How to Make Presentations Like Roland Berger [A Guide]
- Ink Narrates | The Presentation Design Agency
- Sep 5, 2025
- 6 min read
A few weeks ago, our client Jerry asked us a simple but sharp question while we were creating his presentation. He asked,
“What makes Roland Berger decks look so clear and convincing compared to others?”
Our Creative Director replied,
“They strip everything down to logic and clarity, then design around it.”
As a presentation design agency, we work on many strategy-style decks throughout the year and in the process, we’ve observed one common challenge: people overload slides with analysis but forget the clarity of the story.
So, in this blog we’ll talk about how you can create presentations that carry the same sharpness, authority, and confidence as Roland Berger decks.
In case you didn't know, we specialize in only one thing: making presentations. We can help you by designing your slides and writing your content too.
What Makes Roland Berger Presentations Stand Out
If you’ve ever skimmed through a Roland Berger deck, you’ll notice something instantly. It doesn’t look like a random collection of charts thrown together. It feels like a guided tour. Every slide has a reason to exist, every chart has a clear takeaway, and the entire flow is built to move you from confusion to clarity.
At the core, Roland Berger presentations stand out for three things:
Clarity of Narrative
They don’t try to impress with jargon. The slides tell a logical story that builds from problem to insight to recommendation.
Visual Discipline
The design isn’t flashy. It’s disciplined. Charts are clean, colors are restrained, and layouts are sharp. You’ll rarely find decorative clutter.
Authority in Simplicity
Their decks don’t scream for attention. Instead, they earn it by making complex analysis look effortless. That quiet authority is what makes the audience lean in.
This combination is what keeps their decks in a different league. And if you want to replicate it, you need to focus less on “what you have” and more on “what your audience needs to understand.”
For example, let's look at this presentation from Roland Berger...
How to Make Presentations Like Roland Berger
If you want your presentation to feel like a Roland Berger deck, you need to accept one uncomfortable truth: it’s not about the slides. It’s about the discipline behind the slides. The frameworks, the logic, and the choices you make before you even open PowerPoint. Most presentations fall apart because people rush into design without fixing the thinking. Roland Berger never makes that mistake.
Here’s how you can build with the same discipline and presence.
1. Start With the Problem, Not the Data
Too many presenters dump numbers on a slide and hope the audience connects the dots. That never works. What Roland Berger does instead is start with the problem. Every presentation opens with clarity around what we’re solving for. The data is there to support the argument, not overwhelm it.
So before you touch your first slide, ask yourself:
What is the exact problem we’re addressing?
Why does it matter?
What’s at stake if it’s not solved?
Write those answers down. They become the foundation of your storyline. Without them, your slides will feel like disconnected information, no matter how well-designed they are.
2. Craft a Logical Storyline
Roland Berger decks don’t wander. They move like a train track. One slide leads directly into the next. If you want to replicate this, build your deck around a storyline instead of topics.
A simple but powerful storyline goes like this:
Problem: Define the challenge.
Drivers: Show what’s causing it.
Insights: Highlight the key findings.
Options: Lay out possible solutions.
Recommendation: State your proposed path forward.
Every slide should serve one of these steps. If a slide doesn’t, cut it. Brutal editing is not optional. It’s what keeps your deck sharp and believable.
3. Use the Pyramid Principle Without Calling It That
Roland Berger presentations use structured communication at their core. The famous “pyramid principle” is at play, even if they don’t say it out loud. The main point comes first, then supporting arguments, then data.
Think of it like this:
Each slide should have one single headline message.
That message should be proven by 2 to 4 pieces of evidence.
The evidence should be made digestible through charts, visuals, or short bullets.
When you design like this, every slide becomes a mini-argument. By the time your audience reaches the end, they’ve been convinced step by step, without realizing they were being led.
4. Design for Readability, Not Decoration
One mistake people make when copying consulting decks is thinking it’s about fancy visuals. It isn’t. Roland Berger slides are almost boring at first glance, but they win because they are so easy to read.
Here’s how to match that clarity:
Use restrained colors: Stick to a limited palette. Usually blues, grays, and one accent.
Limit fonts: One font family, two weights max.
Keep spacing generous: Crowded slides scream amateur.
Use charts with intent: Only include a chart if it proves a point, not because it looks nice.
Cut visual noise: No unnecessary icons, stock images, or animations.
The idea is that the design disappears, and the message shines. That’s when your audience trusts you.
5. Turn Data Into Insights
Raw numbers don’t persuade anyone. Roland Berger presentations always translate data into meaning. They don’t show you a chart and leave you to interpret it. They show you the chart and tell you what matters.
Here’s the formula they follow:
Show the chart: The visual representation of data.
Write the key takeaway: One sentence that says what the chart proves.
Explain why it matters: Connect it back to the larger problem or solution.
For example: If the chart shows declining customer retention, the headline won’t be “Customer retention trend.” It will be “Customer retention has dropped 20% in 3 years, driven by competitor loyalty programs.” That level of clarity is what separates good decks from great ones.
6. Respect Your Audience’s Attention
Roland Berger decks don’t assume the audience will sit through 80 slides of detail. They structure information so the big picture is clear even if the audience tunes out halfway.
Here’s how you do it:
Executive summary upfront: Lay out the story in 3 to 5 slides at the beginning.
Detailed backup later: Keep your deep-dive analysis in an appendix for those who want it.
One idea per slide: Never overload. If a slide feels heavy, break it into two.
Consistent slide headlines: Write headlines as conclusions, not labels.
This approach respects your audience’s time and makes your message land even if you don’t get to finish the full deck.
7. Obsess Over Slide Headlines
If you only copy one habit from Roland Berger, copy this one: write better headlines. Most presentations use labels like “Market size” or “Competitive landscape.” Roland Berger uses headlines like “Market will double by 2030, driven by digital adoption.” See the difference?
The first one tells you what’s on the slide. The second one tells you why the slide matters. The audience should understand your story just by reading your headlines. If they don’t, you need to rewrite them.
8. Cut Until It Hurts
The reason Roland Berger decks feel sharp is because they are ruthless about cutting. They don’t keep slides because “we worked hard on this analysis.” They only keep slides that move the story forward.
Ask yourself:
Does this slide add new information?
Does it prove a key point in the argument?
Will the story collapse if I remove it?
If the answer is no, cut it. Yes, it hurts. But it hurts less than boring your audience with unnecessary detail.
9. Build for Confidence, Not Performance
The final difference in Roland Berger decks is confidence. They don’t try to entertain. They don’t over-sell. They lay out the case with calm authority. That tone is powerful because it respects the intelligence of the audience.
To replicate this, stop trying to “wow” people with flashy design tricks or overcomplicated charts. Focus on clarity, logic, and confidence. Your audience doesn’t need a performance. They need trust in your thinking.
Why Hire Us to Build your Presentation?
If you're reading this, you're probably working on a presentation right now. You could do it all yourself. But the reality is - that’s not going to give you the high-impact presentation you need. It’s a lot of guesswork, a lot of trial and error. And at the end of the day, you’ll be left with a presentation that’s “good enough,” not one that gets results. On the other hand, we’ve spent years crafting thousands of presentations, mastering both storytelling and design. Let us handle this for you, so you can focus on what you do best.