Exercise · Presentation Skills for Managers
One Number, One Conclusion
Learn to turn data into a conclusion that is clear in three seconds.
Time20 minutes
ParticipantsTables of 3–4
Materials6 data cards
From the trainingPresentation Skills for Managers
Why this exercise
A table on a slide is homework for the listener: "work out for yourselves what matters here". A strong speaker does that work in advance: chooses the number that matters for the decision and says what it means. Participants get cards with realistic-looking data — staff turnover, a project budget, sales by region — and write a conclusion headline instead of a topic headline. Not "Staff turnover trend" but "We lose four out of ten new hires in their first year".
How to run it
- Give each table two data cards.
- 8 minutes: for each card write a conclusion headline — one sentence you would say to a senior manager.
- 8 minutes: tables read out their headlines, the group picks the clearest.
- 4 minutes: everyone writes a conclusion headline for one number from their own talk.
Debrief questions
- How is a conclusion headline different from a topic headline?
- What is a good comparison to make a number clear?
- Which number in your talk should come off the slide?
Tips for the facilitator
- A hint for the group: comparison helps — with last year, with the plan, with something familiar ("seven hours a week is almost a full working day").
- The group's version may be stronger than the key: what matters is that it is a conclusion, not a topic.
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