A walking deck presentation is a hybrid communication tool that blends the conciseness of slides with the depth of a written document. Designed to be self-explanatory, walking decks allow the audience to digest the content independently without a presenter guiding them. This format originated from the need to share detailed information efficiently, especially in scenarios where face-to-face presentations are impractical.
In today’s article, we’ll learn what it takes to build a successful walking deck, why your organization should implement one, and how it compares to common slide decks.
Table of Contents
- Walking Deck vs Slide Deck
- Who Can Use a Walking Deck?
- How to Create a Walking Deck Step-by-Step
- Use Cases for Walking Decks
- Recommended Walking Deck PPT Templates
- FAQs
- Final Words
Walking Deck vs Slide Deck
It is important to highlight the difference between a walking deck and a slide deck because, although similar, they target different purposes and they are designed to meet specific communication needs.
A slide deck is the traditional presentation format most people are familiar with, often created using PowerPoint templates or Google Slides. It is intended to accompany a live presentation where a speaker guides the audience through the content. The slides act as visual cues and highlights, emphasizing key points without overwhelming the viewer with information. Typically, slide decks feature bullet points, concise phrases, images, charts and graphs. The presenter’s role is crucial, as they provide the narrative and context that links the slides together, filling in gaps and elaborating on brief points displayed on the screen.
In contrast, a walking deck is a self-contained presentation designed to be read independently by the audience without the need for a presenter. Also known as a “slide doc,” it combines elements of a traditional slide presentation with the depth of a written report. Walking decks are distributed for individual review, often via email or shared platforms, allowing recipients to absorb the information at their own pace. They are crafted with detailed explanations, comprehensive data, and contextual information embedded within the slides. This format ensures the reader fully understands the content without additional verbal commentary.
The primary difference between the two lies in their level of detail and reliance on a presenter. Slide decks are intentionally minimalistic in text, relying on the speaker to expand on the points and engage the audience through dialogue and interaction. They are designed to keep the audience’s attention focused on the speaker, with the slides serving as a visual aid rather than the sole source of information. Overloading slides with text in a slide deck can be counterproductive, as it may distract the audience from the presenter’s message and lead to disengagement.
Walking decks, on the other hand, emphasize thoroughness and clarity within the slides themselves. They are formatted to include complete sentences, detailed explanations, and fully labeled visuals. The design often mirrors that of a well-organized report or document, broken down into slide format for easy reading. The content is self-explanatory, allowing readers to grasp complex concepts without external input. Visual elements like charts and images are still utilized but are accompanied by descriptive captions and analyses that aid in understanding. In some points, they share aspects with McKinsey presentations.
Another key distinction is in their use cases and distribution methods. Slide decks are optimal for live settings such as meetings, conferences, or workshops where immediate interaction is possible. They facilitate real-time engagement, questions, and adaptability based on audience reactions. Walking decks are suited for situations where face-to-face presentations are impractical or when reaching a dispersed audience is necessary. They ensure consistent messaging across all recipients, reducing the risk of miscommunication with different presenters or interpretations.
Who Can Use a Walking Deck?
Walking decks cater to a broad spectrum of professionals and organizations across various industries. Consultants and analysts are the main users of this type of presentation because they can introduce detailed findings, recommendations, and data analysis to clients.
Marketing and sales professionals can leverage walking decks in business pitches, especially when face-to-face meetings are not feasible. The walking deck presentation acts as a comprehensive brochure that visually delivers value propositions clearly and concisely.
For the education industry, there are multiple usages, such as a career walking deck, in which mentors can help students or young professionals acknowledge what they need to focus on to progress in their professional lives. Due to the self-explanatory nature of walking decks, educators can distribute instructional materials or course contents to students—this is an ideal medium for remote learning environments or as presentation handouts for supplementing in-person courses.
Startups and entrepreneurs often employ walking decks when seeking investment or partnerships. A well-crafted walking deck can effectively communicate a business plan, market analysis, and financial projections to potential investors who may review numerous proposals.
How to Create a Walking Deck Step-by-Step
Any walking deck presentation should start with a compelling title page that captures the essence of your presentation. You should include your name, position, company logo, and the date.
To create the introduction slide, presenters need to state the background information, including a problem statement and the presentation’s purpose. They should also explain why the topic is important and its relationship with potential readers.
The executive summary in a walking deck presentation provides an overview of the main points, objectives, findings, and recommendations. If you intend to reduce the text count, use icons or infographics.
Next, we need to offer an agenda slide or table of contents that illustrates each point with their corresponding page numbers. This serves as a navigational aid to help readers locate specific content, mostly if we consider the walking deck will be seen in non-live scenarios.
The body slides should cover one specific point per slide, in logically organized sections. Headings and subheadings can be used to guide the reader through arguments and analysis.
The conclusion slide should summarize key takeaways and include a powerful call to action that doesn’t require live input. This can be done by adding contact information or mentioning the steps to follow in the recommendation format.
