Answer first, then the story behind it
Say the answer in your first sentence, then tell the short story that supports it: where things stand, what changed, what to do.
Key takeaways
- Say the answer first, then the reasons. A busy reader decides in your first sentence whether to keep reading, so that sentence should already tell them what to do.
- The weak answer walks through the work in the order it was done, and the owner hears the cause only at the end.
- Telling it in the order you did it: The most common mistake is to retell your work in time order: first we looked at this, then at that.
Key idea
Say the answer first, then the reasons. A busy reader decides in your first sentence whether to keep reading, so that sentence should already tell them what to do.
The synthesis lesson showed how to close a case: answer, reasons, risks, next steps. This module takes the same habit into everything you write and say at work. The question behind it is the one every senior person asks, out loud or silently: so what? A so what is not a fact. It is what the fact means for the decision, and what to do about it.
The story behind any answer, in three parts
- 1Where things stand. One sentence the reader already agrees with: "Our 20 bakeries made AED 6 million of profit last year."
- 2What changed. The new fact that creates the problem or the chance: "This year profit fell to AED 4.4 million, mostly because butter and flour cost more."
- 3What to do. Your answer: "We should raise prices about 3 percent on the items that use the most butter and flour."
- 4When you speak or write, put part three first, then use parts one and two as the reasons. The order you found things in is rarely the order the reader needs.
The owner of a bakery chain asks: "Why did profit fall this year?"
Weaker answer
"So, we started with revenue, which was flat at AED 40 million. Then we looked at staff costs, which were also flat. Then we looked at rent. Then we found that ingredients went up by AED 1.2 million, and delivery app commissions by AED 0.4 million."
Stronger answer
"Profit fell AED 1.6 million because ingredients cost more: butter and flour explain AED 1.2 million of it. A price rise of about 3 percent on the items that use them most would win that back. The other AED 0.4 million is delivery app commissions, which we can look at next."
Why the stronger answer wins: The weak answer walks through the work in the order it was done, and the owner hears the cause only at the end. The strong answer gives the cause, its size and the action in the first two sentences.
Worked case
A bakery chain: from numbers to a storyline
The prompt
A bakery chain in the UAE saw profit fall from AED 6 million to AED 4.4 million. Build the storyline and the one-line answer for the owner.
Revenue was flat at AED 40 million. Ingredient costs rose AED 1.2 million and delivery app commissions rose AED 0.4 million. Every other cost was flat. All figures are illustrative.
The structure
- What explains the fall, and what should the owner do?
- Where things stand: profit last year and this year
- What changed: which cost lines moved, and by how much
- What to do: the price rise that would win back the biggest cause
Working it through
1. Size the fall
Profit last year minus profit this year.
Fall in profit (AED millions):6 - 4.4 = 1.62. Check the causes add up
The two cost lines that moved should explain the whole fall.
Ingredients plus commissions (AED millions):1.2 + 0.4 = 1.63. Share of the fall from ingredients
Ingredients as a share of the fall.
Ingredients share of the fall (percent):1.2 ÷ 1.6 × 100 = 754. Price rise that wins it back
The ingredient increase as a share of revenue, if customers buy the same amount.
Price rise needed (percent):1.2 ÷ 40 × 100 = 3
The recommendation
Raise prices about 3 percent on the items that use the most butter and flour: ingredient costs explain AED 1.2 million, or 75 percent, of the AED 1.6 million fall in profit. Revenue was flat, so this is a cost problem, not a demand problem. The risk is that customers buy less after a price rise, so test it in a few shops for a month before rolling it out. Next, review the delivery app commissions, which explain the other AED 0.4 million.
Risks: Customers may buy less after the price rise, so the 3 percent assumes volumes hold.
Next steps: Test the price rise in a few shops for a month; Review the delivery app commission terms.
The most common mistake is to retell your work in time order: first we looked at this, then at that. It feels natural because it is how you lived it. The reader did not live it. Give them the answer, then only the facts that support it.
Revisit: closing a case like a consultantA hotel group in Spain saw profit fall from EUR 10 million to EUR 8.5 million. Energy costs rose EUR 1.2 million and nothing else changed much. What share of the fall do energy costs explain, in percent?
Which opening sentence answers first?
Sources for this lesson (1)
- Recognized public explanations of case-interview concepts and terms
My notes on this lesson
0 of 5,000 characters. Saves automatically.
Try the 2 remaining checks and drills above to complete this lesson (0 of 2 done).
Spotted something wrong or out of date? Report a mistake. We check every report and correct the page.