Find Your Message
The foundation of a great presentation
The Foundation
I vividly remember standing in a room in front of some important stakeholders. I needed them to buy-in to my project in order to get the budget approved to continue our work. I was half-way through my presentation when I felt the sinking sensation of disinterest from this highly influential audience piercing through me. My palms were sweating, anxiety started to build, and I realized at that moment they weren’t feeling the passion for my project I needed them to feel.
As I finished my presentation, I knew I hadn’t hit the mark. There were no questions and as the leadership team politely thanked me, I knew the funds to continue my project weren’t going to be approved.
What went wrong? I prepared well and knew my subject better than anyone. I was prepared to answer any questions they had and could speak about my project as an expert. Why weren’t they engaged with my presentation?
Later, as I reflected on my presentation, I realized where I had failed. My message wasn’t clear. I had spent so much time on the details of the project and preparing the words and images I wanted to share, I didn’t really focus on the message this audience needed to hear. The details of the project and the benefits it would bring weren’t enough. I…