Finally, supplementary material such as detailed tables, additional resources, or methodologies should be included in the appendices without cluttering the presentation.
Enhance your presentation with relevant visuals that complement the text. Use charts, graphs, and images to illustrate key points and make complex data more accessible. Ensure each visual is high-quality, properly labeled, and directly related to the content. Include captions or brief explanations so readers understand the significance of the visual without ambiguity.
Choose a clean, professional design that aligns with your brand or the tone of your presentation. Consistency is key—use the same fonts, color schemes, and formatting styles throughout the deck. Pay attention to layout, ensuring enough white space to prevent pages from cluttering. A well-designed deck looks appealing, enhances readability, and helps maintain the reader’s interest. Footer notes can help readers understand the content in your slides.
Use Cases for Walking Decks
We may ask ourselves when walking decks are applicable in real life. Well, let’s review two well-documented cases of walking deck PPTs in large corporations.
Netflix
In 2009, Netflix released a comprehensive presentation titled “Netflix Culture: Freedom & Responsibility.” This 127-presentation deck articulated the company’s culture, values, and operational principles. It has become an stellar example of a walking deck due to its self-explanatory nature and widespread influence.
Netflix used the walking deck to communicate its unique corporate culture to employees, externally, potential hires, and the public, reinforcing its brand value. The deck was crafted to provide detailed explanations, anecdotes, and philosophical values that define how Netflix operates. As of 2024, over 20 million viewers have checked the document via SlideShare, influencing organizations to rethink their cultural frameworks.
Amazon
Jeff Bezos adopted a unique meeting approach by replacing the traditional slide presentations with six-page narrative memos. These documents function as walking decks, designed to be read and understood independently by meeting participants.
The narratives provide in-depth explanations of ideas, proposals, or project updates, allowing participants to engage with the material more thoughtfully. Meetings begin with silent reading periods, after which discussions are more focused and productive since everyone has a shared understanding.
Recommended Walking Deck PPT Templates
Finally, we would like to recommend the following walking deck PowerPoint and Google Slides templates to speed up your presentation design process. All these templates are entirely editable.
1. Board Walking Deck PowerPoint Template
Intended for board meeting presentations, this slide layout can help you summarize the content in terms of key metrics, graphs, charts, highlights, lowlights, and more. You can customize this best PPT template to add more slides, listing a bigger text count.
2. Annual Report Walking Deck PPT Slides
Picture your organization delivering the information for their annual sales performance or annual reports by department. This walking deck template for PowerPoint can help you create an engaging and clear presentation summarizing the fiscal year’s main aspects.
3. Company Investment Proposal Walking Deck Template
Now, suppose you’re preparing a slide deck to pitch potential investors about your value proposal, business model, growth metrics, and more. Use this walking deck PPT template to clearly illustrate all the required points that investors must understand prior to a meeting with your team.
4. Corporate Walking Deck Template for PowerPoint
This is a ready-made design for any kind of corporate presentation. Its clean layout helps us create a compelling walking deck with plenty of details for a powerful pitch. This easy-to-customize PowerPoint template can benefit both business professionals and consultants.
FAQs
A walking deck presentation is a self-contained document designed to be read independently without a presenter. It combines detailed text, visuals, and data in a slide format, allowing readers to understand the content thoroughly at their own pace.
Walking decks are ideal when you need to communicate complex information to an audience that cannot attend a live presentation. They are useful for reports, proposals, updates, and situations where recipients need to digest the information independently.
Include enough text to convey your message clearly but avoid overwhelming the reader. Use paragraphs and bullet points to break up information, and ensure each slide focuses on a single idea or theme.
Charts and Graphs: To represent data.
Infographics: To simplify complex information.
Images and Icons: To illustrate concepts.
Diagrams and Flowcharts: To show processes or relationships.
Generally, avoid animations and transitions, as they may not function properly when the deck is viewed on different devices or printed. Walking decks should be static to ensure consistent readability.
The length depends on the complexity of the topic, but it should be as concise as possible while covering all necessary information. Aim for clarity and avoid unnecessary content.
Yes, walking decks are effective for investor pitches, especially when investors need to review materials on their own time.
PDF is recommended because it preserves formatting and is universally accessible across devices and platforms.
Yes, content from a walking deck can be adapted for reports, articles, blog posts, or live presentations, ensuring consistency across your communications.
Update your deck whenever there are significant changes to the information, data, or context to keep it current and relevant. This is particularly important for investor pitches.
While walking decks are valuable for independent reading, they may not fully replace the interactive benefits of live presentations.
Final Words
As we have seen, creating a walking deck involves a different approach to the conventional brief and straight-to-the-point slide decks. Yet, that doesn’t imply adding information to make a huge deck that can bore its potential readers. Follow the steps in our guide to create an effective walking deck presentation and let data align the interests of stakeholders in your organization or prospective clients.
