The Presentation Moment

The deliverable and the presentation of the deliverable are distinct professional acts. A deliverable that is excellent and presented poorly has not been delivered effectively. A deliverable that is weak but presented confidently will disappoint when the client reads it carefully. The goal is both: a deliverable of sufficient quality that it stands alone after the presentation, and a presentation that earns the confidence the deliverable deserves.

1. Know which slides or sections to spend time on In a sixty-minute presentation of a twenty-page deliverable, not every page receives equal time. Before presenting, identify the three most consequential findings — the ones where the client's understanding is most important and the conversation is most likely to be productive. Spend more time on those. Move through the background and methodology sections without stopping unless questions arise. The presenter who spends thirty of sixty minutes on context has not managed the meeting.
2. Prepare for the push-back on your recommendations In any presentation of consulting recommendations, the client will push back on at least one. Be prepared with the counterargument. Know which recommendation you are most confident in and which is most dependent on assumptions the client may challenge. A consultant who is surprised by pushback on a recommendation has not thought about the recommendation from the client's perspective.
3. Close with the decision that must happen Every presentation should end with a specific next step that requires the client to make a decision in the room or commit to a timeline. "We appreciate the discussion" is not a close. "Based on our discussion today, I recommend we confirm the priority ranking of the three recommendations before we leave, so that we can begin implementation planning" is a close. The client who leaves the room without having committed to a next step is the client who does not act.