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Top 7 Executive Summary Templates With Samples and Examples

Naveen Kumar

C-suite executives are akin to budget shoppers in Walmart. Neither of them spends time or money on things that are not necessary. While budget shoppers make budgets or shopping lists, business persons depend on short versions of documents like executive summaries to manage their time. In the vast landscape of reports, analyses, and proposals, where every minute counts and decisions hold the weight of an entire enterprise, the executive summary emerges as a strategic tool that condenses the essence of information into a concise format.

Executive Summaries: Your Shortcut to Information Nirvana

An executive summary is a concise and condensed overview of a document, report, or presentation. It provides busy executives, decision-makers, or stakeholders with a quick and comprehensive understanding of the main points, key findings, recommendations, and essential insights within the document. An executive summary captures vital information in a way that allows the reader to grasp the main ideas without reading the entire document. For that, it should include:

• Context and Purpose : The background and purpose of the document highlight why the information is important and relevant.
• Findings : Summarize the key discoveries, results, or conclusions. Highlight the essential data, trends, or insights that the document presents.
• Recommendations : If applicable, provide any suggestions or action points that arise from the findings. These could be advice for future actions, strategies, or decisions based on the information provided in the document.
• Key Points : Condense the main points of each section or topic covered in the full document. It helps the reader understand the document's structure and scope.
• Data and Evidence : Highlight significant data, statistics, or evidence supporting the findings or conclusions of the document.
• Conclusion : Summarize the overall implications or significance of the information presented and reiterate its importance to the reader.

Executive summaries are used in business, academia, research, and various professional settings to communicate important information in a quick manner to individuals who do not have the time or need to read the entire document. These succinct snapshots offer a remarkable advantage, allowing decision-makers to grasp the essence of complex matters without being bogged down by exhaustive details. 

Simplify Documents With Executive Summary Templates

The effectiveness of an executive summary lies in its structure, brevity, and ability to encapsulate critical insights.

Our executive summary templates emerge as indispensable tools to assist professionals in making these documents the most effective with less time and effort. These content-ready slides, crafted with careful consideration of best practices, provide a much-needed structure that streamlines the process of condensing extensive content into a concise yet impactful format. The 100% customizable nature of these designs gives the desired flexibility to create professional executive summaries and presentations that make messages accessible and compelling and ensure effective communication of key points. 

From a high-stakes board meeting to presenting research findings, these executive summary templates can be the key to delivering resonating information. Let's dive in!

1. Executive Summary PowerPoint Presentation Deck

Step into a world of concise brilliance with our versatile collection of industry-tailored executive summary templates, catering to diverse sectors like food and beverage, IT organizations , soft drink companies, car manufacturing organizations, consumer goods firms, fashion clothing brands, consultancy services, and cement companies. These PPT Designs encapsulate the essence of your business, ensuring key insights are conveyed in an effective manner. Crafted for leaders, managers, and decision-makers, our deck equips you with the tools to captivate your audience and convey critical information. Whether you're presenting to stakeholders, colleagues, or clients, these PowerPoint Slides empower you to distill complex data into impactful executive summaries that shine. Download it now!

Download this template

2. Outsourcing Proposal Executive Summary Presentation Deck

Revolutionize the way you present your outsourcing strategies with a single click with our meticulous and expert-designed slides that redefine clarity and impact. This exhaustive collection empowers you to communicate your company's mission, vision, and meeting agendas. Display problems and solutions with precision using executive dashboards, financial insights, target market analyses, and growth matrices. Elevate your workforce's strategic prowess as you unveil unique selling propositions, value proposition expansions, feedback loops, and profit margin possibilities. From product sales volumes to action plans and desired outcomes, this PowerPoint Set becomes your compass in crafting a compelling outsourcing proposal. Get it now!

3. Marketing Plan Executive Summary Presentation Template

The well-organized sections of this executive summary presentation slide unveil a panoramic company overview, defined target markets, and the quintessential roadmap of marketing strategies that foster exponential growth. This PPT template empowers entrepreneurs, marketing mavens, and visionary leaders to distill complex marketing plans into masterful executive summaries that resonate. From captivating company narratives to laser-focused target market analyses and growth-oriented strategies, each slide is a canvas for your ideas to flourish. Grab it today!

