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A big meeting was coming up and I was presenting. First of all, I hated to speak in front of people. But this wasn’t just anyone… this was leadership.
So, everything had to be perfect.
I worked for hours on the PowerPoint with my team. We scrutinized every word, looking up synonyms for “increases impact”. We tweaked the spacing, the colors, the icons.
It had to look like we knew what we were doing. It needed to inspire trust.
Changes were being made right up to the deadline to submit. And then it was that scary moment where it was out there. And it couldn’t be changed.
On the day of the presentation… we told ourselves, we did all we could do. What happens, will happen.
And what happened? It did not go well. We got shut down.
What went wrong???
Well… It turns out we missed the one thing most professionals miss when giving presentations.
It turns out we didn’t do all we could do. And it’s so much more effective than perfecting your PowerPoint….
“The quality of your communication determines the size of your result.”
This was the flashback I was having while I was talking with a client.
She was preparing for a big presentation. She was going to pitch an idea and hopefully get alignment… the green light from the stakeholders to go and do it.
But all she was talking about was how the presentation looked and if the right information was in the pre-read.
“Don’t make the same mistake I made!” I said.
Yes, that’s all important. You do want to make sure all your stuff is put together. But the decision that’s going to be made in this meeting will not be based on what you say in your presentation, or even your PowerPoint.
The key pieces that influence that decision…. are the conversations that happen beforehand.
You see, the power lies in the discussions with those key stakeholders before that presentation. It’s all in that engagement, that connection, the exchange, and the questions that arise.
My problem was… I didn’t have any conversations. I assumed my manager was having those chats for me. Which they weren’t. But even if they were… it’s not the best way to build trust… through someone else.
Even if it’s an informal chat, even if it’s just a hallway conversation or a Zoom coffee chat before the presentation… it’s in those key moments of discussion where you’re influencing the most. Where you are sharing your thought process – and they’re sharing theirs.
It builds deeper understanding. It builds trust.
Conversations are where the foundation is built.
So the presentation you give can stand on firm footing.
“The quality of your communication determines the size of your result.”
– Meir Ezra
Entrepreneur and Business Coach
