Glossary
What is a ghost deck?
Ghost deck: A ghost deck is a draft presentation made of slide titles and rough sketches of the charts, built before the analysis is done, to agree on the story and to show which data is still needed.
A ghost deck is a draft presentation built before the analysis is finished. Every slide already has its title, a full sentence stating what you expect to show, and a rough sketch where the chart or table will go. The numbers are still missing.
Consultants use it to agree on the story with a partner or client first, and then to turn that story into a work plan: each ghost slide says which data and analysis it needs.
What a ghost slide contains
| Part | Example |
|---|---|
| Title (a hypothesis) | ARR is growing fast |
| Sketch | Area chart over five quarters, axes labeled, no numbers |
| Data needed | ARR and customers per quarter, from finance (owner: CFO) |
When the data arrives, the title is either confirmed and sharpened or rewritten. Here is the finished slide for that ghost: the hypothesis became a number.
How to build one
- Write the answer first. One sentence: what you want the audience to decide or believe.
- List the slide titles. One line per slide, each a hypothesis you can prove or disprove. Read them in order: they should tell the storyline.
- Sketch the evidence. A rough chart with labeled axes, a table with column headers, a quote box. Do not format anything yet.
- Note the data and the owner on every slide.
- Review it with the decision-maker before the analysis starts, because changing a title costs less than changing a model.
- Fill, then rewrite. Replace the sketches with data and change every title the data does not support.
Typical mistakes
- Polishing the ghost. The point is speed. Formatting comes after the story is agreed.
- Treating hypotheses as findings. Label the draft “hypotheses” when you show it, and keep titles you can still lose.
- Keeping a title the data contradicts. A ghost deck that is never rewritten is a wish list.
- No data note. A sketch without a source and an owner cannot become a work plan.
Related terms
Ghost slides carry action titles, and the ordered set of them is the storyline. The answer-first logic comes from the pyramid principle.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between a ghost deck and a storyboard?
In practice the terms overlap: both lay out the slides before the content exists. A ghost deck puts a testable claim in each slide's title and notes the data needed to prove it, so it works as a plan for the analysis as well as a sketch.
When should you build a ghost deck?
Early, once you understand the question and before the analysis begins, and again whenever the story changes. It pays off most when several people work on one deck or when a client has to agree on the direction.
Should I show a ghost deck to the client?
Yes, if you label it as hypotheses. It lets the client correct the direction before you spend weeks on analysis. Do not present the titles as findings.
Can AI create a ghost deck?
AI can draft the titles and suggest charts from a brief. It does not know your data, so every title stays a hypothesis until you have checked it against the numbers.
Keep reading
Storyline and structure
- GuideAction titles
Write slide headlines as full sentences. Six rules for action titles, twelve before-and-after examples and a quick test you can run on any deck.
- Free toolAction title checker
Paste your slide titles and get a score for each: verb, number, so-what and length, with a rewrite hint. Free, runs in your browser, English and German rules.
- GlossaryKey message
A key message is the one idea you want your audience to remember and act on after a presentation or a slide. Definition, examples and how to write it.
- Free toolOutline builder
Free presentation outline builder: pick occasion, audience, goal and length, then edit a slide-by-slide storyline of action titles and open it as your brief.
- GlossaryMECE
MECE means mutually exclusive, collectively exhaustive: a way to split a problem into parts that do not overlap and leave nothing out. With examples.
- GlossarySo what
The “so what” is the implication of a fact: why it matters to the audience and what they should do about it. Definition, examples and a test for slides.
Where to go next
- ProductGenerate the deck as an editable .pptx
The AI builds the pages from your brief; text, shapes and tables stay editable in PowerPoint.
- ConvertTurn rough notes into a presentation
The AI asks a few questions first, then builds the slides from your notes.
Less theory, more finished slides
Describe the deck you need. The AI plans, writes and designs it, and hands you an editable PowerPoint.
Build your first deck freeFree plan, no card needed