4. Project Report Executive Summary Presentation Template

This ready-to-use one-page PPT Layout unravels a scenic project overview, showcasing key milestones achieved and the visionary roadmap ahead. Dive into financial insights, and navigate the deliverable timeline and the tempest of key project risks with the seamless guidance of this concise yet comprehensive presentation layout. It empowers you to condense intricate project reports into simplified executive summaries that resonate. Fuel your insights with visual storytelling through charts and timelines that command attention. Download it now!

5. Startup Company Executive Summary Presentation Template  

Unveil your brilliance in a single glance and ignite the potential of your startup journey with our one-page startup executive summary design. This presentation slide is a masterpiece that showcases your business vision, accomplishments, and expertise, in one cohesive page. It empowers you to capture the very essence of your startup in a succinct yet impactful manner. From the business landscape to a financial trajectory, every element of this one-page PPT Slide is a stroke of strategic genius. With our PowerPoint template, you can present your business mission, products, and core team, while showcasing your readiness to excel with confidence. This slide becomes your beacon for pitching, investor meetings, and networking events. Get it now!

6. Investment Pitch Executive Summary Presentation Template

This single-page investment template is a symphony of insights curated for startups, visionaries, and audacious entrepreneurs ready to shake the investment landscape. This template packs a punch in portraying your venture's essence, from company details to your dream team. Dive into the intricacies of customer conundrums and unveil how your solutions are second to none. With a flick of the slide, showcase your rivals and assert your competitive edge like a chess master. The revenue model unfolds, aligning visions of profit and growth. Reveal how investor funds will be used and the exit strategy to give investors a VIP pass to the thrilling last act of acquisition by venture capital. Grab it today!

7. Business Executive Summary Presentation Template

Your business brilliance meets a canvas of clarity and impact with our one-page presentation template. This template unravels your business in a single glance with finesse. Let the audience understand your business with an overview that sets the stage. Your mission and vision unfold with key offerings and innovation. Numbers come alive with a bar chart on your financial journey and a pie chart showcasing the competitive markets and market share. Highlight your competitive advantages with a table about your strengths and weaknesses. The business executive summary presentation template gives a snapshot of your historical footprints leading to your current spotlight. Download it now!

From Seconds to Success!

In today's fast-paced business landscape, the importance of executive summaries cannot be understated. These succinct snapshots distill complex information into vital components, enabling decision-makers to comprehend and act upon key insights in a swift way. Studies have shown that professionals spend an average of just a few seconds to minutes perusing documents before making critical judgments. This highlights the critical role that executive summaries play in capturing attention and conveying value in the shortest time.

An effective executive summary is akin to a guiding beacon for leaders navigating the labyrinth of meetings, reports, and strategic decisions. In a world where clear communication is a cornerstone of success, a well-crafted executive summary can catalyze impactful presentations, engage stakeholders, and steer organizations toward their objectives.

This is where our executive summary templates come into play. These well-thought-out and expert-designed PPT Slides are powerful tools that empower professionals to create concise, compelling, and crystal-clear executive summaries. Organized to cover the essentials – from purpose and findings to recommendations and impact – these designs streamline the process of refining information without sacrificing substance. 

Make every word count and every moment matter in your presentation with these executive summary templates.

FAQs on Executive Summary

What is an executive summary.

An executive summary is a concise and condensed version of a document, report, or proposal. It is designed to provide a high-level overview of the main points, findings, and recommendations of the document, allowing busy professionals to grasp the essential information without reading the entire content. In business, research, marketing, and other fields, executive summaries are used to communicate key information to decision-makers, stakeholders, and other interested parties.

What is included in the executive summary?

What's included in an executive summary can vary depending on the type of document it summarizes, but it should cover the following:

• Purpose/Objective : State the purpose of the document and what it aims to achieve in a brief manner.
• Context/Background : Provide a brief introduction to the topic, context, or problem the document addresses.
• Main Findings/Key Points : Highlight the most important findings, insights, or key points from the document.
• Recommendations/Actions : If applicable, outline the main recommendations or actions that are suggested based on the findings.
• Conclusion : Summarize the main results drawn from the document.
• Benefits/Impact : Explain the potential benefits or impact of the findings and recommendations.
• Target Audience : Specify who the document is intended for and who would benefit from reading the full version.
• Scope/Limitations : Brief the limitations or constraints of the document's findings.
• Visuals : Use visuals like charts, graphs, or diagrams to support key points.

