How to Simplify Your Strategy Down to a Single, Clear Visualization

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1:06My colleague and I analyzed more than 650 of these acquisition announcements by US companies. And we found one factor that consistently swayed those reactions. Whether the CEO included a clear visualization of the strategy behind the deal. When they did, investors were twice as likely to respond positively. But here's the problem. Most strategy visuals aren't designed to have impact. This is what we often see. All the right information is there, but it's cluttered and disconnected. There's no clear flow, so people can't follow the logic. Now, look at this version. Same content, but instantly clearer.

1:41You can see the story. Resources and capabilities on the left, the value proposition in the middle, and the customer segment on the right. It flows logically, like a narrative. There's real science behind this. More than half of the brain is devoted to processing visual information. were wired to look for patterns and cause and effect relationships. To test this, we ran experiments with more than 200 experienced managers. Half saw a clear, well-structured visualization. The other half saw the same content, but in a cluttered, confusing format. One simple change made all the difference. With the clear visualization, people understood the strategy far better without even realizing why.

2:19The design itself shaped their thinking. Based on that research we identified five principles for designing strategy visuals that work. Group ideas into three or four main concepts.

2:33Create layers with increasing detail.

2:41Use color and shading only to show those layers.

2:50Indicate clear relationships And present the information horizontally A strong visualization doesn't just make your slides group better It makes your strategy make sense It builds understanding, belief and alignment Inside the company and in the market You can read my full article on theHBR.org.

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