How To Write Consulting Executive Summary Slides [BCG Example]
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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.
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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.
Key takeaway
Use a bold-bullet structure in your executive summaries, where your claims are bolded and the supporting evidence is articulated in bullet points underneath.
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).
Ensure that your bolded summary sentences can be read without supporting bullet points and still fully articulate the argument of your 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.
Write your executive summary in a situation-complication-resolution structure to provide the right context for the reader and ensure your line of reasoning is easy to understand.
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.
If you’d like to see more examples of strategy consulting slides, including executive summaries, check out the Slide Science slide library .
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How to write an executive summary, with examples
The best way to do that is with an executive summary. If you’ve never written an executive summary, this article has all you need to know to plan, write, and share them with your team.
What is an executive summary?
An executive summary is an overview of a document. The length and scope of your executive summary will differ depending on the document it’s summarizing, but in general an executive summary can be anywhere from one to two pages long. In the document, you’ll want to share all of the information your readers and important stakeholders need to know.
Imagine it this way: if your high-level stakeholders were to only read your executive summary, would they have all of the information they need to succeed? If so, your summary has done its job.
You’ll often find executive summaries of:
Business cases
Project proposals
Research documents
Environmental studies
Market surveys
Project plans
In general, there are four parts to any executive summary:
Start with the problem or need the document is solving.
Outline the recommended solution.
Explain the solution’s value.
Wrap up with a conclusion about the importance of the work.
What is an executive summary in project management?
In project management, an executive summary is a way to bring clarity to cross-functional collaborators, team leadership, and project stakeholders . Think of it like a project’s “ elevator pitch ” for team members who don’t have the time or the need to dive into all of the project’s details.
The main difference between an executive summary in project management and a more traditional executive summary in a business plan is that the former should be created at the beginning of your project—whereas the latter should be created after you’ve written your business plan. For example, to write an executive summary of an environmental study, you would compile a report on the results and findings once your study was over. But for an executive summary in project management, you want to cover what the project is aiming to achieve and why those goals matter.
The same four parts apply to an executive summary in project management:
Start with the problem or need the project is solving. Why is this project happening? What insight, customer feedback, product plan, or other need caused it to come to life?
Outline the recommended solution, or the project’s objectives. How is the project going to solve the problem you established in the first part? What are the project goals and objectives?
Explain the solution’s value. Once you’ve finished your project, what will happen? How will this improve and solve the problem you established in the first part?
Wrap up with a conclusion about the importance of the work. This is another opportunity to reiterate why the problem is important, and why the project matters. It can also be helpful to reference your audience and how your solution will solve their problem. Finally, include any relevant next steps.
If you’ve never written an executive summary before, you might be curious about where it fits into other project management elements. Here’s how executive summaries stack up:
Executive summary vs. project plan
A project plan is a blueprint of the key elements your project will accomplish in order to hit your project goals and objectives. Project plans will include your goals, success metrics, stakeholders and roles, budget, milestones and deliverables, timeline and schedule, and communication plan .
An executive summary is a summary of the most important information in your project plan. Think of the absolutely crucial things your management team needs to know when they land in your project, before they even have a chance to look at the project plan—that’s your executive summary.
Executive summary vs. project overview
Project overviews and executive summaries often have similar elements—they both contain a summary of important project information. However, your project overview should be directly attached to your project. There should be a direct line of sight between your project and your project overview.
While you can include your executive summary in your project depending on what type of project management tool you use, it may also be a stand-alone document.
Executive summary vs. project objectives
Your executive summary should contain and expand upon your project objectives in the second part ( Outline the recommended solution, or the project’s objectives ). In addition to including your project objectives, your executive summary should also include why achieving your project objectives will add value, as well as provide details about how you’re going to get there.
The benefits of an executive summary
You may be asking: why should I write an executive summary for my project? Isn’t the project plan enough?
Well, like we mentioned earlier, not everyone has the time or need to dive into your project and see, from a glance, what the goals are and why they matter. Work management tools like Asana help you capture a lot of crucial information about a project, so you and your team have clarity on who’s doing what by when. Your executive summary is designed less for team members who are actively working on the project and more for stakeholders outside of the project who want quick insight and answers about why your project matters.
An effective executive summary gives stakeholders a big-picture view of the entire project and its important points—without requiring them to dive into all the details. Then, if they want more information, they can access the project plan or navigate through tasks in your work management tool.
How to write a great executive summary, with examples
Every executive summary has four parts. In order to write a great executive summary, follow this template. Then once you’ve written your executive summary, read it again to make sure it includes all of the key information your stakeholders need to know.
1. Start with the problem or need the project is solving
At the beginning of your executive summary, start by explaining why this document (and the project it represents) matter. Take some time to outline what the problem is, including any research or customer feedback you’ve gotten . Clarify how this problem is important and relevant to your customers, and why solving it matters.
For example, let’s imagine you work for a watch manufacturing company. Your project is to devise a simpler, cheaper watch that still appeals to luxury buyers while also targeting a new bracket of customers.
Example executive summary:
In recent customer feedback sessions, 52% of customers have expressed a need for a simpler and cheaper version of our product. In surveys of customers who have chosen competitor watches, price is mentioned 87% of the time. To best serve our existing customers, and to branch into new markets, we need to develop a series of watches that we can sell at an appropriate price point for this market.
2. Outline the recommended solution, or the project’s objectives
Now that you’ve outlined the problem, explain what your solution is. Unlike an abstract or outline, you should be prescriptive in your solution—that is to say, you should work to convince your readers that your solution is the right one. This is less of a brainstorming section and more of a place to support your recommended solution.
Because you’re creating your executive summary at the beginning of your project, it’s ok if you don’t have all of your deliverables and milestones mapped out. But this is your chance to describe, in broad strokes, what will happen during the project. If you need help formulating a high-level overview of your project’s main deliverables and timeline, consider creating a project roadmap before diving into your executive summary.
Continuing our example executive summary:
Our new watch series will begin at 20% cheaper than our current cheapest option, with the potential for 40%+ cheaper options depending on material and movement. In order to offer these prices, we will do the following:
Offer watches in new materials, including potentially silicone or wood
Use high-quality quartz movement instead of in-house automatic movement
Introduce customizable band options, with a focus on choice and flexibility over traditional luxury
Note that every watch will still be rigorously quality controlled in order to maintain the same world-class speed and precision of our current offerings.
