Many decks are plagued by statements that are half-true, half-to-be-proven. Great founders know how to separate them and communicate effectively, and increase investors/employees/business partner trust.

Here’s a simple framework for testing your information against the 4 buckets of reality.

Putting together a deck is a dance between what the reality is, how you want it transformed, and where you are now (usually somewhere in the middle).

Sometimes, “the reality you want it to be” creeps in – wishful thinking is a powerful force, a brain-made construct to help you alienate yourself from all the uncertainty that surrounds you.

When you’re doing your slides, check them against these (and only these) 4 buckets of reality to be sure that your content is on the right track:

1- What your client needs, wants, is afraid of, and currently uses (real data)
2- What is your vision of the world, what do you think should be changed, and how
3- What you have built so far — product, team
4- What happens when your vision meets the market  — traction, retention, feature usage

Trust starts with effective communication – be clear about what is real vs. assumption.