Training and coaching in problem solving, storylining and presenting
Who is Solve & Present™ for?
Client advisors
Consultants, experts and other professionals outside client organisations who need to solve problems and develop clear and compelling recommendations clients understand, trust and act on.
In-house talent
Managers, analysts, data scientists and specialists within organisations who need to develop strategies, recommendations and solutions, and present them to decision-makers.
Aspiring consultants
Candidates, whether graduates or career switchers, preparing for case interviews who need to crack tough cases and communicate answers in a top-down manner under pressure.
Who benefits – and how?
Firms or enterprises
Team solutions will have greater impact on business performance and value.
Team recommendations will be more likely to win client or management approval.
Professionals
You’ll build stronger recommendations and deliver them more persuasively.
You’ll be more likely to get hired or advance in analytical work environments.
What is the methodology?
Solve & Present™ is inspired by the seven-step problem-solving process and top-down, answer-first communication approach used by leading management consultancies:
Analyse the problem. Define the problem, making it SMART. Disaggregate the issues or hypotheses into a horizontal logic tree. Prioritise and conduct the analyses.
Synthesise the solution. Distil insightful, actionable conclusions. Apply the pyramid principle to support the answer in a top-down, message-driven vertical logic tree.
Craft the storyline. Convert the “pyramid” into a storyline. Add an introduction and a conclusion. Tailor the messages to your audience and objective. Make the messages stick.
Design the deck. Create slides that follow the storyline, turning the messages into action titles. Visualise information as quantitative charts, concept visuals and text visuals.
Deliver the presentation. Rehearse, rehearse, rehearse! Present naturally and confidently – be your best self – balancing IQ and EQ to persuade and engage.
While shown as a sequence, the process is hypothesis-driven and iterative rather than strictly linear. Initial hypotheses, preliminary storylines and draft presentations are often developed early, then revised as analyses and insights emerge.
Group workshops
Choose the full programme or skills workshops:
The Full Monty
3 days | up to 25 participants | onsite
Learn to solve and present like a management consultant in this client-engagement simulation. Participants are introduced to the full methodology from problem to solution to presentation. Teams of 3–5 work through an off-the-shelf or bespoke business case, developing a recommendation, structuring the supporting argument and delivering the storyline in a mock CEO update. The programme can be integrated into your onboarding or L&D curriculum or experienced as a standalone offsite event.
Structured Problem Solving
1 day | 6–15 participants | onsite or online
Before messy problems can be solved, they need to be properly defined and structured. This workshop teaches participants how to solve business problems the way management consultants do. They define the problem, break it down into issues or hypotheses, prioritise the branches as workstreams and synthesise the findings into a clear, compelling solution or recommendation. It is useful to anyone who needs to solve complex problems and defend their conclusions with logic and confidence.
The IQ & EQ of the Message
1 day | 6–15 participants | onsite or online
It takes IQ to be right. It takes EQ to be persuasive. This workshop teaches participants how to make their case. They learn how to structure solutions or recommendations from the top down, strengthen the reasoning, tailor the messages to the audience and objective, and turn the resulting “pyramid” into a fact-based yet engaging storyline. The workshop also covers how to build a message-driven deck, so slides follow arguments rather than boiling the ocean. It is not a PowerPoint course.
Presenting with Impact
1 day | up to 5 participants per facilitator | onsite
Public speaking is one of the top human fears. Many presentation skills workshops make matters worse with a litany of rules. While this workshop covers best practices, the goal is not to turn presenters into performers. It is to help participants cultivate their own presenting style. Anyone can learn to present well; every presenter is unique. Most of the impact comes from speaking and acting naturally. Master that before perfecting the rest. Additional facilitators can be added for larger groups.
Private sessions
Book dedicated time, onsite or online:
Individual coaching
Workshop topics can be addressed individually, whether to hone skills, tackle a live business problem or prepare for a high-stakes presentation.
Case interview prep
1:1 preparation for case interviews at leading management consultancies is focused primarily on problem solving and top-down communication.