3. Explain the solution’s value
At this point, you begin to get into more details about how your solution will impact and improve upon the problem you outlined in the beginning. What, if any, results do you expect? This is the section to include any relevant financial information, project risks, or potential benefits. You should also relate this project back to your company goals or OKRs . How does this work map to your company objectives?
With new offerings that are between 20% and 40% cheaper than our current cheapest option, we expect to be able to break into the casual watch market, while still supporting our luxury brand. That will help us hit FY22’s Objective 3: Expanding the brand. These new offerings have the potential to bring in upwards of three million dollars in profits annually, which will help us hit FY22’s Objective 1: 7 million dollars in annual profit.
Early customer feedback sessions indicate that cheaper options will not impact the value or prestige of the luxury brand, though this is a risk that should be factored in during design. In order to mitigate that risk, the product marketing team will begin working on their go-to-market strategy six months before the launch.
4. Wrap up with a conclusion about the importance of the work
Now that you’ve shared all of this important information with executive stakeholders, this final section is your chance to guide their understanding of the impact and importance of this work on the organization. What, if anything, should they take away from your executive summary?
To round out our example executive summary:
Cheaper and varied offerings not only allow us to break into a new market—it will also expand our brand in a positive way. With the attention from these new offerings, plus the anticipated demand for cheaper watches, we expect to increase market share by 2% annually. For more information, read our go-to-market strategy and customer feedback documentation .
Example of an executive summary
When you put it all together, this is what your executive summary might look like:
![[Product UI] Example executive summary in Asana (Project Overview)](https://assets.asana.biz/transform/8aa7d41f-aed9-4f82-bb7a-4305cea4404d/inline-project-planning-executive-summary-examples-1-2x?io=transform:fill,width:1680&format=webp "how to write an executive summary for a powerpoint presentation")
Common mistakes people make when writing executive summaries
You’re not going to become an executive summary-writing pro overnight, and that’s ok. As you get started, use the four-part template provided in this article as a guide. Then, as you continue to hone your executive summary writing skills, here are a few common pitfalls to avoid:
Avoid using jargon
Your executive summary is a document that anyone, from project contributors to executive stakeholders, should be able to read and understand. Remember that you’re much closer to the daily work and individual tasks than your stakeholders will be, so read your executive summary once over to make sure there’s no unnecessary jargon. Where you can, explain the jargon, or skip it all together.
Remember: this isn’t a full report
Your executive summary is just that—a summary. If you find yourself getting into the details of specific tasks, due dates, and attachments, try taking a step back and asking yourself if that information really belongs in your executive summary. Some details are important—you want your summary to be actionable and engaging. But keep in mind that the wealth of information in your project will be captured in your work management tool , not your executive summary.
Make sure the summary can stand alone
You know this project inside and out, but your stakeholders won’t. Once you’ve written your executive summary, take a second look to make sure the summary can stand on its own. Is there any context your stakeholders need in order to understand the summary? If so, weave it into your executive summary, or consider linking out to it as additional information.
Always proofread
Your executive summary is a living document, and if you miss a typo you can always go back in and fix it. But it never hurts to proofread or send to a colleague for a fresh set of eyes.
In summary: an executive summary is a must-have
Executive summaries are a great way to get everyone up to date and on the same page about your project. If you have a lot of project stakeholders who need quick insight into what the project is solving and why it matters, an executive summary is the perfect way to give them the information they need.
For more tips about how to connect high-level strategy and plans to daily execution, read our article about strategic planning .
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How to structure, design, write, and finally present executive summary presentation?
What is a powerpoint executive summary.
An executive summary is a much shorter version of a longer document, while an executive summary in PowerPoint is a visual summary with facts from an extensive piece of content. If you have a 30-40 page presentation, what is the one page that summarizes your key message? Sounds small, but this amount keeps you within boundaries and up to a point.
You might have a bunch of data and really interesting information, but the executives you present to are limited in time, so they will appreciate your concise and professional presentation design to grasp data easily. Remember that every time you cannot summarize your presentation’s takeaway in a couple of seconds, you look unprofessional and unable to share with your audience specific things.
What Is the Value of Presentation for Businesses/Students?
1. it clarifies your thinking.
Some presenters pull together different slides with plenty of charts, tables, and quotes but do not compile a cohesive story within executive summary ppt slides. Thus, your exam or report has no clear and concise message. If you only have 30 seconds with this audience, what do you want to convey or deliver?
2. It gives your audience what they’re looking for
The purpose of the executive summary ppt is to move your audience from point A to point B with attractive visuals that grasp and retain their attention.
3. It provides flexibility
By presenting your whole presentation on the executive summary, you can easily skip certain sections and jump directly to slides that are of value for the specific moment, question, or audience generally.
What Are the Features of Executive Summary Presentation?
The executive summary presentation is directed at executives like the top-level managers and decision-making parties, so the included facts must be relevant.
Executives use the summary to decide whether or not to move forward on the proposal, so the presentation must be convincing.
The executive summary for the PowerPoint presentation contains the same slides as sections of the full proposal, so it reads like the longer proposal, but each section must be condensed to main points and key evidence.
The 10% rule applies here, so a summary must not exceed 10% of the actual proposal length. If your proposal has 20 sections, the word document should be 2 pages. And the presentation should include no more than 20 slides (better 10).
What Should Be Included in Executive Summary Slides and What Should Not?
1. the most important slide.
The executive summary can be one slide in the presentation. When preparing, e.g., a 10 slides presentation for executives, make sure to include a 1-page opening slide. Sometimes, it becomes not possible to present the whole material. Thus, it’s better to present key takeaways.
2. Purpose of report
This slide or slides should state the investigated problem and purpose of the report in a concise format using the present tense. We advise using bullet points, heading/subheadings, SmartArt figures, and other graphic elements to design the text attractively .
This slide should report data only in summary form. There is no need to include dozens of tables even though they are so well-made. Provide key findings from each report table or appendices.
4. Findings and conclusion
This section is also summarized without reference to supporting tables or appendices.
5. Recommendations
Recommendation or advice for a specific proposal is better presented in bullet-list format.
How to Design and Present Executive Summary Slides?
Put minimum text.
We advise a maximum of five first-level bullets and sub-bullets. If you put too much information on one slide in a great room, people won’t remember or even see anything. You lose their attention whenever they do not see or understand the text.
Focus on insights
Every slide, no… EVERY SLIDE must include the answer, results, insights, and other ‘so what’s’ that add impeccable and fundamental value. For instance, you can provide one context sentence at the top of each slide.
