I used to think TED talk-like presentations that lead you to the conclusions are the way to go. Not in this case.
Be clear about why you’re there, what are you expecting from them, and what problem are you solving. That’s slide #1.
If you’re presenting to your manager, leadership team, or an executive trying to convince them to make a call, I have a presentation format for you to follow.
It's battle tested so you get to avoid my earlier mistakes.
Here's a short summary
(Short Thread 🧵)
I used to think TED talk-like presentations that lead you to the conclusions are the way to go. Not in this case.
Be clear about why you’re there, what are you expecting from them, and what problem are you solving. That’s slide #1.
If you can't get people in the room on the same page about why this problem is critical to the company, it's going to be difficult for you to move forward.
You want agreement that this is a problem that matters.
Don't skip this part. There is likely *something* that the company is doing now to solve this issue. Even if you disagree with it, mention it.
Make it clear you understand what is our current approach.
If other companies in your industry are solving this issue better, highlight that.
This is powerful. Nobody wants to fall behind and highlighting how others are doing better is a powerful motivation to do more.
Now that we're clear on the problem and have similar context, what is your solution?
If this is a slight repeat of slide #1, that's okay. You want to highlight it within the context you've just provided.
Solutions cost money and resources. What are you asking for? You want to be clear and articulate about the overall cost of this solution.
This is not just about money, it’s about the overall cost of time, possible change of direction, resourcing, etc.
Do *not* skip this part.
There is a cost to doing nothing. This is a killer way to showcase how the cost of doing something is *better* than the cost of doing what we're doing today or to not improve.
More from All
You May Also Like
"I lied about my basic beliefs in order to keep a prestigious job. Now that it will be zero-cost to me, I have a few things to say."
We know that elite institutions like the one Flier was in (partial) charge of rely on irrelevant status markers like private school education, whiteness, legacy, and ability to charm an old white guy at an interview.
Harvard's discriminatory policies are becoming increasingly well known, across the political spectrum (see, e.g., the recent lawsuit on discrimination against East Asian applications.)
It's refreshing to hear a senior administrator admits to personally opposing policies that attempt to remedy these basic flaws. These are flaws that harm his institution's ability to do cutting-edge research and to serve the public.
Harvard is being eclipsed by institutions that have different ideas about how to run a 21st Century institution. Stanford, for one; the UC system; the "public Ivys".
As a dean of a major academic institution, I could not have said this. But I will now. Requiring such statements in applications for appointments and promotions is an affront to academic freedom, and diminishes the true value of diversity, equity of inclusion by trivializing it. https://t.co/NfcI5VLODi
— Jeffrey Flier (@jflier) November 10, 2018
We know that elite institutions like the one Flier was in (partial) charge of rely on irrelevant status markers like private school education, whiteness, legacy, and ability to charm an old white guy at an interview.
Harvard's discriminatory policies are becoming increasingly well known, across the political spectrum (see, e.g., the recent lawsuit on discrimination against East Asian applications.)
It's refreshing to hear a senior administrator admits to personally opposing policies that attempt to remedy these basic flaws. These are flaws that harm his institution's ability to do cutting-edge research and to serve the public.
Harvard is being eclipsed by institutions that have different ideas about how to run a 21st Century institution. Stanford, for one; the UC system; the "public Ivys".
