Pitch decks, reports and training slides: structures that persuade and teach
Different presentations have different jobs. A pitch deck persuades investors, clients or a grant panel; a report presentation informs managers or a board; a training deck teaches skills; a proposal wins a contract. Each has a proven structure. This unit gives you templates for the most common types, with slide-by-slide guidance and Kenyan examples, so you never start from a blank slide again.
The business pitch deck
Used for investors, accelerators, competitions, grant panels and partners. Keep it to about 10–12 slides and aim to speak for 5–10 minutes.
| # | Slide | What to include |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Title | Company name, logo, one-line description ("Affordable solar-powered cold storage for smallholder farmers"), your name and contacts |
| 2 | Problem | The pain, who has it and why it matters (with a number or story: "30–40% of tomatoes spoil before reaching market" type evidence, cited) |
| 3 | Solution | Your product/service and how it solves the problem; a photo or demo screenshot |
| 4 | Market | Who your customers are and how many (target market size, realistically estimated) |
| 5 | Product / how it works | Key features, simple diagram, demo |
| 6 | Business model | How you make money (pricing, subscriptions, commissions), unit economics if known |
| 7 | Traction | Proof: customers, revenue, growth, pilots, partnerships, testimonials |
| 8 | Competition | Alternatives (including "doing nothing") and your advantage |
| 9 | Go-to-market | How you'll reach customers (channels, partnerships, sales strategy) |
| 10 | Team | Founders and key people, relevant experience |
| 11 | Financials | Revenue so far, projections (realistic), key assumptions |
| 12 | The ask | What you want (amount, what it will be used for, milestones it unlocks), and contacts |
Tips:
- Lead with the problem: people fund solutions to problems they understand.
- Show evidence, not just claims: numbers, photos, pilots, letters of support.
- One idea per slide with a clear headline ("We've grown 25% month-on-month since March").
- Be honest about risks and assumptions; investors respect realism.
- Prepare a short version (3 minutes) and a detailed appendix for questions.
Client proposal / sales presentation
| Slide | Content |
|---|---|
| Their situation | Show you understand the client's business and goals |
| The problem/opportunity | What's holding them back or what they could gain |
| Your solution | What you'll deliver (e.g. website + M-Pesa payments + SEO) |
| How it works / process | Steps and timeline |
| Proof | Similar projects, case studies, testimonials |
| Investment | Packages and prices (clear, with what's included) |
| Next steps | How to start (sign, deposit, kickoff date) |
Tailor every proposal: use the client's name, logo colours (tastefully) and their own words from your discussion.
Board, management and progress reports
Busy leaders want the conclusion first:
- Summary slide: key results and decisions needed (e.g. "Q3 sales up 12%; approve KSh 2M marketing budget").
- Key metrics (a small dashboard: sales, costs, customers, targets vs actual, with traffic-light status).
- What went well / challenges with causes.
- Actions and recommendations.
- Decisions needed (clearly listed).
- Appendix: detailed tables for reference.
Use consistent charts across reporting periods so trends are easy to compare.
Training and teaching presentations
Learning needs structure, practice and checks:
| Part | Content |
|---|---|
| Learning objectives | "By the end, you will be able to..." (2–4 specific outcomes) |
| Why it matters | Relevance to learners' work/lives |
| Content in small chunks | One concept per slide; examples; visuals; demonstrations |
| Activities | Practice tasks, discussions, quizzes every 10–15 minutes |
| Check understanding | Questions, polls (Mentimeter, Slido, Google Forms), short quizzes |
| Summary | Key points recap |
| Next steps/resources | Handouts, links, assignments |
For TVET and CBET trainers, align slides with competency units and performance criteria, and include practical demonstrations and assessment checkpoints.
School and university project defences
| Slide | Content |
|---|---|
| Title | Project title, your name, registration number, supervisor, institution |
| Introduction/background | Context in 2–3 points |
| Problem statement | The specific problem |
| Objectives | General and specific objectives |
| Methodology | Design, data collection, tools (for IT projects: system design, technologies, diagrams) |
| Results/demo | Key findings or a live/system demo with screenshots as backup |
| Conclusions and recommendations | |
| Limitations and future work | Show honest reflection |
| Thank you / questions |
Practise answering likely panel questions: why this method, how you validated results, what you'd improve, and your own contribution.
Storytelling techniques
- Start with a person: "Meet Mama Wanjiru, who loses a third of her mangoes every season..."
- Problem → struggle → solution → result arc.
- Contrast: before vs after (time saved, money earned).
- Concrete numbers: "saves 3 hours a week" beats "saves time".
- Rule of three: three key points are memorable.
- End with a clear call to action.
Think about it: A startup's first slide is a detailed technical architecture diagram of their app. Why might investors lose interest, and what should come first?Show answer
Investors first need to understand why it matters: who has the problem and how big it is. A technical diagram before the problem is confusing and doesn't show value. Start with the problem and solution in plain language; keep technical details for an appendix or Q&A.
Practice tasks
- Create a 10-slide pitch deck for a real or imagined local business.
- Turn a recent report or assignment into a 6-slide management presentation with the conclusion first.
- Build a 15-minute training deck with objectives, two activities and a quiz.
- Write the opening story for your pitch in three sentences.
- Rehearse your pitch in 3 minutes and in 10 minutes.
Summary
- Pitch decks: problem, solution, market, product, business model, traction, competition, go-to-market, team, financials, ask.
- Proposals: their situation, problem, your solution, process, proof, investment, next steps.
- Reports: conclusion and decisions first, consistent metrics, appendix for details.
- Training: objectives, chunks, activities, checks, summary.
- Defences: problem, objectives, methodology, results, conclusions, limitations.
- Storytelling: people, contrast, concrete numbers, rule of three, clear call to action.
Check yourself
What should the first content slide of a pitch deck explain? (one word)
Show answer
problem
What is the final slide of an investor pitch usually called? (two words: the ...)
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the ask
In a board report, what should come first: details or the conclusion?
Show answer
conclusion
What should a training presentation start with? (two words)
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learning objectives
How many key points does the "rule of" ... suggest? Write the number.
Show answer
3