Choose neutral colors and background
The executive summary slide design has to be attractive and visible from every room angle. Also, don’t waste space on your slides with unnecessary background messages that make it impossible to read the text. Choose neutral and calm colors that do not drag audiences’ attention from words. If you hesitate on your design choices, feel free to contact professional pitch deck design services and get top-notch assistance.
A good summary presentation summarizes or synthesizes what you want your audience to leave with on one slide. Your presentation’s success isn’t measured by the number of slides you’ve designed and presented. The only purpose of the executive summary ppt is to give the audience the key messages you want them to leave with. Having all on one or few slides makes conveying all information attractive and ensures that your audience hears your messages.
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An executive summary is a short presentation of the most important points in your business plan. It serves to provide an overview of the company, its products, and its goals. It’s one of the first things potential investors will want to see when you are pitching your company.
However, no two companies are exactly alike, which means there isn’t a single template for an exec summary. Instead, it’s up to you to tailor the presentation according to the type of funding you are seeking. If you need funding from private investors or venture capitalists, be sure that your executive summary has enough information about your key risks and competitive advantages.
For government grants or loans, focus on how your business plan will benefit society and create jobs. And for crowdfunding campaigns, highlight the social media following and number of backers that you already have in order to attract potential donors.
An executive summary is a brief overview of your company's business. It usually includes the company's vision, some financials such as revenue and earnings, and its goals for the future. This document is often shared with potential investors or other key stakeholders to give them a concise, easy-to-read overview of what you're all about. A well-written executive summary is an important asset for any company and can help increase chances of success during fundraising and M&A activities.
The goal of this task is not only to explain what you would like to present, but also summarize the key points of your presentation . Here are some tips on how to create one that will make a lasting impression on anyone who reads it.
What is an executive summary?
An executive summary is one of the most important documents in your company. It's a one-page document that summarizes your company. This document is often shared with potential investors or other key stakeholders in your company to give them a concise overview of the company's business.
Why is an Executive Summary important?
An executive summary is an important document because it is one of the first things people will read about your company. If you want to make an impression on potential investors, it's important that your executive summary stands out and gets their attention.
A good executive summary should be concise and easy to read, with the goal of summarizing the key points of your presentation. A poorly written or confusing executive summary can cause your business to not get as much interest as you would like.
In this article we'll provide 3 best practices for creating an effective summary in PowerPoint : 1) create a brief summary of your presentation including the key points; 2) identify and summarize each section of your presentation; 3) highlight the main takeaway and how it solves the problem. Not sure where to start? We've got some tips that will help you out!
Who reads the Executive Summary?
The Executive Summary is usually distributed to potential investors or other key stakeholders. The goal is to engage them and keep them interested in your business!
Begin by introducing the company, including its background information and current financials. Include an overview of the company's strategy for the future. This should include what the company hopes to accomplish in the next 1-2 years. Finally, provide an outlook of what might happen if they implement their plan.
Don't forget to include any other salient information about your company that might be important to your readers (for example, if you are a small privately-held company).
How to Create a Successful Executive Summary
Business-focused presentations often include an executive summary, and it’s important to know how to create one. This document is a quick overview of your company's business and should be concise and easy to read.
How to highlight the main takeaway and how it solves the problem
Your presentation is not always going to have a single takeaway. It's important to identify the main takeaway from your presentation and how it solves the problem.
A great example of this is what we see in movies, when there’s the big reveal at the end of the film. This is often done by showing what was really happening throughout the movie, but it could also show how one event led to another event.
The purpose of this is to keep your audience engaged for longer periods of time. You want them to stay focused on your message and remember what you're saying. It should be easy for them to understand where you're coming from, why you're talking about it, and how they can benefit by listening to you.
How to identify and summarize each section of your presentation
When you're summarizing each section of your presentation, it's important to be as concise as possible. You want to briefly cover the key points of that section.
For example, if you have a slide about your company's vision, it would be helpful to summarize what your business is trying to achieve in the near future. The key points are the things that are most relevant for investors or other decision makers.
Another example would be if you have a slide on how your company is performing financially. If this slide includes revenue and earnings, then it would be helpful to include some projections for the following year. This can help potential investors make an informed decision about investing in your company.
General tips for making a successful executive summary
-Keep it brief. Your summary should be concise and to the point. Provide the key points of your presentation without too much detail. The goal is not to provide an in-depth description, but to clarify what you would like to present.
-Be clear about your intentions. This is a summary of your presentation, so it should include which audience you want to present to and why this topic is important to that audience.
-Provide an overview of each section of the presentation. It’s often helpful for readers to see all the information in one place rather than reading through slides one by one.
-End with a takeaway message or how it solves the problem at hand. Think about what your audience will remember most from your summary and make sure that's included in the final paragraph!
Tips for different industries
Tips for a tech company.
Tech companies are in a fiercely competitive market. Considering that, it’s important for them to use all the tools at their disposal to get ahead of the competition. Some of the tools include executive summaries—a brief overview of your company's business.
Tips for a law firm
If you work in a law firm, these 3 tips will help you create a good summary for your executive summary.
In the business world, the term “partner” is often associated with someone who has been working with a company for many years and is an integral part of the organization. A partner often has a stake in the company, takes on leadership roles, and is responsible for helping to set the long-term goals. Becoming a partner is usually a clear sign that an employee is trusted and valued by their company.
Tips for the fashion industry
Are you in the fashion industry? If so, your biggest competitor is up-to-date trends. The fashion world moves fast. But to stay on top of the game, it's important to be aware of what's happening in the industry and know what consumers want.
-Stay on top of current trends by reading trade magazines or having a subscription to a website that provides overviews on what's new in the industry.
-Keep a running list of all the brands you're interested in and note any items from those brands that you want, as well as why they're on your list. This is a good way to help remember trends or styles that interest you.
-Gain inspiration from other industries as well! Fashion often takes cues from other industries such as architecture, art, and engineering.
An executive summary is an important document that can help you get your message across to your audience. Read on to learn what an executive summary is, what it's used for, how to create one, and what you should be aware of when writing one.
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Home PowerPoint Templates Executive Summary Templates & Slides for PowerPoint Presentations
Executive Summary Templates & Slides for PowerPoint Presentations
Download an executive summary template for creating a presentation for your business plan from our wide range of executive summary templates. With our various templates, you can make 100% editable and professional-looking executive summaries.
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What is an executive summary.