How to make an executive summary?

To create an effective executive summary:

• Read the Document : Before writing the summary, read the entire document to understand its content and key points.
• Identify Key Information : Identify the most crucial information, findings, and recommendations from the document.
• Be Concise : Keep your sentences short and to the point. Avoid unnecessary details or jargon.
• Maintain Flow : Structure the summary in a logical way, following the order of the main document's sections.
• Use Clear Language : Write in clear, straightforward language your target audience can easily understand.
• Focus on Impact : Emphasize the impact of the findings and why they matter.
• Proofread and Edit : Review the summary for grammar, punctuation, and clarity. Ensure it captures the essence of the original document in an effective way.
• Tailor to Audience : Customize the tone and level of detail based on the knowledge and interests of your audience.
• Include Visuals : If appropriate, incorporate visuals to illustrate key points.

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• [Updated 2023] Top 50 Most Effective Executive Summary Templates [includes One pagers and Full Templates] To Impress Your Clients
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Home Blog Business Executive Summary: A Guide to Writing and Presentation

Executive Summary: A Guide to Writing and Presentation

Executive summaries precede nearly every type of business document. Despite being the shortest part, they often leave the biggest impression on the reader. Yet, many writers choose to treat an executive summary as an afterthought. (And some presenters too!). Why? Because writing an executive summary is a seemingly hard task. But our mission is to prove otherwise! 

What is an Executive Summary?

An executive summary is a preface to a larger business document such as an annual report, business plan, or whitepaper, succinctly summarizing the key discussion points. Effectively, an executive summary offers a preview of the content, so that the reader could form a baseline opinion about the contents prior to diving into a deep reading session. 

The University of Arizona offers a more elaborated executive summary definition which also notes that an executive summary should:

• Restate the purpose of the follow-up document
• Highlight the key discussion points and most notable facts 
• Relay any notable results, conclusions, or recommendations

Though an executive summary is just a foreword to a bigger report, it’s one of the most labor-intensive items as you have to condense a lot of information into a high-level summary. Oftentimes, an executive summary also gets prominent placement in the follow-up presentation, done on the report.  

Executive Summary Examples

Nearly every type of business document will have an executive summary. Some are better structured and presented than others. But it’s not just limited to business documents. Executive summaries are also used in scientific projects, articles, and education. Below are several admirable executive summary examples you may want to use as an inspiration for writing. 

Accenture: Gaming: The Next Super Platform 

This executive summary for an industry report opens with some big quantifiable claims, clearly communicating the main agenda — describing the size and state of the global gaming market. The gaming industry is a huge market. The pullout texts on the sidebar further detail the scope of the document. Plus clarify for whom this report is intended. 

IBM: Cost of a Data Breach Report 2020 

IBM conducts an annual joint report on cybersecurity with Ponemon Institute. They open the executive summary with a brief recap of their mission and past research. Then dwell on this year’s findings and methodology. If you are writing an executive summary for a similarly massive original research, it’s worth focusing more on your techniques for obtaining data and arriving at the conclusions as IBM did. 

Deloitte Digital: Exploring the value of emotion-driven engagement

Deloitte selected a more narrative style for this executive summary, mixing some key data points and methodology with the core messaging of the report. This is a good example of structured data presentation . On one hand, you have an engaging narration flow. On the other, the summary covers all the important discussion points. 

Executive Summary Format

As the above executive summary examples illustrated, there is no one fit-it-all format for writing an executive study. The best approach depends on your report type, purpose, and contents. 

That being said, an executive summary needs to fulfill several earlier mentioned criteria — offer a preview, provide key information at glance, showcase any results, recommendations. That’s what most readers expect to see on the first page after all. 

The easiest way to approach writing is to draft a preliminary executive summary outline featuring the following subsections:

• General introduction, explaining the key problems discussed 
• Main problem statement(s)
• Selected findings or recommendations 
• The importance of discussed points 

Since you’d also be likely working on presenting the executive summary to other stakeholders , it helps you keep the above structured as bullet points at first. So that you could easily transfer the main ideas to your executive summary PowerPoint slide . 

How Long Should an Executive Summary Be?

As a rule of thumb, an executive summary should not go longer than one vertical page. That is an equivalent of 300-500 words, depending on the typeface. For longer reports, two pages (a horizontal split) may be acceptable. But remember, brevity is key. You are working on a trailer for a movie (the full report). 

