Reporting · 8 slides
An executive summary is a short overview that gives the recommendation, the one number that matters and the decision you need, so a busy reader can act without reading the rest. On a slide it is one page, placed right after the title. This template is an eight-slide investment proposal: slide 2 is the executive summary, and the six slides after it carry the evidence a skeptical reader will ask for.
For managers, consultants and analysts who need a decision from executives, a board or a client and have one slide to win it.
Download the example deck (.pptx, 57 KB)Free for your own and client decks, no sign-up. Company and figures are invented.
8 slides
What each slide has to achieve and what to put on it. Scroll through, or open the deck and present it.
Tells the reader what kind of document this is and who has to act on it. The answer is kept for the next slide on purpose, so that it gets a page of its own.
The one slide a reader may see and nothing else. It has to work alone: the recommendation, the number that carries it and the ask, in that order.
Gets everyone to the same starting point with five facts the readers already know, then asks the question the decision answers. Facts they know build agreement before the proposal arrives.
Gives the three reasons behind the recommendation, each short enough to remember. A room can hold three; more becomes a list that nobody weighs.
Proves the claim on slide 2 with a chart. A reader who doubts the 3.8 years can see where it comes from without opening a spreadsheet.
A recommendation only convinces when the alternatives were tested. A table of the real options, doing nothing included, on the same criteria turns a preference into a conclusion.
Shows that the risks are known and covered, so the reader approves the amount without asking what could go wrong.
Ends on the single decision, with dates, so it can be taken in the meeting. The ask repeats slide 2, now in the form of a vote.
An executive summary slide has four building blocks. If one is missing, the reader has to ask for it in the meeting, and the decision slips to the next one. The table lists them in reading order.
| Building block | The question it answers | How much space it gets |
|---|---|---|
| Conclusion | What should the decision makers believe after ten seconds? | One sentence, as the slide title |
| Evidence | Why is that true? | One large number with its unit and a baseline |
| Ask | What do you need, and what does it pay for? | One sentence with the amount and a breakdown that adds up |
| Decision | Who decides what, and by when? | One verb and one date |
The example is from the deck of Eichberg Living, an invented company. Before is the executive summary most people write: a topic, a description and no decision. After states the conclusion, the number behind it and the ask, and the breakdown adds up: €1.9m + €0.5m + €0.3m + €0.3m = €3.0m.
| Element | Before | After |
|---|---|---|
| Headline | Executive summary: the warehouse project at a glance | Automated picking pays back in 3.8 years and is the only option that covers the 2027 peak. We ask for €3.0m. |
| Evidence | Costs and benefits of several options were analyzed | 3.8 years payback on €3.0m, while both alternatives miss the 2027 peak |
| Ask | Next steps are to be agreed | Approve €3.0m by 13 November: equipment €1.9m, software €0.5m, building works €0.3m, contingency €0.3m |
Brief
Copy the brief or open it straight in the editor. Replace the highlighted parts with your own facts, or attach your files and the numbers come from them.
Create an 8-slide investment proposal with an executive summary on slide 2, for [audience, e.g. the management board] at [company]. Decision: [what should be approved, the amount and the deadline]. Slide 1: title that names the decision and the audience. Slide 2: executive summary with the recommendation as the title, one big number [payback 3.8 years] and a short paragraph on what the amount covers. Slide 3: situation in five facts and the question we are answering. Slide 4: three reasons in columns, each with one number [24% lower cost per order, capacity of 14,000 orders a day, 0.2% error rate]. Slide 5: a line chart of cumulative savings against the investment, with the break-even year highlighted. Slide 6: a table of three options including doing nothing, with investment, unit cost, capacity and our view. Slide 7: three risks with mitigations and the contingency. Slide 8: the decision with dates and a contact. Use action titles and an editorial style with a serif typeface. Use only the figures I give; mark anything missing as a placeholder.
Write the summary once the rest of the deck is final, then move it to slide 2. Written first, it describes what you hoped to find; written last, it states what you found.
Make the slide title the recommendation, as a full sentence with a verb. “Automated picking pays back in 3.8 years and is the only option that covers the 2027 peak” can be quoted without the rest of the slide.
Choose the number that carries the argument and show it big. Five figures of equal weight leave the reader to decide which one matters, and most will pick none.
Show slide 2 alone to a colleague outside the project and ask what they would decide. If they cannot say what you want, the summary needs another pass, not the deck.
Include the options you turned down, doing nothing among them, with the reason as a number. Executives will ask about the alternatives anyway, and answering before the question builds trust.
The summary states the result of the analysis, not the method. If a sentence needs a footnote to be understood, it belongs on a later slide, with a pointer to it.
FAQ
An executive summary slide is a single slide, usually slide 2, that gives the recommendation, the number that carries it and the decision you need. A reader who sees nothing else can still decide. The rest of the deck is the evidence behind it.
Four things, in this order: the recommendation, the one number that justifies it, a sentence on what the request covers and the ask itself. Add the biggest risk if the audience will care about it. Leave out background, method and anything the reader already knows.
One slide in a deck and, in a written report, about one page. The test is whether a reader who sees only that slide or page could make the decision. If it does not fit, you probably have more than one message.
An introduction sets up the topic and tells the reader what to expect. An executive summary gives the answer: the conclusion, the key number and the ask. A reader should be able to skip the introduction and still act on the summary.
Yes, as a first version. Attach the report as PDF or Word, say who decides and what you want from them, and the AI plans the pages with you, drafts the summary slide and builds the deck. The AI labels its assumptions, and you stay in charge of every figure, so check the numbers against the report before it goes out.
No. Eichberg Living and every figure are fictional. The arithmetic agrees across the slides, so you can reuse it as a model: the four cost items of €1.9m, €0.5m, €0.3m and €0.3m come to €3.0m, a saving of €0.66 on each of 1.2 million orders is about €0.79m a year, and €3.0m divided by €0.79m is 3.8 years.
Report overall status, progress KPIs, schedule, workstreams, budget and risks on 8 slides, and ask sponsors for the decisions you need. With an example deck.
How to present to executives and senior management: lead with the recommendation, plan for a shortened slot, keep detail in the appendix and send a pre-read.
OKRs pair one qualitative objective with measurable key results. Learn the definition, an example, scoring and how to present OKRs on a slide.
Plan a customer QBR on 6 slides: results, adoption, commitments, the plan for next quarter and the decisions you need from the customer. With an example deck.
A one-pager is a single-page document that summarizes a proposal, product, project or decision so the reader gets the point in a few minutes. See the structure.
A budget presentation template with 8 slides: summary, assumptions, income statement, EBITDA bridge, capex, sensitivity and the decisions you need.
Export Word to edit or PDF to send, from a plan you approve first.
The AI writes action titles, and you approve the plan before the build.
Six fictional executive summaries, annotated: business plan, project report, proposal, annual report, consulting study and investor update, plus a checklist.
Start from this structure, add your numbers and your company's PowerPoint template, and get an editable .pptx.
Build with this structureFree plan, no card needed