You’re grinding late into the night on yet another spreadsheet, squinting at the tiny font. “There has to be an easier way,” you mutter while chugging the last cold dregs of coffee. 

Good news – there is! This guide will help you get faster at Excel and PowerPoint. It distills the hard-won lessons from my consulting career into actionable tips and techniques.

Consider it your personal roadmap for accelerating Excel and PowerPoint proficiency.

We’ll cover how to:

• Navigate Excel at lightning speed using just a keyboard
• Build flexible financial models to analyze business problems
• Structure logically persuasive presentations in minutes
• Make data tell compelling stories through visualization
• Create reusable templates and tools to enhance productivity
• Cultivate time management and efficiency mindsets

Sound exciting? Then let’s get started!

Mastering Excel for Consulting

Excel is a must-have tool for effective consultants. It enables insights to be uncovered from data. But it’s also complex and can seem overwhelming.

So you need to learn the right techniques to master Excel and make it work efficiently for you.

Essential Excel Skills for Consultants

Keyboard Shortcuts and Mouse-Free Navigation

One of the most important skills is ditching the mouse and fully embracing the keyboard. Reaching for that mouse constantly slows you down without you even realizing it.

To navigate Excel at the speed of light, you need to go mouse-free. It may feel strange at first. But once keyboard shortcuts become second nature, you’ll achieve ninja-level efficiency.

Here are some of the most essential keyboard shortcuts for Excel navigation:

• Ctrl + Arrow Keys – Move Between Cells and Data blocks
• Ctrl + Shift + Arrow Keys – Select Entire Data Ranges
• Alt + = – AutoSum Cells
• F2 – Edit Cell Contents
• Ctrl + 1 – Open Format Cells Dialog

Pro Tip: Print a cheat sheet of shortcuts and keep it handy until they’re committed to memory. Consistent practice will rewire your brain to keyboard-first instinct.

Mastering the keyboard is step one on the path to unlocking the immense power and potential of Excel. The journey continues with advanced formulas, pivot tables, and data visualization mastery – all enabled by keyboard proficiency.

Advanced Formulas and Functions

Now let’s explore the real power tools of Excel: formulas and functions. These are the engines that drive your analyses. Master them, and you’ll gain analytical superpowers.

• VLOOKUP is an invaluable search function that can pull data from anywhere in your spreadsheet. It’s like a lookup wizard. Here’s a simple VLOOKUP example:

=VLOOKUP(A2, B2:D100, 2, FALSE)

This formula looks up the value in cell A2 within the range B2:D100 and returns the corresponding value from the second column in that range.

• Conditional statements like IF, AND, OR allow you to create logic trees and add decision-making capabilities to your spreadsheets.

=IF(A1>100, “High”, IF(A1>50, “Medium”, “Low”))

This nested IF statement categorizes values based on multiple criteria.

Data Analysis Techniques

In consulting, data is king. Your ability to quickly filter, sort, and analyze large datasets will make you invaluable.

• Filtering enables you to instantly focus on relevant slices of a data set. Click the filter button to easily sort and filter with a few clicks.
• Sorting helps you detect patterns and outliers by reordering data. Sort columns alphabetically, numerically, chronologically – whatever makes relationships clearer.
• Pivot tables are perfect for summarizing large data sets and revealing key insights. With just a few clicks you can:
  • Select your data range
  • Go to Insert > PivotTable
  • Choose rows, columns, and metric for analysis
  • Watch as your data is magically summarized

Accelerating Your Excel Proficiency

Now that we’ve covered the basics, let’s explore advanced strategies for taking your Excel skills to the next level.

Practice Real-World Financial Modeling

Financial modeling is where the rubber meets the road in consulting. This is where you’ll apply Excel to solve actual business problems and drive tangible results.

One of the best ways to rapidly improve financial modeling skills is through practice using real-world templates and scenarios. Companies like Training The Street offer excellent financial modeling courses utilizing templates that mirror actual consulting projects.

The key is repetition. Don’t just go through the motions – seek to truly understand the logic and calculations underpinning the models. As you practice, ask yourself:

• Why is this formula structured this way?
• How could I modify or expand this model for different business scenarios?
• What assumptions are baked into this model and how could they be challenged?

Grappling with these questions will accelerate your learning and help you create more flexible and powerful models.

