…is that it’s a presentation.
Of course, you were asked or told to give a presentation – because that’s the ritual in most organizations. You’re expected to sweat for hours (days!) trying to figure out how to squeeze reams of data into three slides. You’re expected to correctly guess what your boss wants to hear. (You’re expected to have a plan B if you’ve guessed wrong.)
You’re expected to watch half of your colleagues pretend they’re not multitasking. You’re expected to have the remaining colleagues point out the gaps in your thinking.
Or maybe your presentations don’t bore others. Maybe your presentations create an inflection point in critical thinking within the business.
Perhaps, when you’re preparing your presentations, you answer these questions:
- What’s the experience we want people to have?
- How will we transform our problem statement into a declaration of opportunity?
- How will we activate strategic insights that matter to the business?
- What technique will we use to center the entire presentation around the voice of our customer?
- How will we tap into the motivations of others?
- What’s the one thing we want everyone thinking or feeling days later?
The ritual of the presentation often delivers little value because it’s a resource-devouring prescribed ceremony where nervous people deliver information that could have been otherwise dispensed. Change the ritual: What does the business need you to accomplish in your allotted time?