An executive summary is a quick overview of the topics in your paper or report. Typically, an executive summary is a 1-2 page overview and includes the objectives, data, and research highlights. In an executive summary slide, you have to make sure that you keep the whole plan or proposal concisely. Keeping things brief and to the point in an executive summary helps readers to be more engaged.
You can easily edit our executive summary templates in both Microsoft PowerPoint and Google Slides. In presentations, an executive summary typically fits in one slide. Individuals can customize the executive summary template to include their content or use their brand’s identity .
How To Create An Executive Summary With These Templates?
- Click the executive summary template that you wish to use for creating your executive summary.
- You will be redirected to the Templates section to check out all the slides.
- Click Download. Note: This will download the template on your computer.
- Feel free to edit the downloaded template as per your preference to create an appealing executive summary.
Why Choose Our Templates For Creating An Executive Summary?
At SlideModel, we make sure that all our executive summary templates and slide objects are fully editable in PowerPoint, Google Slides, Keynote and OpenOffice. The templates are offered in different sizes and colours, even for advanced editing objects (points and curves), making our templates the best choice for creating an executive summary.
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How to Create an Executive Summary Presentation using a PowerPoint Template
📅 Updated on November 1st, 2022
Executive Summary is also known as management summary and you can use it to introduce your business in a short document. Normally an executive summary summarizes a longer report or proposal so readers can rapidly understand what is behind the project or business. You can create executive summary presentations in PowerPoint to describe what the audience will see along the presentation and make them understand what’s next.
What is an Executive Summary?
The goal of an executive summary is to provide a concise, high-level overview that can be quickly understood by those who read it. It should not include unnecessary detail or analysis, and it should be free from bias.
How to Create an Executive Summary?
There are several effective ways to create an executive summary:
- Choose one or two key points that you want to highlight. These will usually be the most important points in your document, so make sure they are highlighted prominently.
- Use active and descriptive language when discussing these key points. You don’t need to use lengthy paragraphs; instead, succinctly describe what you think is important without going into too much detail. This allows your readers to understand the main ideas quickly and easily.. Keep in mind that shorter summaries are easier for people to read on their phones or tablets than long ones!
- Summarize the information using bullet lists or tables if necessary (this will help make your writing more organized). Again, keep things simple by avoiding complex jargon or detailed descriptions..
If you need to prepare an executive summary PowerPoint presentation then you can download any of our executive PowerPoint templates including this red executive template .
A common executive summary can contains slides describing background information, the analysis and main conclusions, but you can also add other relevant information to your topic that aids decision making by managers and describe as possibly the most important part of a business plan or project.
After you download the template you can insert SmartArt graphics and charts using PowerPoint. It is possible to change the PowerPoint layout depending if you need to show a title plus description (content) or show images and charts.
How do you end an Executive Summary?
The purpose of an executive summary is to provide a summarized version of the rest of the document, so it is important that it ends satisfactorily.
Does an executive summary need a conclusion? It depends. You may include it or not, but if you do, use the conclusion of your executive summary to help communicate the key points of your document to readers.
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Executive Summary PowerPoint & Google Slides Presentation Templates
The purpose of using an Executive summary slide is to pique the audience’s curiosity by summarizing content from the larger piece of information. A robust executive summary powerpoint template creates value for the audience as a great first impression and generates interest in viewing the rest of the presentation. You can take inspiration from these executive summary PPT templates/examples to make professional presentation summaries.
A single executive summary ppt template effectively captures all your crucial information, such as progress, skills, business plan, and project management strategy. Therefore, choosing the right executive summary PowerPoint template that meets your professional needs is essential.
SlideUpLift has executive summary PPT templates ranging from HR professionals, Finance Managers to Marketing Managers to help them create engaging business presentations. Our executive summary templates are compatible with both MS PowerPoint and Google Slides.
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Executive Summary Templates for PowerPoint & Google Slides
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What Is An Executive Summary PowerPoint Template?
An executive summary PowerPoint template intends to show the important points and highlights of a larger report, presentation, or business strategy clearly. The executive summary PowerPoint template often comprises a title slide, an agenda or outline slide, and a sequence of slides that summarise the most essential information in the document, such as the problem or opportunity being addressed, the suggested solution, the projected outcomes, and benefits, the budget and timetable.
What Is The Difference Between The Agenda And Executive Summary PowerPoint Template?
The main difference between the agenda PowerPoint template and the executive summary PowerPoint template is that the presentation’s agenda is like the rundown of all the key points that the presentation is about. In contrast, the executive summary PPT template is the presentation's gist condensed into a few short paragraphs. It is prepared for busy executives and investors who may not have the time to read the entire presentation.
How To Make Your Executive Summary Slide Engaging?
An executive summary is a tool that can make or break your first impression of your audience. To win your audience or to convince them, make sure your executive summary PPT template:
- Has relevant content and is at the start of a presentation
- Captures and highlights the key points of the presentation
- is designed engagingly to capture the audience’s attention
Why Should You Always Have An Executive Summary in PowerPoint Presentations?
The need for an executive summary PPT template in the corporate world is endless. The executive summary provides an overview of a presentation or research and is usually the first thing your audience sees. It captures their attention and piques their curiosity by presenting facts from large and boring content in a quick summary. A few benefits of drafting an executive summary PowerPoint template are:
- Summarize the key points of a larger data, report, or presentation to save time
- Provide a short, concise, and optimistic sketch of your organization that captures the attention of the audience
- Highlight the interesting milestones, strengths, and vision of a business that provokes the audience to learn more about the organization
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A guide to writing an executive summary.
Business leaders are busy — they like to know what they’re getting into before diving in. An executive summary is a great way to introduce a larger business document that will keep all parties interested and invested. If you’re looking to convey the most important aspects of a business plan or report, learning how to write an executive summary is crucial.
What is an executive summary?
An executive summary is a brief description (summarization) of a larger business document, and it’s usually the very first section of the paper. It can even be a standalone presentation or document you send to interested parties in hopes of encouraging them to take a more in-depth look at the rest of your document. An executive summary can span anywhere from a few paragraphs to several pages.
The goal is to summarize each section of the document that follows and provide any key information about the company, project, individual, or department. That way, you can share your executive summary with others to entice them to read the rest of your paper.
Why writing an executive summary is important.
An executive summary is an essential component of writing any business document, from business plans to research reports. Here are some of the key reasons why an executive summary is beneficial for different types of reports:
- Business plans. An executive summary in a business plan provides an overview of the business, including its objectives, target market, competition, financial projections, and growth plans. The summary helps investors and stakeholders quickly understand the business idea, evaluate its potential, and make informed decisions.