How to Write an Executive Summary: a 3-Step Framework 

You can start with the aforementioned loose format and then adapt it to your document type. Remember, you don’t need to follow all the recommendations to a T. Instead, mix some ideas to make your executive summary sound both professional and engaging. Here are several tips for that:  

1. Start with a Problem Statement 

Think of the first paragraph as if of an opening slide for a presentation : you need to make a big compelling statement that immediately communicates your agenda. Set the scene for the reader. There are several ways to do so:

• Answer the “why now” question in the opening paragraph 
• Address the urgency of the matter 
• Highlight the importance of the discussed issue 

Alternatively, you can also go for a more traditional opening and explain the background of the research and discussed issue. For example, if you have conducted a go-to-market strategy evaluation for the team you can start by saying that “This report analyzed online furniture brand performance in 5 target EMEA markets in terms of market share, local brand recall, brand preference, and estimated online sales volumes.” Afterward, briefly communicate the main aim of the report. 

2. Present the Main Discussion Points 

Next, flesh out what’s included in the scope of this report to properly manage the reader’s expectations. You can use the report’s section subheads as key discussion points or come up with snappier, more descriptive statements. 

Here are several good writing practices to follow: 

• Use bullet points and numbered lists to break down text blocks. 
• Quantify the biggest findings when possible. Style them as “call-outs”. 
• Mention the limitations of your report and what it does not account for. 
• Discuss the used research methods and data sources. 

Finally, summarize the findings in one concluding paragraph if you have space. Or style it as a featured quote to draw the reader’s eye towards crucial information. 

3. List the Recommendations or Next Steps 

The bottom part of the page, around 100-150 words should be allocated towards underlining the results, conclusions, and follow-up action expected from the reader. Summarize what you have found during the course of your research. Mention if you have identified any specific type of solution or a type of recommended action. 

Once you are done, send over an executive summary draft to a team member who hasn’t seen the complete report. Ask for their feedback. Can they tell what the report content is after reading the summary? Does the summary intrigue them? Is it descriptive enough for someone without any other context into the matter? Use the critique to further improve the document. 

How to Prepare an Executive Summary Presentation 

High chances are that you’ll also be asked to write the copy for the executive summary presentation, and perhaps even design it too. So let’s get you up to speed on this aspect as well.

How Does an Executive Summary Slide Look Like in PPT?

There’s no ultimate look for an executive summary slide as most presenters customize it to best reflect the content they’d want to showcase. But if you want some universal example, here’s our executive summary slide template : 

You can build an entire slide deck tailored for an executive summary or business presentation by using our AI Presentation Maker . Fill the topic, analyze & edit the proposed outline, and select a design. That’s it! You can create an engaging executive summary slide deck with any number of slides.

What Makes a Good Executive Summary Slide?

A good executive summary slide visually communicates all the important information from the full report. Typically, it’s an even more condensed version of the written executive summary, prefacing the document. Thus to create a good executive summary slide, be prepared to do some ruthless editing.

Include a condensed version of the: 

• Main problem statement or report agenda 
• Key findings. Prioritize quantifiable ones
• Recommendations and next steps.

Also, you will need some PowerPoint design mastery to ensure that an executive summary in your PowerPoint presentation looks compelling, but not cluttered. Prioritize white space. Here is where a good executive summary template can make your life easier. To minimize the number of texts, add icons and other simple visualizations. Trim headers and subheads to give the slide even more breathing room.

For those looking to create an engaging and visually appealing presentation, consider utilizing professional presentation templates to enhance the visuals of your executive summary slide. These templates are specifically designed to help presenters convey their message effectively and with style, ensuring that your audience remains captivated and fully understands the key points of your report.

How to Write an Executive Summary for a Presentation

Most likely you won’t need to write a brand new copy for this slide, but rather adapt the text at hand. That already makes your job a lot easier when summarizing a presentation into an executive summary slide. Still, you don’t want to mess anything up. So stick with the executive summary template you’ve chosen and fill in the gaps using our tips. 

1. Keep the Tone Consistent 

Use the same tone of voice and word choices in your slide deck as you’ve adopted in the report. If the tone of your presentation speech differs too much with terms used on the slide and in the report copy, some audience members may get confused, and then disengaged. 

