Executive Authority Through Strategic Design & Speechwriting

Project Overview

Sage approached us with a challenge that many corporate leaders recognise: creating presentations that truly captivate their audience whilst maintaining the professional standard expected at the executive level. Their Vice President for Medium Business, Gerhard Hartman, needed to deliver impactful presentations at various important events throughout South Africa, but they required solutions that went far beyond what traditional presentation tools could offer.

We're continuing our ongoing relationship with Sage by assisting them with two critical deliverables: the writing of important speeches and the design and development of sophisticated slide decks. These materials would be used by Gerhard across multiple high-profile business events, making their quality and impact absolutely essential for Sage's corporate reputation and strategic communication objectives.

The Challenge

Sage understood that effective executive communication demands more than standard PowerPoint templates, and they faced several specific obstacles:

• Creating compelling speeches that would resonate with diverse business audiences across South Africa
• Developing slide decks with design quality that matched their corporate stature whilst remaining functional within PowerPoint
• Managing a collaborative process that could accommodate multiple stakeholders and decision-makers
• Ensuring presentations reflected Sage's position as a leading business solutions provider
• Achieving visual sophistication that PowerPoint's native design capabilities simply couldn't deliver

The technical challenge was particularly interesting. Whilst the final presentations needed to function seamlessly within PowerPoint for practical delivery purposes, they required a level of visual sophistication and professional polish that would distinguish them from typical corporate presentations.

Our Solution

We developed a comprehensive approach that addressed both the strategic messaging requirements and visual execution challenges that Sage faced.

Strategic Framework Development

Our process began with collaborative discovery sessions with the Sage team, where we worked together to establish the framework for each presentation. Rather than jumping straight into content creation, we invested time understanding what Sage wanted to achieve with each presentation. We discussed their goals, identified target audiences, determined key talking points, and established the narrative structure that would guide both the speechwriting and slide development. This collaborative approach meant that when we began writing, we were creating speeches that truly reflected Sage's voice and strategic intentions.

Compelling Speech Creation

With the framework established, we crafted speeches specifically tailored for Gerhard Hartman's delivery style and the diverse South African business audiences he would be addressing. Each speech was developed to transform complex business concepts into engaging, accessible narratives whilst maintaining Sage's authoritative yet approachable brand voice. We focused on creating content that would resonate across different industry sectors, ensuring every presentation served Sage's broader communication objectives.

Visual Design Excellence Through Strategic Conversion

Our slide deck creation process showcased our commitment to both aesthetic excellence and practical functionality. We designed each presentation in Figma, which gave us complete creative control over typography, layouts, imagery, and brand consistency. This approach allowed us to achieve the sophisticated visual standards that matched Sage's corporate stature and market position.

The real innovation came in our conversion process. After creating visually stunning designs in Figma, we carefully translated each slide into PowerPoint format, ensuring that every visual element remained crisp and professional whilst maintaining full functionality within PowerPoint's environment. This meant Gerhard could present with complete confidence, knowing the slides would display perfectly regardless of the technical setup at each venue across South Africa.

Key Features and Technical Implementation

Our approach required managing the technical complexity of converting sophisticated design work into PowerPoint whilst preserving visual integrity. The slides needed to be presented inside PowerPoint, but they required a level of design quality that was difficult to achieve within PowerPoint's native capabilities. By building the slides in Figma first, we could create designs that were visually stunning and then methodically convert them to ensure they remained usable by Sage's team.

We structured multiple rounds of revision that allowed various decision-makers within Sage to provide input whilst maintaining project momentum. Our organised feedback system meant that despite the complexity of managing multiple perspectives, we could iterate efficiently towards presentations that truly met everyone's expectations and requirements.

Results and Impact

The presentations were delivered successfully across various important events throughout South Africa, and we've received fantastic feedback from both Sage and their audiences. More than just successful individual presentations, we've helped Sage establish a new standard for their executive communication that reflects their market expertise and corporate professionalism.

The success of these presentations has strengthened our ongoing relationship with Sage, demonstrating the value of professional presentation development in their broader communication strategy. Gerhard now has a proven system for presenting complex business solutions in ways that engage and inspire his audiences across the South African business landscape.

Looking Forward

This project represents exactly the kind of strategic partnership we value most at ThinkStory. By combining thoughtful speechwriting with sophisticated visual design, we've given Sage a proven approach for creating presentations that truly engage their most important audiences. Our ongoing relationship continues to evolve as they recognise the strategic value of professional presentation development, and we're excited to support their continued success in communicating their expertise across South Africa's dynamic business environment.

The collaboration demonstrates how the right creative partnership can elevate not just individual presentations, but an organisation's entire approach to executive communication and corporate storytelling.