- Research reports. It’s essential to have an executive summary in a research report to summarize the research objectives, methodology, findings, and recommendations. The summary helps readers to quickly understand the research topic and its significance, assess the credibility of the research, and apply the insights to their work.
- Proposals. In a proposal, an executive summary summarizes the proposal’s key features, benefits, costs, and expected outcomes. The summary helps decision-makers quickly understand the proposal’s value proposition, assess its feasibility, and make informed decisions.
- White papers. An executive summary in a white paper provides an overview of the problem, the proposed solution, and the benefits of the solution. The summary helps readers quickly understand the issue, assess the credibility of the solution, and determine if the paper is worth reading in full.
Options: How to write an executive summary.
Now that you understand what should be included in an executive summary, let’s explore how to write one effectively. Depending on the type of document you’re creating, there are specific strategies to keep in mind. Below are some tips on how to write an executive summary for a proposal, business or marketing plan, and a research paper or case study.
How to write an executive summary for a proposal.
- Understand the purpose of your proposal, and tailor your executive summary format to that purpose.
- Begin with an attention-grabbing statement that summarizes the main idea of your proposal.
- Summarize the key features of your proposal, including the problem it addresses, the proposed solution, the benefits of the solution, and the costs and timeline involved.
- Emphasize the unique aspects of your proposal and the advantages it has over competing proposals.
- Include a call to action that encourages readers to take the next step, whether it’s accepting the proposal or scheduling a meeting to discuss it further.
How to write an executive summary for a business or marketing plan.
- Understand the purpose of your business or marketing plan, and tailor your executive summary format to that purpose.
- Begin with an attention-grabbing statement that summarizes the main idea of your plan.
- Summarize the key points. Your key points could include your target market, marketing objectives, strategies, tactics, budget, competition, financial projections, and growth plans.
- Emphasize the unique aspects of your business or marketing plan and the advantages it has over competing plans.
- Include a call to action that encourages readers to take the next step, whether it’s approving the plan, investing in your business, or requesting more information.
How to write an executive summary for a research paper or case study.
- Understand the purpose of your research paper or case study, and tailor your executive summary format to that purpose.
- Begin with an attention-grabbing statement that summarizes the main idea of your case study or research paper.
- Summarize the key points. For a research paper, the key points should include the research objectives, methodology, findings, and recommendations. For a case study, the key points should include the problem, solution, implementation, and results.
- Emphasize the unique aspects of your case study or the significance of your research and its potential impact on the field.
- Include a call to action that encourages readers to take the next step, whether it’s applying the lessons learned to their own situation, requesting more information citing your research, or conducting further research on the topic.
What to include in an executive summary.
Since you can use executive summaries in a wide variety of applications, there’s not always a standard format to follow. When writing an executive summary, consider which information to include based on the type of executive summary. For example, resume executive summaries might have different information than a business proposal executive summary.
Despite the variety, most executive summaries should cover at least a few key components:
- Summary or mission statement
- Problems and solutions
- Background information
- Market research
- Business model
- Financial information
- Recommendations to proceed
Some of these sections might not be relevant to your particular document, so you’re welcome to add or remove sections as needed. Just make sure you do include your paper, proposal, or resume’s essential information.
How long should an executive summary be?
The length of an executive summary can vary depending on the purpose and type of document it is summarizing. As a general rule of thumb, an executive summary should be no longer than 10% of the length of the entire document. For example, if your business plan is 20 pages long, your executive summary should be no more than 2 pages.
However, for certain types of documents, such as research papers or case studies, the executive summary may be shorter, spanning only a paragraph or two. The length of an executive summary for these types of documents will depend on the complexity and length of the original document, as well as the intended audience.
When is writing an executive summary beneficial?
Knowing when to write an executive summary can be as important as knowing how. A variety of business documents use executive summaries. Here are just a few of the most common applications:
- Business proposals
- Financial reports
- Sales reports
- Marketing proposals
- Professional resumes
If you have a business document that’s several pages long, it’s not a bad idea to include an executive summary to let interested parties know what the document is about before they take time out of their busy schedules to read it in its entirety. A summary can be especially useful when pitching your ideas to potential investors or clients.
Executive summary template.
Here is an example template for an executive summary:
- Introduction Briefly introduce the purpose of the document and provide context for the reader.
- Table of contents Write these in the form of a bulleted list.
- Problem or opportunity Identify the problem or opportunity the document addresses and why it’s important.
- Solution or recommendation Provide an overview of the proposed solution or recommendation.
- Benefits Describe the potential benefits of the proposed solution or recommendation.
- Market analysis (for business plans and marketing proposals) Discuss the target market, competition, and marketing strategy.
- Financial analysis (for business plans and financial reports) Present financial projections and analyses, including cash flow, profit and loss, and balance sheets.
- Conclusion Summarize the key points of the document and emphasize why the proposed solution or recommendation is the best option.
- Call to action Encourage the reader to take the next step, whether that be to invest in the business, approve the proposal, or continue reading the full document.
This is just an example template. The sections can be modified to fit the specific needs of the document. The key is to ensure that the executive summary provides a clear and concise overview of the larger document, highlighting the most important points and encouraging the reader to continue reading.
Making your document presentable when writing an executive summary.
An executive summary is, in a sense, a kind of presentation. To make it more engaging, many professionals choose to make executive summary presentations in Microsoft PowerPoint. That way, you can formally present the information and increase interest from all parties.
PowerPoint files aren’t always great for sharing. If you need to email or share your executive summary presentation, it’s best to convert your PowerPoint to a PDF first using an online PDF editor like the one found in Adobe Acrobat online services. How? Simply follow these three easy steps:
- Visit the PDF converter tool.
- Upload your executive summary PowerPoint.
- Download your converted PDF file.
Once downloaded, you can send your PDF executive summary to anyone without worrying about formatting or compatibility issues, no matter which device they use.
More resources on business reports and documents.
Now that you’ve learned how to write an executive summary, here are more resources on business reports and documents:
- Learn how to digitize documents .
- Learn how to collaborate on documents .
- Learn how to send secure PDFs.
- Learn how to redline a document before signing.
Discover what more you can do with Acrobat online services to simplify business document creation and management.
How To Write an Effective Executive Summary to Yield Results
By Kate Eby | April 3, 2018
Link copied
In this article, you'll learn how to craft an organized, well written executive summary the next time you have to gain the attention of a time-strapped audience.
