The lesson
Put the decision and the dollar figure on slide two, then spend the rest of the deck defending it.
The move
A budget request rebuilt as a deck by Pitch Unfairly. After a cover reading "The Moon, before this decade is out.", slide two says "One decision: commit to the Moon." beside a huge "$531M", with "$7B to $9B" and "Before 1970" underneath. Later slides cover why now, four options with one marked "RECOMMENDED", and a 1X versus 10X rocket.
Why it works
- Our readStating the ask before the evidence frames every later slide as support, not as a mystery to solve.
- Our readThe options slide lists four choices in a column, with the detail panel beside the highlighted one. That lets the audience see alternatives were weighed before the recommendation.
- Our readOne "why now" slide uses a dated timeline ending in "This request", so urgency comes from sequence instead of adjectives.
What not to copy
The figures belong to the story and aren't evidence. Don't borrow the space imagery. Keep the order: ask, urgency, options, recommendation.
