch slides on paper

Slide-making is a difficult skill to master. It takes months, if not years, to get really good at it. It's more of a problem-solving than a design skill. Learn one neat trick to become much better.

My first manager was a classic McKinsey consultant (they don't make these anymore).

He liked to do everything by the book, the old-school way.

He forced me to sketch slides on paper first.

He wouldn't let me touch PowerPoint until I had a good draft.

"But how can I draft a slide if I haven't looked at the data yet?" I asked him, puzzled.

"That's the point! Otherwise, you will boil the ocean if you don't think upfront about what you want to create. You’ll spend hours and days chasing data you don't know how to use.

Instead, first, define what you want to create. Then, decide what data you need to prove or disprove it. It's a much more effective way of working," he explained his logic.

That was my first Consulting 101 lesson.

It was extremely counterintuitive and uncomfortable.

It took me a few months to learn that approach.

But then, it all made sense.

There is some magic when we use pen and paper.

It inspires creativity and helps to problem-solve better.

Also, you avoid wasting time fidgeting with graphical elements (layout, font, size, and color) when unclear about what you are doing.

You spend more time on quality thinking and less on producing and reworking.

Now, when I see a consultant starting a slide from a blank PowerPoint page without having a good draft, I realize that this consultant is not trained well.

I no longer work in consulting but still draft all my slides on paper.

For example, here is the first draft of a slide I created for one of the practical exercises in my coaching program.

And I love those blue and yellow McKinsey pads we used to create slides on paper.

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