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A PESTEL analysis looks at six outside forces that can help or hurt a business: Political, Economic, Social, Technological, Environmental and Legal. You will see it in strategy decks, market reports and plenty of business school homework.
Every PESTEL slide has the same six boxes, so the choice comes down to shape and room for text. We picked 18 templates from our library that each look different, grouped by layout. Before the list, here is what to write in each box.
What goes in each PESTEL box
- Political: which government decisions could change your plans, such as taxes, trade rules or an election?
- Economic: how are prices, wages, interest rates and spending moving?
- Social: how are your customers' habits and values changing?
- Technological: what new tools could change how you make or sell things?
- Environmental: how do weather, climate and green rules touch your business?
- Legal: which laws do you have to follow now, and which are coming?
Here is a short example for a neighborhood coffee shop. Political: the city is voting on new rules for outdoor seating. Economic: coffee bean prices have gone up. Social: more people now work from home nearby. Technological: customers want to order ahead on their phones. Environmental: single-use cups may soon be banned. Legal: the minimum wage rises next year. Six short lines like these fit any template below.
Six boxes in a row or in columns
Six rounded squares in a row
Six rounded squares sit in one row, each in its own color, with the factor name above and a note below. It is the classic PESTEL slide and the easiest to read from the back of a room.
Six cards with colored tabs
Cards stand side by side, each topped by a colored tab with the factor name. A big letter fills the middle and the note sits at the bottom.
Six tall colored columns
Tall columns fill most of the slide, with the factor names turned on their side at the top. The notes sit inside the columns in white text.
Six arched columns
Columns with rounded tops and pointed bottoms run from teal to lime. The letter sits in the arch and the note fills the column below it.
Two rows of three tiles with icons
Two rows of three tiles give each factor more room than a single row. Each tile has an icon, the letter, the factor name and a note.
Arrows and paths
A chain of six arrows
The six factors form one chain of arrows from Political to Legal, in teal and green. Each arrow sits on a gray column with its note below.
One bar cut into six chevrons
One long rounded bar is cut into six chevrons that hold the letters, in pink, purple and blue. The factor names and notes sit underneath.
Six arrows pointing down
Arrows point down at the factor names, fading from teal to light green. It suits a slide where each factor leads to a finding.
Six stops on a climbing road
A dark road climbs from the bottom left corner, and the six letters sit on it like stops. The notes line up beside the road.
Wheels, hubs and hexagons
A ring of six numbered segments
A ring of six numbered segments, each with an icon, sits on the right. The factors are listed on the left, numbered 01 to 06 to match the ring.
PESTEL in a hub with six circles
The word PESTEL sits in a hexagon in the middle. The six letters sit in small circles around it, each with a note beside it.
A zigzag column of hexagons
Hexagons stack in a zigzag column, one letter each. The notes sit on alternating sides, with a colored line under each.
Six overlapping circles
Overlapping circles in pinks and purples hold the letters. Dotted lines lead up and down to the notes.
Six map pins in two columns
The six letters sit in map pin shapes, in two columns of three, with a heading and note beside each pin.
Lists and stacks
A checklist of six bars
Each letter sits in a circle joined to a colored bar with the factor name, and the note runs beside it. It reads like a checklist from top to bottom.
A stacked cylinder
The six letters stack into one colored cylinder on the right, from pink to blue. The factor names and notes line up to its left.
A center column with notes on both sides
The letters form a center column of colored squares. Each note points out to the left or right in a light arrow shape, which keeps the slide balanced.
A photo with the letters down its side
A photo fills the middle of the slide, and the six letters run down its right edge in colored squares with the factor names beside them. Swap in a photo of the place or market you are studying.
Need more choices? Our PESTEL slides collection holds the rest. You can start a free 7-day trial to download any of these 18.