Take a Structured Training Course

Specialized training companies like Training The Street are an amazing resource for honing your Excel skills. Their courses blend theory and hands-on practice in an optimal way for skill-building.

Here is a suggested learning path:

• Start with their core Financial Modeling course
• Next tackle the Valuation course
• If you’re up for a challenge, capstone with their LBO modeling course

The key advantage of structured training is the focus on actually building fully-fledged models from scratch. This learn-by-doing approach leads to true mastery.

Focus on the 20% of Functions That Enable 80% of Tasks

Here’s an insider principle for Excel excellence: Around 80% of your day-to-day Excel work will involve just 20% of its overall functionality. I call this the “Consultant’s Excel Principle.”

Make it a priority to become exceptionally adept with that vital 20%:

• Formatting and basic formulas
• Keyboard-driven navigation
• VLOOKUP and IF statements
• Filtering, sorting, and analyzing data
• PivotTables
• Data visualization (charts)
• What-if analysis

Master these critical skill areas and you’ll crush 95% of the Excel-based work you’ll encounter as a consultant.

To help you focus on the most impactful Excel functions, here’s a list of the top 10 functions every consultant should master, along with their primary uses:

Excel Time-Saving Tips for Consultants

In consulting, time is money. Let’s explore some ways to supercharge your Excel workflow and avoid time-wasting activities.

Create and Use Macros to Automate Repetitive Tasks

Macros are like little robots that can automate repetitive Excel tasks for you. This saves hours of work and reduces errors caused by manual work.

Here’s a simple macro that formats the selected cell(s) as currency:

vb

Sub FormatAsCurrency()

  Selection.NumberFormat = “$#,##0.00”

End Sub

To create this:

• Press Alt + F11 to open the Visual Basic Editor
• Insert a new module
• Paste the code
• Save and close

Now assign this macro to a keyboard shortcut. Format cells as currency with one stroke!

Build Reusable Model Templates

Don’t reinvent the wheel on every project. Create templates for analyses you perform regularly. This may include:

• Financial statement projection models
• KPI dashboards
• Project timelines

Spend time upfront building robust, flexible templates and you’ll save hours down the line.

Master Data Visualization Best Practices

In consulting, the visual presentation of data is just as crucial as the underlying data itself. Excel’s charting capabilities are more powerful than many users realize.

Some best practices to make your data visualizations pop:

• Use consistent colors, fonts, and layouts across charts
• Simplify complex charts to convey insights in under 30 seconds
• Draw attention to key data points using callouts and annotations
• Align visual styling with your firm’s branding

Remember, the goal is to tell a compelling data story at a glance.

Elevating Your PowerPoint Skills for Consulting

Now let’s switch gears and discuss strategies for creating stellar presentations in PowerPoint – the consultant’s stage for presenting insights and recommendations.

Fundamental PowerPoint Techniques

First, we need to ensure your PowerPoint foundations are strong.

Structure Presentations Using the Pyramid Principle

The Pyramid Principle pioneered by Barbara Minto provides a proven method for structuring logically persuasive presentations. The core concept:

• Start with the main takeaway or recommendation
• Build the supporting arguments from there
• Logically order arguments, from most to least important

Using this “answer first, arguments second” approach ensures clarity for the audience.

Implement Effective Data Visualization

By now, you’re a pro at visualizing data clearly and compellingly in Excel. Apply those same best practices in PowerPoint:

• Use consistent, clean fonts, colors, and layouts
• Focus on simplicity – if you can’t explain a chart in 30 seconds, go back to the drawing board
• Guide your audience by highlighting key data points with callouts

Design Slides with Minimal Text

Your slides should support the narrative rather than contain dense paragraphs of text. Use the “6×6 Rule” as a guideline:

• No more than 6 bullet points per slide
• No more than 6 words per bullet point

This forces you to boil down concepts to their essence.

Accelerating Your PowerPoint Workflow

Let’s shift from design best practices to workflow tips for creating presentations more efficiently.