Included on this page, you’ll find information on how to write an executive summary that wins the proposal, how to format your executive summary , an executive summary checklist , and more.
What Is the Purpose of the Executive Summary?
An executive summary should be clear and concise (typically one to two pages long) and present the main points in a formal tone. The purpose of an executive summary is to pique the reader’s curiosity by presenting facts from the larger piece of content it is summarizing.
The executive summary can be either a portion of a business document (a business plan, project proposal, or report) or long articles and documents common in research-driven communities and academia. When crafted correctly, the executive summary provides an overview of the information and objectives in the larger document. The executive summary stands alone from the content it summarizes, and should include the essential information, the recommendations, the findings, and the conclusion of the more extensive document.
The Benefits of a Well Written Executive Summary
A well planned, well written executive summary is a valuable tool because it prioritizes the reader’s time and reduces the effort required to learn the critical aspects of the content. The summary can convey the purpose of your business plan, project proposal, product launch presentation, or sales pitch to keep the reader engaged and reading further, or empowered to take action. Even if it is the only thing your audience reads, a strong executive summary creates value for the reader as a first impression. Use the executive summary to make a business case, support a position, or tell a story. The reader should know how the subject of your content impacts them, benefits their work, their company, or their projects after reading the executive summary.
Various industries use executive summaries as a communication tool, including healthcare, education, government, technology, real estate, finance, law, the nonprofit sector, and more. One of the benefits of using an executive summary is that it is not exclusive to one type of communication. Executive summaries show up in a variety of use cases, including the following:
Business plans
Legal briefs
Product launch plans
College campus surveys
Market research reports
Environmental studies
Project proposals
Hospital planning and evaluation
How to Write an Executive Summary
Crafting a useful executive summary requires more than simply cutting and pasting vital information from the body of your report or proposal. The executive summary may be the only part of the report your target audience reads, so you should spend the time to make it valuable.
It doesn’t have to be an intimidating process, but before you begin writing, you should ask the following critical questions:
Who depends on the information? When you write the executive summary, decide who you are targeting and the critical information that audience needs. What do they need to know to make a decision? What would they already know? Do you have a specific customer you want to reach with your message or story? Writing the executive summary with that audience in mind will make it useful because the story you’re telling about your business, project, or proposal will resonate.
What is the objective? While it’s true that an executive summary recaps essential information from the body of the content it summarizes, that is its function, not its purpose. Write the summary to your intended audience and include the crucial information that supports your objective for creating the document. What do you need the reader to understand? Is the aim to recommend change based on the results of your research? What needs to happen for the project plan to succeed based on your proposal? Let your objectives determine the content and context of your summary.
What are you recommending? Use the executive summary to draw conclusions and make recommendations to the reader. If your report presents the need for change, recommend the actions that the body of your document supports in the summary. State the benefits of your product or service, or the solutions you provide more detail on in the proposal. Ultimately, don’t make the reader work to find out what action they need to take: Make your recommendations clear in the executive summary.
How will you make an impression? The “executive” summary earned its name from the need to get the upper management’s attention. Executives did not have the time to read every word of every document. The summary had to make an impression because it might be the only part of the material that would be read. Regardless of its origins, the principle of using the summary to make an impression on the reader is sound, as that impression might encourage the reader to keep reading or take action. Consider how you shape the message, organize the sections of your summary, or present research to stand out in a brief space.
Executive Summary Checklist
After you answer these questions and begin writing your document, refer to the following checklist as you develop the executive summary.
Download Executive Summary Checklist
What Is the Format of an Executive Summary?
Every executive summary intends to distill information to the reader upfront, so it is typically placed first in the document. (Sometimes it is a separate section of a formal business document listed in the table of contents.)
When used in a less formal manner, the executive summary is an opening paragraph, a separate one-page summary memo, or the first page of a report. For example, if your goal is to raise capital, use the executive summary like an investor profile that provides the reader the information necessary to land the meeting or get the funding, without further reading.
The format and length vary based on the purpose of the content that you are summarizing; there is no set structure to follow. Here are some formatting tips that you can use for any executive summary, regardless of the style:
Order of Appearance : Beyond the introduction, decide what sections of the summary are most important to the purpose of the document. Organize your subheadings or sections in that order. Use bullet points and plenty of spacing between the different parts of the summary to make the content more accessible to scanning eyes. By doing so, you naturally discard information better left to the body of the document, and you honor the reader’s time by prioritizing the message, recommendations, conclusions, or solutions in the longer document.
How Much Is Too Much : Executive summaries vary in length based on the type of content they summarize or their purpose. Some recommend keeping the summary to a specific percentage of the overall document, while others advocate a set number of pages. Focus on keeping the summary brief but comprehensive, with the most important information available to the reader.
Audience Aim : The tone and language of the executive summary should match that of the target audience. Avoid using technical jargon that requires definitions, and present the information in an accessible manner based on the knowledge and expertise of your intended audience. Do not include acronyms or highlight data that need an extensive background for context, and avoid using casual, informal tones. That said, an executive summary used in internal communications will have a different tone and style than one used in external communication tools.
One-page Executive Summary Template
This template is designed to fit your executive summary on one page. Take advantage of the short sections and bullet points to keep the document concise and hook the reader with the information that will keep them reading. Organize the key points by customizing the subheadings to emphasize their importance based on your purpose for the document.
Download One-page Executive Summary Template
Excel | Word | PDF
What Are the Common Pitfalls of Executive Summaries?
When formatting and organizing the executive summary, beware of the following pitfalls that plague poorly written and poorly planned summaries:
Fact or Persuasion : Support your motives and the objective of the executive summary with the facts. If the summary is for a sales proposal or pitch deck, persuade your reader up front with data and information, not buzzwords and cliches. If the executive summary includes generalizations or opinions that you don't support within your material with market research, project examples, independent data, testimonials, etc., you risk misleading the reader. Avoid writing a summary that leads clients, policy makers, or management to an unsupported recommendation or conclusion for the sake of persuasion — instead, focus on the facts.
Relevance Over Repetition : By nature, the executive summary is a repetitive summary of content. Therefore, only include the most relevant details — those that summarize the true purpose of the overall content. Use the rest of your business plan, research report, or client proposal to cover topics relevant background information at length. If you try to cut and paste too much information and context from your longer business or research document into the summary, the details might overshadow the impression you want to make on the reader. The background becomes the introduction, and you risk losing a reader’s attention (especially an online audience).
