Mastering Influence with McKinsey's Storyline Strategy: The SCQA Method Revealed

The Art of Influence in Consulting: McKinsey's Approach to Client Storylines

When elite consulting firms like McKinsey & Company take on a project, their ultimate aim is to convince clients to act on their advice—not to create another forgotten presentation. Their success hinges on influential storytelling, crafted into a compelling slide deck that prompts decision-makers to take meaningful steps toward a solution. This article delves into McKinsey's persuasive secret: the artfully structured storyline.

The Power of the Storyline

A powerful storyline is the heartbeat of an effective presentation. Much like a narrative in a bestselling novel or a blockbuster film, the storyline in a business context must captivate and motivate the audience to action. McKinsey, along with other top firms such as BCG and Bain, have honed this process into a science, using a universal storyline structure that can be applied across various contexts.

The SCQA Framework

The SCQA (Situation, Complication, Question, and Answer) or its variant, the SCR (Situation, Complication, Resolution) structure, is the backbone of McKinsey's strategy. Found in storytelling across cultures and mediums, this framework is composed of:

• Situation: Establishing context and introducing the topic or problem.
• Complication: Presenting the challenges and explaining the negative implications.
• Question (SCQA): An implied inquiry about potential solutions to the problem.
• Resolution: Offering specific solutions or recommendations to address the challenges.

By adhering to this structure, consultants can lead their audience through a logical progression from problem identification to proposed solutions, ensuring clarity and persuasiveness.

Applying the SCQA Structure in Practice

An examination of McKinsey's work with King County, Seattle, on their homelessness challenge showcases the SCQA method in action. The slide deck produced for this project serves as a textbook example, breaking down neatly into the SCQA components:

1. Situation: Homelessness is a critical issue in King County.
2. Complication: The problem is worsening due to rental costs outpacing incomes.
3. Resolution: Investment in affordable housing is a cost-effective solution to the homelessness crisis.

Crafting Your Own Influential Storylines

When creating a storyline, the process should begin after comprehensive analysis and synthesis, once conclusions or recommendations are ready. The focus at this stage is to package these findings compellingly. McKinsey employs a 'dot-dash' structure in Word documents, which makes the storyline clearer and simplifies iterations:

• Dots: Key statements or conclusions.
• Dashes: Supporting data or evidence.

This approach ensures that each main point is substantiated by data, making the narrative both credible and convincing.

Building the Slide Deck

Once the storyline is refined and finalized, it’s time to translate it into a slide deck. Key to this process are two complementary flows:

• Horizontal Flow: Ensures that reading the slide titles alone narrates the full storyline.
• Vertical Flow: Confirms that the details within each slide fully support its corresponding title.

Using the dot-dash framework, the 'dots' become the action titles of the slides, while the 'dashes' are transformed into supporting charts and visualizations within the slide body.

Final Thoughts

Understanding and applying the SCQA framework is a valuable skill not only for consultants but for anyone looking to influence decision-making and inspire action through presentations. By crafting a clear and logical storyline, supported by data, and presented in a visually compelling format, you can significantly elevate your persuasive power in any business setting.

For a deeper dive into this methodology and how it can be applied to your presentations, consider exploring executive-level consulting courses that offer hands-on training in creating impactful slide decks.

To see the full breakdown and application of McKinsey's storytelling approach in action, you can watch the original video tutorial here.