Master Keyboard Shortcuts

Just as in Excel, keyboard-driven navigation will accelerate your PowerPoint work. Commit these shortcuts to memory:

• Ctrl + M – New slide
• Ctrl + D – Duplicate slide
• F5 – Start from the first slide
• Shift + F5 – Start from the current slide

Build Slide Libraries for Reuse

Don’t reinvent the wheel each time. Create master slides, custom layouts, and templates that follow your firm’s standards. Develop libraries of slides for common situations such as:

• Financial results summaries
• Competitive benchmarking
• Project timeline statuses

You can then quickly grab relevant slides for each new presentation.

Be Consistent with Styling

Consistent branding, fonts, colors, and positioning give your presentations a polished, professional look. Use PowerPoint’s Format Painter to quickly replicate formatting across slides.

Create master slides with your standard styles pre-applied to maintain consistency.

Advanced PowerPoint Techniques for Consultants

Let’s level up your skills with some more advanced PowerPoint tactics used by top firms.

Emulate the Best in the Business

Want your presentations to look like they came from McKinsey or Bain? Study their decks and reverse engineer them. Many are publicly shared on sites like SlideShare. Analyze and replicate:

• Information flow
• Use of whitespace
• Data visualization approach

Recreating presentations from top firms is a shortcut to developing professional polish.

Turn Business Cases into Compelling Presentations

Find a complex Harvard Business School case study. Challenge yourself to distill the key analytical findings into a 10-slide presentation.

This exercise will strengthen your ability to:

• Rapidly filter the signal from the noise
• Structure arguments logically
• Present data persuasively

Incorporate Multimedia for Engagement

Don’t rely solely on static slides and text. Consider integrating engaging multimedia elements:

• Animations to progressively reveal key points
• Embedded videos to showcase product demos or client testimonials
• Interactive clickable images for nonlinear storytelling

The goal with multimedia is enhancing the narrative – not creating distracting “chartjunk.”

Integrating Excel and PowerPoint for Consulting Excellence

Let’s now discuss how to seamlessly combine Excel and PowerPoint to create truly compelling data-driven presentations.

Streamline Linking Data Between Excel and PowerPoint

Rather than pasting static numbers, use linking to create dynamic slides that update along with your Excel data.

To link data:

• Copy your chart or range in Excel
• In PowerPoint, paste as “Paste Link”
• Select “Microsoft Excel Worksheet Object”

Now your PowerPoint inherits any data changes made in the Excel source.

Leverage PowerPoint’s Design Functionality on Top of Excel Data

Excel is ideal for data modeling but PowerPoint offers superior design functionality. Build basic charts in Excel, then recreate them in PowerPoint and refine the styling.

PowerPoint also lets you combine Excel charts together to present an integrated analysis.

Build a Consulting Toolkit to Enhance Productivity

Let’s wrap up with some overarching productivity tips for packaging your Excel and PowerPoint skills into an efficient, consulting-focused toolkit.

Curate Libraries of Custom Tools, Templates, Macros

Over time, build up tailored libraries of macros, templates, color palettes, layouts, etc. to have at your fingertips. Continuously refine these resources based on each project’s lessons learned.

Organize Your Toolkit for Quick Access

Implement a system for organizing, cataloging, and efficiently accessing your custom tools, templates, and libraries. Options include OneNote, Evernote, or even Office folders.

Regularly review and prune unnecessary materials to keep your system lean.

Keep your Toolkit Updated

Your consulting toolkit is a “living” asset that must evolve over time as techniques change. Make it a habit to:

• Incorporate new skills learned on each project
• Identify areas needing improvement
• Update outdated templates and tools

Following these principles will ensure you always have access to the latest templates and best practices.

To further enhance your Excel and PowerPoint capabilities, consider these time-saving plugins popular among consultants:

Key Takeaways

Now you know what to do but remember that mastery is a lifelong journey of continuous improvement.

As you embark on your consulting career, keep these principles in mind:

Prioritize efficiency. Shave off seconds through keyboard shortcuts, templates, and a focused mindset. Those seconds add up to hours of increased productivity over time.

Stay curious. Approach every project as an opportunity to expand your skills. Learn that new formula, and master that new visualization technique.

Share your knowledge. Take time to mentor junior colleagues. Host a Lunch & Learn session on Excel pivot tables. Lift up those around you.

Most importantly, stay humble. The day you think you’ve mastered Excel and PowerPoint is the day you stop getting better. Great consultants never stop honing their craft.

Now go out there and master those spreadsheets and slides. And remember – enjoy the journey!