Consistency Is Key : The executive summary highlights the substance of the larger piece of content. Don’t feature information here that is not covered in the body of the proposal. Avoid using different subheadings to organize copy in the body of the report. For example, if you highlight “Project Milestones” in the executive summary, do not list them in a new section for “Project Goals” in the business proposal. Use the tone and language you establish in the summary throughout the material. If you target an audience without expertise in the subject matter, don’t switch to highly technical analysis in the body copy. Finally, if you cover something in the executive summary, cover it again in the report. Don’t make the reader work to learn more about something you highlighted in the summary.
Draw a Clear Conclusion : Write an executive summary that comes to a conclusion and supports your purpose for creating the document. Keep the reader’s interest in mind when you summarize a lengthy project proposal or report. Does the reader have a clear understanding of the solutions you propose? Can they identify the problems you solve? If the executive summary is the only thing they read, can they take action on your recommendations or anticipate a desired outcome based on the information you included?
Executive Summary Outline Template - PowerPoint
Use this free template to outline your next big presentation, or keep it updated as a live meeting record to keep up with your evolving internal business plans or funding needs. The slides are formatted to outline the important elements of a formal business plan summary. You can customize the slides to fit the order of importance for your content’s purpose or extend each. Use the slides as an outline to keep track of the content you want to summarize after every update or draft of the report.
Download Executive Summary Outline Template - PowerPoint
What to Include in an Executive Summary
You will determine the components of each executive summary you write based on the reason for writing it and your target audience.
For example, a business plan for an external audience includes financial information and details on the size and scale of a company; startups seeking funding and investors will highlight specific financial requirements and how they impact the business strategy. Executive summaries vary in the content they cover, but here is a common framework:
Introduction : This opening statement, paragraph, or section should clearly state the document’s purpose and the content to follow. How you will use this section depends on the desired outcome for the reader or audience, who should immediately find value in the information you present. Therefore, the details included in the introduction should grab and hold the reader’s attention.
Company Information : When writing an executive summary for an external audience, include your company name, a description of your mission or purpose, contact information, location, and the size and scale of your operations. In some cases, the summary introduces the founders, investors, and corporate leadership. It might include background information of each that outlines previous industry or startup experience, or historical context on the current state of the company. When used in a presentation or research report, introduce the team presenting or responsible for the report’s findings.
Products and Services : The executive summary is the place to highlight the problem you solve or the need you fulfill. For a report, this is where you might highlight what you researched and what the reader should know about your findings. For a project proposal, include what you’re planning to accomplish and what you need to make it successful. For marketing plans or product launch presentations, tell the reader why your service or product is relevant at this particular moment in time.
Market Analysis : The executive summary of a business plan might profile the target customer and explain the market opportunity for a product or service. Consider answering questions like: Is there a five year plan for this market? How do you anticipate growing the customer base and improving market share? What stands out from your research about your customers that the reader should know?
Competition Analysis : This section should include answers to the following questions:
What is the competitive advantage of your proposed solution or product and who or what do you compete with in this market?
What are the opportunities now and in the future?
What are the risks in your market and your product or service?
Do you have relevant experience with major competitors?
What are the future plans for growth and what obstacles do you anticipate addressing?
Financials : The executive summary might summarize key financial data that is relevant to the reader or data that supports your research. If the purpose is to secure funding, include the specific amount you are requesting. Be sure to provide context for the financial data or any number you highlight in the executive summary. This section is a great way to highlight growth, or to use metrics to provide perspective on the company.
Conclusions : Recap your findings, the problem and solution discussed, or the project and work proposed. If there is a decision the reader needs to make, be direct about it. Make the outcomes obvious, but leave enough intrigue for the rest of the content to follow.
How Do You End An Executive Summary?
Although the executive summary begins a document, it concludes so that it can stand alone from the rest of the content and still be of value. Use the conclusion to recap your findings, make recommendations, and propose solutions to the problem.
If there is a decision you want the reader to make, ask make a call to action in this section. If you are summarizing a research report, summarize the findings and the research methods used to conclude the work. Make the outcomes or recommendations visible, but leave enough out to incentivize the audience to continue reading. Close the executive summary with a strong statement or transition that sets up the theme or central message to the story you tell in the report or proposal.
What Should Be in the Executive Summary of a Business Plan?
Traditional business plans differ in context and content based on if the audience is internal or external. Both audiences benefit from some of the previously discussed elements of the executive summary (like a substantial introduction).
However, the summary of an internal business plan does not require a section that introduces management or key personnel. An external business plan targets an audience that expects to find crucial financial information in the summary. When you develop the executive summary of the business plan, determine the information to include based on the audience and purpose of the document.
Business Plan Executive Summary Template
This executive summary template is designed to get your business plan noticed and reviewed. In this scenario, you’re presenting to an external audience and therefore should include more attention to detail with a standard business plan document. Use bullet points and clear, formal language to guide the reader to the most important information about your company.
Download Business Plan Executive Summary Template
Excel | Word | PDF | Smartsheet
You can find a variety of templates for various industries and needs by reading “Free Executive Summary Templates.”
What Should Be in an Executive Summary of a Report?
Josh Bernoff spent 20 years writing and editing reports for Forrester Research. He is an advocate of creating actionable reports that tell a story. He believes that the executive summary is crucial.
“If the report is a story, the right executive summary is the same story, written briefly,” writes Bernoff . He recommends imagining that your readers ask you questions like, “What’s the coolest stuff in this report?” and “What did you find out?” while writing the report.
“Your answer, written directly to the reader, is the executive summary,” Bernoff explains in his book.
The executive summary of a report requires vivid details that grab online readers’ attention in a hurry. According to Bernoff, the summary recaps the story you want to tell behind all the words in the report. Using this advice as a guidepost, consider including the following answers to these questions to create your report’s summary:
What is the central plot of your report?
Why is this story important?
What are the most memorable scenes (examples, data, case study results, etc.) from the different sections of the report?
How does your research address the story’s central conflict (the problem solved)?
How does your research support the story’s conclusion?
What actions does the story recommend the reader be aware of?
The executive summary of lengthy research reports — especially those used in academic articles, scientific journals, government studies, or healthcare initiatives — require additional formatting considerations and elements not found in business plans or proposals. Consider the following guidelines when developing the executive summary of a research report:
Present the sections of the executive summary in the same order as in the main report.
Do not include information or research that is not supported and presented in the body of the report.
Draw a conclusion with the executive summary that justifies the research and provides recommendations.