2. Focus on Telling a Story 

Stakeholders will have the extra time to read the “dry” report. During the presentation, your main goal is to draw their attention to the most important issue, showcase the value-packed inside the report, and make them eager to learn more by actually flipping the full copy afterward. 

3. Chop Full Sentences into Bullet Points 

Go snappy and present information in a snackable manner. Remember, our brain can only keep 3-5 items at once in the working memory. So you shouldn’t try to overload the audience with a long list of “very important points” in one sitting.  

Also, per a recent presentation survey, among the 3 things that annoy audiences most about presentations are slides that include full sentences of text. So, when working on your presentation summary slide, trim those lengthy texts and move on some of the other points to separate slides. 

4. Don’t Go Data Galore 

Including numbers and data visualizations is a great way to present your executive summary. However, overloading your data slides with data nuggets makes your presentation less impactful. 

As presentation design expert Nancy Duarte explains : 

“Data slides aren’t really about the data. They’re about the meaning of the data. It’s up to you to make that meaning clear before you click away. Otherwise, the audience won’t process — let alone buy — your argument.”

It’s a good idea to spotlight 3 main data points on your executive summary slide. Then use some extra minutes to comment on why you’ve chosen to present these. 

To Conclude

An executive summary is the first page and/or slide a reader will see. That’s why the stakes are high to make it look just right. Granted, that shouldn’t be an issue. Since you now know how to write, design, and present a compelling executive summary to others! 

1. Project Summary PowerPoint Template

Use This Template

2. Simple Executive Summary Slide Template for PowerPoint

3. One Page Strategy Summary PowerPoint Template

4. Executive Summary PowerPoint Template

5. Executive Business PowerPoint Template

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Business Presentation: The Ultimate Guide to Making Powerful Presentations (+ Examples)

A business presentation is a purpose-led summary of key information about your company’s plans, products, or practices, designed for either internal or external audiences. This guide teaches you how to design and deliver excellent business presentations. Plus, breaks down some best practices from business presentation examples by popular companies.

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How to write an effective executive summary like a mckinsey or bcg consultant.

Table of contents

Key components of an effective executive summary, an in-depth look at each component of the executive summary (with examples), some practical tips and tricks, the bottom line.

Management consultants at firms like McKinsey, BCG, and Bain are renowned for their ability to present complex ideas in a clear, concise manner that is easy to digest and understand. A key component of this process is the executive summary slide – often presented as the first part of a presentation deck on a given topic or problem. 

An executive summary aims to provide the audience with an overview of the subject at hand or a snapshot of the key points that will be discussed in greater depth. It should serve to quickly get the main messages and conclusions across and motivate audiences to dive deeper into the details.

In this post, we will outline the essential components of an effective executive summary using techniques from McKinsey, BCG, and Bain. We will also provide tips on how to craft a compelling executive summary in practice and give examples of best practices.

For a broader view on how to create consultant-style presentations take a look at our blog post 'How McKinsey Consultants Make PowerPoint Presentations' . Or deep-dive into other specific elements of creating best-in-class presentations, like our post on 'Mastering Risk Mitigation Slides: A Best Practice Guide with Examples'.

A good executive summary provides all the key information in one slide. The goal is to communicate as much information in as few words as possible.

To achieve this goal, you should focus on the following key components when crafting an executive summary slide: 

• [optional] Objective: Clearly state the purpose and objective of the presentation.
• Situation: Provide relevant background information to set the context for the problem or opportunity being addressed.
• Complication: Define the complication (problem or opportunity) the presentation addresses in simple, to-the-point sentences. This includes identifying the root cause of the problem or opportunity and its implications for the organization.
• Resolution: Present the recommended solution or solutions to the complication in a clear and concise manner. This should be based on data-driven insights and analysis.
• [optional] Benefits: Articulate the benefits of implementing the recommended solution. These benefits should be linked to the organization's strategic objectives.
• Call to Action: Provide a clear call to action outlining what the organization needs to do to implement the recommended solution. This should be actionable and linked to the organization's strategic objectives.

This structure is similar to the SCQA (situation-complication-question-answer) framework.

Craft effective executive summaries for your consulting presentations .

Let's take a closer look at each component of the executive summary and how it can be used to craft an effective executive summary deck using the McKinsey/BCG/Bain methodology.

