Golden Circle & 5W2H: A Universal Framework for Reviewing Presentation Decks

Step 1: Create Distance Before Reviewing

The author emphasizes that immediately after finishing a slide deck, the brain is still in an excited, self-consistent state, making it hard to spot flaws. The remedy is to set the material aside for at least one day, then return with a fresh, outsider perspective.

Step 2: Apply the Golden Circle for Structural Integrity

Using Simon Sinek's Golden Circle, the reviewer asks three questions about the deck as a whole:

Why : Why am I giving this presentation? What outcome do I want?

How : How many key arguments do I need? What structural moves and logical sequencing will achieve the goal?

What : What evidence supports each argument? Which piece is the most critical?

This step often leads to reordering chapters, rewriting titles, and especially refining the opening "summary" section that frames the core message.

Step 3: Use 5W2H to Adopt Stakeholder Perspectives

For detailed content, the author recommends cycling through key audience roles (e.g., development lead, business lead, operations lead) and, for each role, applying 5W2H:

Who : Which key roles are in the audience?

What : What does this role care about most — project timeline, business safety, performance metrics? Those become the highlighted points.

Where : In which chapter and on which slide position does each metric best fit the audience's cognitive flow?

How : What visual form works best — text, icon, trend chart — for clarity and impact?

How much : What granularity is right? Too coarse leaves questions; too fine overwhelms.

The author advises reviewing the entire deck from one role's viewpoint at a time, repeating for all roles, so that nearly every concern is addressed.

Step 4: Write and Rehearse a Full Script

After structural and content revisions, the final step is to write a spoken script for every slide. The act of scripting reveals phrasing that is awkward, unclear, or impossible to deliver smoothly — those spots pinpoint exactly where slides still need work.

Closing Advice

If further improvement is desired, seek feedback from senior experts and iterate again. The author notes that presentations may be the most important work activity, so investing multiple revision cycles (up to V11 in personal experience) is justified.