Use a tone and language to describe technical information that readers without advanced knowledge or expertise of the subject matter can understand.
Remember that an executive summary of a report is distinct from an abstract. Abstracts are shorter overviews of a report and are common in academia. They familiarize the reader with a synopsis of the research that is much shorter than an executive summary. You can also think of an abstract as a standalone statement that helps the reader determine if they will read on. The executive summary, by contrast, summarizes the research in a structure that includes the summary, methods, results, conclusions, and recommendations for the reader without necessarily having to read further.
Research Report Executive Summary Template
Use this template to create a synopsis of research results for reports — these will typically be longer than an executive summary for a business plan and proposal. The template is formatted to accommodate in-depth reports that need space for charts and tables to illustrate research data. It is designed to summarize technical information in a concise manner, with clear subheadings that communicate key findings to readers with various expertise and interest.
Download Research Report Executive Summary Template
Word | PDF
Get Funding with Your Executive Summary
Startups seeking capital investment from venture capital funds and angel investors can repurpose the executive summary from a business plan as a more concise, less formal investor profile.
This type of summary memo is stripped down and focused on the specific financial requirements and how the funding makes an impact on the business strategy. It is the perfect template to create a profile on investor platform websites like AngelList and Gust . Use the following tips to transform traditional business plan summaries into the pitch that lands you a meeting or funding:
Include the specific dollar amount you’re requesting, the purpose for the funds raised, and any relevant data such as repayment terms, collateral, equity share information, etc.
Keep the financial data simple and round to the nearest whole dollar amount.
List founders, partners, and key management personnel and highlight specific domain expertise or previous startup experience.
Describe your company’s growth plan and the proposed exit strategy.
Remove any industry buzzwords, meaningless phrases, and cliches (for example “the Uber of…,” “game-changing,” “disruptive,” “next Facebook,” “world-class,” etc.).
Mention noteworthy achievements, intellectual property, important business partnerships, or information on product development stages in test markets.
Describe work in progress and highlight relevant information about customer growth, market demand, and product development.
Startup Executive Summary Template
Transform your executive summary into an investor document with this template. It acts as a one-page pitch that serves as your company profile on investor platforms. You can repurpose this template and save it as a PDF summary memo to land future meetings with investors. For more information on business plans for startups, including free budget templates, read “ Free Startup Plan, Budget & Cost Templates .”
Download Startup Executive Summary Template
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COMMENTS
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.
An executive summary slide is a one- or two-page overview of a much longer presentation added to the start of a deck. The goal is to provide a reader with the main messages, so they don't have to read the entire communication. Executive summary slides often retain the horizontal orientation of the rest of the slide deck.
Download the slide deck collection (.zip) 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.
An executive summary should ideally have these sections: A generic introduction and explanation of the important points to be discussed A statement of the main issue Handpicked outcomes, recommendations, etc. The importance of the points discussed. You are likely to present this summary to other stakeholders.
In this video, I (former Bain & Company Manager) will share the benefits of using Executive Summaries in business presentations and how to craft effective Ex...
Make the executive summary focused and simple, by using short paragraphs or bullets, and subheadings. Placement of the Summary The executive summary slide should be the last thing you should write when making the presentation. With every revision, the summary needs an update.
In general, there are four parts to any executive summary: Start with the problem or need the document is solving. Outline the recommended solution. Explain the solution's value. Wrap up with a conclusion about the importance of the work. Free cross-functional project template What is an executive summary in project management?
How to Create an Executive Summary Raise your hand if you have ever sat through a presentation and walked away not understanding its core message. Now, raise your hand if you've ever asked an employee to give you a project briefing, only for them to bury you in data, facts and graphics.
Audience The executive summary presentation is directed at executives like the top-level managers and decision-making parties, so the included facts must be relevant. Purpose Executives use the summary to decide whether or not to move forward on the proposal, so the presentation must be convincing. Structure
In this article we'll provide 3 best practices for creating an effective summary in PowerPoint: 1) create a brief summary of your presentation including the key points; 2) identify and summarize each section of your presentation; 3) highlight the main takeaway and how it solves the problem. Not sure where to start?
In the executive summary, show how this particular project fits into the overall strategy for the company or the section it belongs to. If, for example, your project is about TikTok Marketing, offer information as to how it fits in the overall marketing strategy. Project Overview. Continue the presentation with a project overview to show the ...
First, it satisfies the desire of the boss to see a slide called Executive Summary. Usually when your boss asks you for something, it is a good idea to do it their way (at least initially)....
At SlideModel, we make sure that all our executive summary templates and slide objects are fully editable in PowerPoint, Google Slides, Keynote and OpenOffice. The templates are offered in different sizes and colours, even for advanced editing objects (points and curves), making our templates the best choice for creating an executive summary.
1. Executive - Business PowerPoint Presentation The first executive summary template for PPT on the list has a modern and clean design. Aside from an executive summary slide, you'll also find a ton of other slides to create a stellar presentation about your company. The template comes with: 40 unique slides designed in widescreen resolution
Let the audience know what the plan is, such as five minutes dedicated to the presentation and the next 25 to questions. Summarize upfront. Use the inverted pyramid method and lead with all the information the audience cares about from the start. Then move onto the supporting details and background information.
The customizable PowerPoint slides feature an executive summary template and an outline that you can turn into the separate sections of your presentation. The customizable slides are formatted to outline the important elements of a formal business plan summary.
There are several effective ways to create an executive summary: Advertisement Choose one or two key points that you want to highlight. These will usually be the most important points in your document, so make sure they are highlighted prominently. Use active and descriptive language when discussing these key points.
How To Write An Executive Summary | Executive Summary Templates Included | Executive Summary Example SlideUpLift 1.39K subscribers Subscribe 3.5K views 2 years ago Download The Templates -...
A robust executive summary powerpoint template creates value for the audience as a great first impression and generates interest in viewing the rest of the presentation. You can take inspiration from these executive summary PPT templates/examples to make professional presentation summaries.
Make your executive summary presentable. An executive summary is, in a sense, a kind of presentation. To make it more engaging, many professionals choose to make PowerPoint executive summary presentations. That way, you can formally present the information and increase interest from all parties. Of course, PPT PowerPoint files aren't great ...
An executive summary should be clear and concise (typically one to two pages long) and present the main points in a formal tone. The purpose of an executive summary is to pique the reader's curiosity by presenting facts from the larger piece of content it is summarizing. The executive summary can be either a portion of a business document (a ...