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Make It Like
McKinsey *

7 ways to develop communications

like top consulting companies

*Disclaimer: We don’t own or claim to own the McKinsey or BCG

BROUGHT TO YOU BY HIGHSPARK.CO brand or their work.. We also haven’t worked in those companies.
© 2020 HIGHSPARK PTE LTD Opinions expressed are our own and we do not seek to represent
them. Examples reproduced from mckinsey.com
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Consulting firms like McKinsey,

BCG are well known for their decks.
Known as the gold-standard of
communication in corporate.
(We’re big fans too)
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What makes them so special?

How to apply it to pitches and
communications? Let’s find out.

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REMOVE LABELS, USE

HEADLINES
Headlines summarise clear conclusions and actions.
Do the work for the audience, frame the story.

Respondent home countries and

global economy charts (2010-2020)

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“When you have

written your headline,
you’ve spent 80 cents
of your dollar”
— David Ogilvy

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SUPPORT WITH
EVIDENCE
Headlines are supported by key points and
facts written in succinct phrases

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“What can be asserted

without evidence can
be dismissed without
evidence”
— Christopher Hitchens

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ONE MESSAGE
PER PAGE
Each slide has one key focus.
This makes it easy to follow & understand.




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“Focus and simplicity…

once you get there, you
can move mountains”

— Steve Jobs

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LEVERAGE
CLEAR DIAGRAMS
Don’t get too creative with charts, diagrams and data.
The best ones are usually the simplest.

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“The lies are in the

dialogue, the truth
is in the visuals”

— Kelly Reichardt

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LOGICAL
INFORMATION
HIERARCHY
Sub-headlines can help to group information
clearly & guide audiences in the right sequence

2 3 4

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“In McKinsey’s world,

all of life is one of
two things: strategy
or organisation”

— Tom Peters

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ADD
IMAGES &
ICONS
Break the monotony of walls-of-text by adding
images and icons to increase visual interest

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“I strive for two things

in design: simplicity
and clarity. Great
design is born of those
two things”
— Lindon Leader

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REMOVE
UNNECESSARY
CHART JUNK
Remove elements that add no value and make
charts easy to decipher and consume

Insert Title
#

Point 1 Point 2 Point 3 Point 4 Point 5

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“The ability to simplify

means to eliminate
the unnecessary so
that the necessary
may speak”
— Hans Hofmann

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1. Remove labels, use headlines

2. Support with evidence

3. One message per page

4. Leverage clear diagrams

5. Logical information hierarchy

6. Add images & icons

7. Remove unnecessary chart junk

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Want to level up your

communications?
We’re not McKinsey, but we can help.

Reach out: info@highspark.co

*Disclaimer: We don’t own or claim to own the McKinsey or BCG

BROUGHT TO YOU BY HIGHSPARK.CO brand or their work.. We also haven’t worked in those companies.
© 2020 HIGHSPARK PTE LTD Opinions expressed are our own and we do not seek to represent
them. Examples reproduced from mckinsey.com