Build a Proposal the Client Can Examine

Write the proposed decision in one ordinary sentence before drafting slides. An invitation to discuss a possible approach is different from approval to begin a defined piece of work. Identify the reader who will examine the presentation and the actual route through which a decision would be made. The storyboard should not imply that someone attending a meeting has authority to commit their organisation.

State what information the reader needs for that particular decision. A preliminary discussion may need a clear problem, a candidate approach and unresolved dependencies. It does not need an invented commercial offer or a prediction of savings. If the decision really involves regulated advice, procurement conditions or binding terms, keep those matters in their actual authorised processes. Do not simplify them into an attractive slide merely to keep the narrative moving.

Place the decision sentence on the first storyboard card and return to it at the end. These cards can use different wording while asking the same question. If the beginning invites exploration and the ending demands approval, the proposal has changed its request without explaining why. A consistent question gives the rest of the storyboard a test: does this card help the reader assess that question, or does it serve only to impress? The answer determines whether the material belongs in the main presentation, a supporting note or a separate conversation that has not yet taken place.