Imagine you’re about to present to a room of decision-makers. You have done your due diligence. You’ve rehearsed the timing and transitions. You’re also ready to tackle the toughest questions.
You get through your presentation, maybe answering a question here and there. The meeting ends. You expect there to be some kind of follow-up, but the time you took preparing your pitch seemingly goes nowhere.
Now, imagine bearing witness to a management consultant presenting a similar, if not the same, message to your audience. Only this time, with active engagement and follow-up.
Naturally, we ask: “What makes the management consultant so different?”
Could it be because the consultant is a third party? Perhaps. Is it their ability to communicate effectively? Maybe. Or is it thanks to a template they’ve used time and time again? Perhaps (from experience, it’s very likely so).
The key difference often lies in business relationships.
Business relationships are the bedrock of consulting. They serve as the foundation for tailoring messages that not only stick but also drive action to achieve desired goals.
We often hear the words that we need to “tailor our message to our audience.” But what does that really mean? Let’s think back to the example of the first presentation which seemingly fell flat. While there may have been a focus on executing the presentation, what we should be focusing on is what happened before the meeting.
Oftentimes, we find ourselves getting slide decks pulled together in haste. The output usually consists of a handful of ingredients: loads of collated materials, figures and charts, pictures, and an array of bullet points. Each certainly has a role to play, but if not pieced together in a story, it will be hard to convey a narrative.
Instead, what if we focused on understanding our audience before developing our point of view? This happens to be a key part of the management consultant’s toolkit. The best slide decks are crafted according to the audience. Three key questions should come to mind:
- What matters to the team?
- What outcomes is the team looking for?
- What should we be sensitive to?
Once you’ve answered these questions, it’s time to start figuring out what needs to be true to craft a compelling narrative — a story which has a beginning, middle, and end. A go-to narrative consultants use is: here’s where we are (current state), here’s where we’re experiencing challenges (gaps), and here’s where we want to go (target state).
Even with the best story, we’re still missing one key ingredient: personality. While we may not be able to personify a slide deck, we can shape the slide deck’s contents in a way which can appeal more to each of our audience members’ goals, desires, and motivations.
One effective approach is to engage with stakeholders before the main meeting. This ensures that the “grand reveal” is well-informed and relevant. If we think back to the example of the consultant’s presentation, it’s very likely the “grand reveal” was actually a culmination of multiple interactions with meeting participants and constituents. The consultant likely took the time to understand the priorities and concerns of their audience members.
Building and maintaining business relationships help us gain a better understanding of how individuals and teams work best. Your interactions may show some members of your audience are keen on “big picture” thinking. Others may be more practical and action-based in their thinking, while others perhaps wanting to “stew” on things a little longer. We also need to consider individuals who may need more time to “talk through” things.
It’s likely all these considerations were in mind as the consultant engaged with as many stakeholders as possible well before the meeting. The consultant does this to gain a comprehensive understanding of the group dynamics and ensure effective communication during the meeting. Will it be better to convey information for the first time to the group as a whole? Or, would it be better to give everyone a pre-read so they feel comfortable to engage in a conversation?
These are only a handful of considerations which may come to mind. Now, how do these interactions make their way into the ‘final’ presentation? It’s a fair question. A closer look at the consultant’s presentation will likely show specific keywords which have a high likelihood of resonating. Words to avoid will not be used, or they will be qualified to keep the meeting on track.
This all seems so simple, right? But, how often do we find ourselves in the same situation as the frustrated presenter? Now is the opportunity to channel our inner consultant. When it comes to the “final reveal” of your next big presentation, ensure those present have already seen the contents. Better still, encourage your audience to play a role in helping to craft the story, when and where it makes sense.
The “secret” is that the consultant channeled the role of an orchestrator; focusing on the audience and outcome. Now is your opportunity to put these tools to practice so your next meeting is not only less daunting, but a well-rehearsed symphony of ideas that can come to life.
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