Start from the clock, not from the slides
The most common way to fail a case study presentation has nothing to do with slides. You run out of time before the recommendation — the part the rubric rewards most. So the first decision is not "what should I put on slide 4?" It is: how many minutes does each part of the argument get?
The proportions below hold for 10, 15 and 20 minute briefings. Whatever the total, roughly a third of it goes to analysis and about a fifth to the recommendation, because those two carry the marks.
| Section | 10 min | 15 min | 20 min | Job of this part |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Opening & agenda | 1 min | 1.5 min | 2 min | Name the case, the decision at stake, your roadmap |
| Case situation | 2 min | 3 min | 4 min | Only the facts the analysis will use |
| Analysis | 3 min | 4.5 min | 6 min | Frameworks, evidence, the core problem |
| Options & recommendation | 2.5 min | 3.5 min | 5 min | Options compared, one chosen, why |
| Conclusion & ask | 0.5 min | 1 min | 1.5 min | Restate, invite questions |
| Q&A buffer | 1 min | 1.5 min | 1.5 min | Slippage plus first questions |
Timing planner: split your minutes
Set your target length, then adjust each section. The bar shows your talk as it will actually feel — segments too thin are the ones you will rush. Nothing you enter leaves the page.
Presentation timing planner
100% private — runs in your browserAdd minutes to at least one section to see the plan.
Read the verdict honestly. If the bar says you are 4 minutes over, something must go — and the first casualty should be case background, never the recommendation. A talk that ends exactly on the decision reads as confident; one that gets cut off mid-option reads as unprepared.
Slide rules that keep the room awake
Slides exist to prompt you and to show evidence. Everything else is decoration the audience reads instead of listening. Four rules cover most of it:
- The 6×6 guideline. At most six bullets per slide, around six words per bullet. Some presenters stretch the word count a little; keep the bullet count honest.
- One message per slide. If the title cannot finish the sentence "this slide proves…", split the slide.
- Evidence beats adjectives. A small table from the case exhibit, a two-column comparison of options, or the SWOT quadrant that matters — visual proof, not clip art.
- Speaker notes, not scripts. Put the full sentences in the notes field. If you read the slide word for word, the audience reads ahead and stops hearing you.
Count of slides follows the clock: for a 10-minute talk, plan eight to ten slides including the title and closing slide — roughly one minute each, with the analysis slides getting more. A 20-minute talk runs 14 to 16. If your deck has more, you are storing time debt.
Slide-by-slide outline generator
Set your length, audience and emphasis; the generator below assembles an ordered slide plan with a note for each slide. Copy it straight into your deck software as a starting skeleton — the case-specific evidence comes from you.
Slide outline generator
Nothing you choose leaves your deviceYour slide plan will appear here — pick the three options above and press generate.
The 8-step rehearsal checklist
Rehearsal is not about memorising. It is about finding the two minutes you do not have and the sentence you always stumble on — before the professor finds them. Two full runs with a timer beat ten silent reads.
- Write the first sentence of the talk word for word and say it out loud from memory — the opening is where nerves live.
- Run the full talk with a timer once. Write down the actual time per section.
- Cut or merge whatever you rushed. If you cannot say a slide's content in its budget, the slide has two ideas in it.
- Add exhibit or page numbers to evidence slides so you can cite them in the Q&A without shuffling.
- Say your recommendation as one sentence — decision, reason, first step. If it takes three sentences, it is not ready.
- Write the opening line for each of the six tough answers in the flip cards below.
- Run the talk a second time, standing, with the timer — and keep 30 seconds of slack at the end.
- Prepare the handout or appendix slides with your frameworks, if the brief allows them, and load them on the room's machine if you can.
The 6 questions that sink case study presenters
Every case presentation meets versions of these six questions. Flip each card: the front is the question, the back is the shape of an answer that holds up. You are not memorising scripts — you are practising the move each one needs.
"Your recommendation costs too much. Why should we approve it?"
Tap to flip
"Why did you choose this framework and not another one?"
Tap to flip
"What would change your recommendation?"
Tap to flip
"Isn't this just a symptom of a bigger problem?"
Tap to flip
"Can you quantify the benefits?"
Tap to flip
"With more time, what would you have done differently?"
Tap to flip
A pattern sits underneath all six: restate the question in neutral words, answer the strongest honest version of it, point at a slide when you can, and say plainly what you would check when you cannot. Defensiveness loses more Q&As than ignorance does.
What graders actually score in a case presentation
Most presentation rubrics score four or five rows. The table maps the common ones to where you prove them.
| Rubric row | What it means | Where you prove it |
|---|---|---|
| Content & analysis | Evidence-based diagnosis, not opinion; frameworks interpreted | Analysis slides, exhibits cited |
| Recommendation | One clear decision, justified, feasible | Options + recommendation slide |
| Delivery | Eye contact, pace, no reading from slides | The two rehearsals |
| Timing | Finished inside the limit with the argument complete | The timing plan + buffer |
| Q&A handling | Calm, specific, honest about limits | The six answer moves |
If your talk is part of a written assignment too, the how to write a case study guide covers the paper side — the eight sections, the executive summary template and the rubric decode transfer directly to slides.
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A quoted, deadline-bound writer can build the presentation and speaker notes from your case and brief — you set the topic, length and deadline, and see the price before you commit.
Frequently asked questions
How many slides for a 10-minute case study presentation?
Eight to ten including the title and closing slide — roughly one per minute, with the analysis slides taking more time each. If your deck runs longer, the slides are holding content that belongs in speaker notes or a handout.
What is the 6×6 rule, exactly?
A common classroom guideline: no more than six bullets per slide and about six words per bullet. It keeps slides in the prompt business instead of the script business. Some speakers stretch the word limit slightly; the six-bullet half is the part that actually protects attention.
Should I put my full analysis table on a slide?
Only the rows that carry your argument. A full-page matrix from the case gets a squinting audience; highlight the two cells you discuss, and put the complete table in an appendix slide you can jump to if asked.
What do I do if I run out of time mid-talk?
Skip forward — do not speed up. Jump to the recommendation slide and land it properly. A completed argument with a missing middle scores better than a complete tour that dies before the decision.
How do I handle a hostile question?
Thank the asker, restate the question in neutral words, then answer the strongest honest version of it. Cite a slide or exhibit when you have one, and when you do not, say exactly what you would need to check. Calm beats clever in every Q&A.
Did this help you prep?