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112 The McKinsey Mind

same page, even if they disagree, and gives context to all of
the supporting data and arguments. It also helps me be more
efficient and effective in marshaling my arguments.

As an additional advantage, starting with your conclusions
allows you to control how far you go into detail in your presenta-
tion. For example, suppose you are presenting in an interactive set-
ting, say, to your boss in his office. You have three major points
you want to communicate to him. Now, suppose that he already
accepts your second point and doesn’t need to be convinced with
a lot of data. If you have organized your presentation deductively,
then you will have to take him through all the supporting data for
that point before you actually tell him your conclusion—which he
already agreed with anyway. You’ve just wasted a lot of time for no
particular gain. On the other hand, if you’ve taken the inductive
approach, then your boss can simply give his agreement to your
point at the outset. You can spend more time on the other points or
get out of the meeting and back to work.
Putting your conclusions up front will also help you pass the
elevator test. As we mentioned earlier in the chapter, you pass the
elevator test when you can rattle off your conclusions in the space
of an elevator ride. In fact, if you’ve followed the McKinsey
method, then your first slide—with your recommendation and
major points—is your answer to the elevator test. Imagine trying to
pass the elevator test using a deductive outline—not easy, is it?
We strongly recommend that you take the elevator test before
any presentation. Our McKinsey alumni gave us numerous exam-
ples of its usefulness in their careers. Here are a few testimonials:

I’m in a post-start-up situation right now, with several for-
mer very senior executives from large companies. I find
myself telling them, “Hey, we only have 20 minutes with
Goldman Sachs, and only the first 2 count. Pretend you only