A winning pitch deck takes time to write, and it isn’t a process you can rush, if you want it to be good. However, from my own experience I have put together 10 hacks which I think speed up the process without compromising on quality.
Be Prepared – I have put together the six-pitch prep ‘S’s which you should do before you start creating your deck.
Set a deadline – There is no greater motivator than a due date.
Use a template – Start with a template so you aren’t starting from scratch and use google slides to make it even faster.
Share the load – Apps like google slides allow multiple people to edit the same presentation, so you can divide up the workload and get it done faster.
Manage the process – Hold yourself accountable with regular reviews.
Get help – Every office has a PowerPoint whizz. Find that person and get them involved.
Start ugly – The deck doesn’t have to be polished from the first draft. Let it be ugly to start with and become refined over time.
Manage your versions – Maintain well-structured and well-named versions of the slide deck.
Track your PDFs – As you create and distribute PDFs of your deck, archive them and keep them separate from your working document.
Bring in a designer – Towards the end it can be beneficial to bring a designer in to apply a final polish to the presentation.
Get feedback – Once the presentation starts to come together seek some feedback from trusted external parties.
You cannot rush the process to create a pitch deck but there are steps you can take to make it faster and get to a polished presentation faster.