1. Objective

The objective of the executive summary should succinctly define the purpose of the presentation and why it is important for the audience to understand the key points.

To craft an effective objective, you should consider the following: 

• Who is the target audience?
• What are the key points that the audience needs to understand?
• What is the purpose of the presentation?
• Why is it important for the audience to understand the key points?

An effective objective should be brief, clear, and focused on the needs of the audience. It should be written to clearly communicate what the presentation will cover and why it matters.

 Example: "This presentation will provide an overview of the current state of the industry and highlight key trends and opportunities for growth."

2. Situation

The background or situation section of the executive summary provides relevant context to the audience to help them better understand the problem or opportunity being addressed. 

This section should include:

• Relevant background information on the industry, market, or organization.
• Any key trends or developments that are important to the problem or opportunity being addressed.
• Any relevant historical information that helps to explain the current situation.

Some questions to ask when crafting the background section include:

• What is the context for the problem or opportunity being addressed?
• What are the key factors that have led to the current situation?
• What are the relevant historical or industry-specific factors that are important to understanding the problem or opportunity?

An effective background section should be concise and focused on the most important information. It should provide enough context for the audience to understand the problem or situation being addressed without overwhelming them with unnecessary information.

Here are some examples from McKinsey and BCG:

3. Complication

The complication section of the executive summary clearly and concisely defines the reason the situation requires action, either because there is a serious problem or there is a good opportunity. This includes identifying the root cause of the problem or opportunity and its implications for the organization.

• What is the problem or opportunity that the presentation is addressing?
• What are the root causes of the problem or opportunity?
• What are the implications of the problem or opportunity for the organization?

 An effective complication section should be short and to-the-point, focusing on the most important aspects of the problem or opportunity. The root cause of the complication should be clearly identified, along with the most relevant data or evidence that supports this analysis. In addition, the implications of the problem or opportunity for the organization should be clearly articulated, highlighting why it is important for the audience to understand the problem/opportunity and its impact and why it requires action.

Enhance your proposal writing with our Consulting Proposal template , or explore our collection of 10 Real Consulting Proposals .

4. Resolution

The resolution section of the executive summary presents the proposed solution or strategy for addressing the complication. This should include a brief overview of the approach and any relevant supporting information or evidence.

• What is the proposed approach for addressing the problem or opportunity?
• What are the key elements of the strategy?
• What are the expected benefits or outcomes of the approach?
• What evidence is there to support the proposed solution or strategy?

An effective resolution section should provide enough detail for the audience to understand what is being proposed and why without overwhelming them with unnecessary detail. The proposed approach and any relevant supporting information or evidence should be clearly outlined. In addition, the expected benefits or outcomes of the approach should be highlighted, as this helps to emphasize why it is important for the audience to understand and support the proposed solution.

5. Benefits

The benefits section of the executive summary presents a brief overview of any expected benefits or outcomes from implementing the proposed solution. This section is optional, and sometimes included as a bullet point under the resolution section.

• What are the primary benefits or outcomes of implementing the proposed solution?
• What are the secondary benefits or outcomes?
• How will these benefits impact the organization and its stakeholders?

An effective benefits section should provide a clear and concise overview of any expected benefits or outcomes from implementing the proposed solution. The primary benefits should be highlighted, as well as any secondary benefits that are relevant to the audience. Emphasis should be on quantifiable benefits.

In addition, the impact of these benefits on the organization and its stakeholders should be emphasized, highlighting why it is important for the audience to understand and support the proposed solution. 

Example: "The proposed approach will generate an incremental $10 million in revenue, reduce costs by 5%, and increase customer satisfaction by 10%. This will help to improve profitability, create new growth opportunities, and strengthen our competitive position in the sector."

6. Call to Action

The call to action section of the executive summary presents a brief overview of key proposed actions or decisions that need to be taken by the audience in order to implement the proposed solution. This section is also sometimes a bullet point under the resolution section.

• What are the proposed actions or decisions that need to be taken?
• Who needs to take these actions or make these decisions?
• What is the timeline for implementing the proposed solution?

An effective call to action/recommendation section should provide a clear and concise overview of any proposed actions or decisions that need to be taken by the audience. The proposed actions or decisions and who needs to take these actions or make these decisions should be clearly outlined. 

