How to Communicate Effectively with Clients: 8 Strategies

In the world of agencies and consulting, writing is more than just putting words on a page—it’s about telling a compelling story that inspires understanding and action. Whether it’s a client presentation or a monthly report, clarity, precision, and thoughtful design are key to making your content shine.

Here’s how to create standout content that highlights your work, insights, and recommendations:

1. Start with a Strong Story and Structure

The foundation of any great presentation or document lies in its outline.

Think of a Pyramid Structure: Begin with your main message at the top, supported by a few key themes, which are further backed by specific data points or insights.
Draft in Text First: Use a Google or Word document to outline your ideas in bullet points. This makes it easier to rearrange and refine the flow before creating slides.

Collaborate for Feedback

Before diving into slide creation, share your outline with a peer or manager.

Get Input Early: Even experienced professionals seek feedback to ensure their narrative is strong.
Save Time: Adjusting an outline is much quicker than reworking slides. Feedback at this stage helps identify gaps or unnecessary elements.

Refine and Move to Slides

Once the storyline is clear, start visualizing your points on slides.

Organize Information for Clarity

- By Priority: Start with the most critical insights.
- Chronologically: Present ideas in a logical time sequence.
- By Category: Group similar topics (e.g., in SEO, organize by on-page, off-page, and technical).

Thoughtful preparation and clear structuring will make your content not just informative, but also engaging and impactful.

2. Select the Right Template

The design and layout of your slides are just as important as the content itself. Clear visuals help marketers and clients easily understand your ideas.

Picking the Right Template

Opt for a template that complements your message. Clean and minimalistic designs often work best in agency settings.
If your agency provides pre-made templates, explore different layouts and choose one that directs the viewer’s attention where it matters most.

Focus on Visual Clarity

Use layouts that effectively present your points, such as:

- Charts for data visualization
- Timelines for processes
- Side-by-side comparisons for highlighting differences

The right template ensures your message is not only heard but seen clearly and effectively.

3. Keep Each Slide Focused on One Core Idea

Avoid overwhelming your audience by trying to communicate too much at once. Simplicity helps your message resonate.

One Idea Per Slide

Focus each slide on a single concept to avoid confusion.
Overloading slides with too much information can distract your audience and cause them to lose focus.

If your slides are for email versus a live presentation, adjust the level of detail accordingly.

Make Titles Punchy and Informative

Titles should highlight the key takeaway, not just the topic. For instance, instead of “SEO Findings,” say “Technical Fixes to Boost SEO Performance.”
Clear titles set the tone for the slide and make it easier to present later, even with time gaps between creation and delivery.

Write Complete Sentences

Use full sentences to convey complete thoughts. Don’t leave your audience wondering what you’re talking about.

This approach ensures clarity and keeps your audience engaged, whether they’re reading or listening to your presentation.

4. Create a Strong Sequence to Tell a Story

A well-structured deck or report tells a story that engages your audience and highlights the quality of your work and ideas.

Start with Impact

Lead with the most important insights. This way, even if someone only skims through, they’ll absorb the key takeaways.
This is especially crucial when presenting to busy executives or CMOs who may only read the executive summary or a few key pages.

Maintain a Logical Flow

Make sure your bullet points and slides are arranged logically and clearly.

Start with actionable recommendations or findings.
Save more technical details for later, unless you’re speaking to a specialized audience.

For example, when presenting an SEO strategy to a broad audience, lead with content-related insights, which are easier to understand. For developers, you can start with technical SEO details.

Use Visual Storytelling

Enhance your slides with graphics and annotations like highlights, circles, or bold text to guide the audience’s focus to the most important points.

This approach keeps your content organized, engaging, and easy to follow, making sure your message hits home.

5. Build Confidence with Clear Recommendations

Your clients rely on your expertise, and they look to you for actionable advice that drives results.

State it Directly

Avoid weak language like “we recommend.”
Be confident and direct: “Implement X to achieve Y.” If the action hasn’t been done yet, the client will see it as a recommendation.

Propose Tests if Needed

If you’re unsure about the outcome, suggest testing or a phased approach.
This shows you’re focused on improving their programs and results, rather than just offering advice.

Clear, assertive recommendations demonstrate your confidence in the strategies you suggest and provide your clients with the direction they need to move forward.

6. Be Concise and Precise

By making your material effective, clear, and focused, you can show your readers that you value their time. Less is often more when it comes to getting your message across.

Readers Don’t Know What You Know

Use storytelling to make data and its implications clear.
- For example, instead of writing, “40% of your spend has a quality score of 7 or below,” add context: “Improving your quality score can lower CPCs and boost CTRs.”

Cut the Fluff and Jargon

Avoid using unnecessary technical terms that may confuse your audience.

Say something like, “We’ve made minor edits to match the look and feel of your current site,” rather than, “The core theme is one from the Shopify theme store and we’ve made some light customizations to reflect a similar look and feel to your website’s existing theme.”

Edit Ruthlessly

Your writing can be improved and made simpler with the use of programs like Grammarly and Hemingway.
Before finalizing any important deck, we do peer reviews to remove filler words and ensure clarity.

Avoid Redundancy

Communicate your point once and do it well. The only exceptions are summary slides like executive summaries or scorecards.

This approach keeps your message sharp, ensuring your audience grasps your key points without distraction.

7. Executive Summaries Should Tell a Story

Your executive summary sets the stage for the rest of the document, so it’s important to get it right.

Write the Executive Summary Last

After completing the full report or deck, go back and highlight the most important points. This helps you pinpoint the key takeaways for your summary.
Often, too many things seem important at first, but you’ll quickly identify which points matter most. If you’ve crafted strong slide titles, they can help you create an effective summary too.

Focus on Meaningful Insights

Your executive summary should focus on summarizing the key findings, recommendations, and their impact, not just a list of contents.

Make a Strong Impact

Use data or powerful facts that grab attention and make a strong case.

Keep the Reader Engaged

A great executive summary serves as a preview, making the reader want to dive deeper into your material.
Ideally, it should make them feel confident in their choice of agency and excited to continue reading.

8. Keep Language Simple to Let Your Ideas Shine

Using complex words can sometimes dilute the impact of your ideas.

Top consultants often write at a 6th to 8th-grade reading level, even when addressing executives, to make their work easily understood. Strive to make your content accessible to everyone.

Simplify Language

Avoid unnecessary jargon or “big words,” unless they match your usual tone. For example, I avoid using the word “utilize.”
Use simple, straightforward language that communicates your ideas.

Use Active Voice

Keep your sentences engaging and direct. For instance, say “We identified opportunities” instead of “Opportunities were identified by us.”

Conclusion

In conclusion, creating impactful client presentations and reports is about more than just delivering information. It’s about telling a compelling story that captivates and motivates action. By focusing on clarity, structure, and design, you can ensure that your ideas are effectively communicated.

Simplifying language, being precise, and making confident recommendations will enhance your presentation’s impact. Keep your audience engaged by presenting key insights upfront and using visual storytelling to highlight important points. Ultimately, when you follow these principles, your content will resonate with clients, leaving a lasting impression.

How to Communicate Effectively with Clients: 8 Proven Strategies