In addition, the timeline for implementing the proposed solution should be highlighted, ensuring that the audience understands when and how these actions or decisions need to be taken.

Apply these summary techniques in your Business Strategy template .

• Consultants typically communicate in a 'top down' or pyramid fashion, starting with the conclusion and then providing the supporting information.
• Write the most important takeaway of each section as the bolded text and follow with numbers and other supporting facts as bullet points.
• Read through the bolded text and see if the story makes sense.  
• Spend the majority of the executive summary focusing on the solution/recommendation, rather than the situation and supporting analysis.
• The executive summary is not a play-by-play summary of a project. Instead, it is a decision document for your audience to understand the proposed solutions they have to decide on, and just enough information to set the solution in context and grasp the expected outcomes.
• Read through your executive summary and remove anything that is not directly relevant to deciding/agreeing with your proposed solution.  
• Try to keep the executive summary as a single slide (sometimes two).
• Eliminate unnecessary words and sentences, and make sure that each sentence adds value to the overall message.

Creating executive summary slides like a McKinsey consultant can have a significant impact on the success of your communication and decision-making efforts. Although it seems simple and many people treat the executive summary like an after-thought, it should in fact be one of the slides you spend the most time on in any presentation.

A well-crafted executive summary helps you structure your entire presentation by making you focus on the solution you are proposing and only keeping in analyses and arguments that help explain the why, what, and how of that solution.

By following the essential components and strategies outlined above you can create a clear, concise, and compelling executive summary that effectively communicates complex ideas and drives action. 

Cheat sheet

What is an executive summary exactly?

A short summary of the key messages and conclusions in a longer presentation, focused on actionable solutions or recommendations. In McKinsey and BCG consulting presentations the executive summary is typically one or two slides, but sometimes executive summary can also refer to a short deck.

What does an executive summary include and how do I write one?

See our 'How to' guide in this post.

Does an executive summary come before or after the table of contents? 

Typically before the table of contents, as the first (or one of the first) slides after a title page.

Is there a good executive summary slide example?

Yes, you can download some examples from McKinsey and BCG here . You can also see full presentations from BCG and McKinsey here and here .

Or take a look at our full Business Strategy template or our Business Case template for real-life client examples.

Should I include visuals? 

Generally McKinsey and BCG executive summaries do not include visuals, except perhaps icons to make the summary more visually appealing.

What is the difference between an executive summary slide and a key takeaways slide?

An executive summary slide, a recommendations slide , and a key takeaways slide are all part of a trio of slides centered around conveying main messages. Typically, an executive summary slide contains the most important points of the entire project/presentation while a key takeaways slide is often used either at the start or end of sections of the presentation to sum up points, or at the end to sum up the main takeaways before ending in an actionable recommendations slide.

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How To Write Consulting Executive Summary Slides [BCG Example]

Table of contents.

If you’re anything like me, then y ou build all of the main body slides in your slide decks, sharpen the text , perfect your visualizations … and then quickly throw together an executive summary slide.

The problem?  The executive summary slide is the first impression of your deck and the only place that the reader can get a complete overview of your argument.

Therefore, executive summary slides shouldn’t be an afterthought. In fact, it’s important to spend significant time writing a strong executive summary that clearly articulates your argument and inspires your reader to act.

What is an executive summary slide?

An executive summary is a written overview of the main points or arguments of a larger document, memo or other report.

Strategy consultants also write executive summaries for their presentations or slide decks.

An executive summary slide is the first slide in your presentation that fully summarizes the argument, storyline, and supporting evidence of the body slides.

Download 120+ strategy consulting presentations for free

Looking for slide inspiration? Download 120+ consulting slide decks from top strategy consulting firms, such as McKinsey, BCG and Bain!

Why do you need executive summary slides?

As a reader, it’s so easy to get lost in a PowerPoint slide deck. You need to keep previous slides and messages in your mind, follow the line of argument, and somehow put everything together into a coherent story that you can make sense of.

Executive summary slides help the reader “follow along” with your slide deck. There are a few main benefits:

• Executive summaries provide context to help the reader understand why the topic of the slide deck is important.
• Executive summaries communicate the high-level argument before the reader gets into the body of the slide deck. This helps the reader understand your more detailed body slides.
• Executive summaries are a “map” that the reader can reference back to if they start losing the line of argument in the body of the deck.

How to write executive summary slides

To understand the best practices of writing executive summary slides, we’re going to break down a BCG executive summary.

In doing so, we’re going to learn the simple framework for writing executive summary slides that is used by strategy consultants, such as McKinsey & Co, Bain, and BCG.

Below you can see an example of a BCG executive summary.  This slide deck is a BCG report on “Melbourne as a Global Cultural Destination” and can be downloaded here .

Here are the two main executive summary slides:

These BCG executive summary slides are a great example of an executive summary done well. So we’ll use them to describe best practices.

Best practice #1: Bold text for summary sentences, bullet points for supporting data

One of the first things you’ll notice about the BCG executive summary is the bold-bullet structure.

The bold sentences denote key statements or claims, and the bullet points support those statements (usually with data).

If there was no evidence to support their claims — or if the evidence was buried deep in the slide deck — then the reader could quite easily doubt the validity of the claim, and ultimately the end conclusion of the slide deck.

So one of the key aspects of strategy consulting slide decks is that no claim is made without evidence. And that includes the executive summary.

Let’s zoom in on one example:

The key statement in this part of the executive summary is “there are weaknesses in Melbourne’s cultural and creative offer”.

This claim is supported by a bunch of data points, such as 90% of agencies and thought leaders believe the cultural offer is not clearly articulated.

Best practice #2: Bold summary sentences can be read alone to tell a story

Executives are busy people and many of them aren’t interested in diving into the supporting bullet points. They will simply read through your bolded summary sentences to understand the high-level argument and recommendations.

This means that  your executive summary should be “skimmable by design”.

In other words,  your bolded summary sentences should tell a complete and logical story without requiring the supporting data in the bullet points below.

Let’s read just the bolded sentences in our BCG executive summary:

Melbourne has a compelling creative and cultural offer; the city attracted >10m Australian and international visitors in 2015. Cultural visitors and creative industries drive significant economic benefits; cultural tourism projected to grow further. However, Melbourne’s position as Australia’s cultural and creative capital is being challenged. On a global index of cultural and creative cities, Melbourne ranks first in Australia, third in Asia and 12th globally. Melbourne has clear strengths to build on as a cultural and creative city. However, there are some weaknesses to address to further improve Melbourne’s cultural and creative offer. These findings suggest five strategic priorities to improve Melbourne’s position as a global cultural and creative destination, which may lift Melbourne’s position on the Performance Index.

It reads just like a narrative!

Despite ignoring all the bullet points, we can still fully understand the argument that BCG is making in their executive summary (which is also reflected in the body of the slide deck).

Best practice #3: The executive summary should reflect the ‘SCR storyline’ structure of the slide deck

It’s not good enough to just “tell a story”, you need a tell the story using a particular structure.

The structure used by strategy consulting firms, such as McKinsey & Co, Bain, and BCG, is the ‘situation, complication, resolution’ structure.

As an aside, you can learn more about how to craft a compelling argument and SCR storyline for your slide deck in our Complete Guide To Building Strategy Presentations . If you haven’t read that guide, you should check it out.

Let’s take a look at how the SCR storyline applies to your slide deck:

• What baseline knowledge do people need to have before they understand our argument?
• How did this problem come about?

Complication

• What is the problem we need to solve?
• Why is this particular problem important to solve?
• How do we respond / solve the problem?
• What are the specific recommendations and/or next steps?

Your executive summary slide should communicate the complete storyline in your slide deck. And thus it should also follow the situation, complication, resolution structure.

In our BCG example, you can clearly see the SCR structure in action:

It’s important to set the context with the situation, as there’s no guarantee that all of you readers will have the background knowledge to understand your argument. It also gives you the opportunity to explain the causes of the problem that you’re addressing in the slide deck.

Then, in the complication section, you should succinctly define the problem and why it is important to solve. Some people suggest that you use a question format, for example “How can Melbourne improve its position as a global cultural and creative destination?”, although that’s really just a matter of style.

Finally, you need to clearly articulate your proposed resolution or “answer” to the problem. You’ll note that most of the executive summary real-estate is spent on the resolution component. From a reader’s perspective, the recommendations are the most important part of the slide deck.

Executive summary slide examples

Below you’ll find examples of executive summary slides from consulting firms like Bain & Co, BCG, L.E.K. Consulting, Oliver Wyman, and others.