Do this before you rush in to present to your Board

1. Here are
some tips to
remember…
SO…. YOU NEED TO DO A
PRESENTATION TO YOUR BOARD?
1

2. 1. WHY
2. WHAT+WHERE
+ WHEN
3. HOW
But an effective
presentation at
this level is done
OUTSIDE of the
room.
ONLY 3 QUESTIONS THAT THE PRESENTATION
MUST ANSWER
1. WHY. Why are YOU here?
2. WHAT + WHERE + WHEN. What
exactly is the decision to be
made?
3. HOW. How did YOU arrive at this
conclusion?
2

3. You have to
make a case that
the Project is
urgently needed.
WHY ARE YOU THERE?
Let’s face it. You want money for a
Project. And you’re the Project
leader.
3

4. If you are not
senior enough
you may have to
bring in a
Consultant….
…but it is better
if a Project is
owned by an
internal person
and supported by
a Consultant, if
you need one.
BUT…. DO THEY KNOW WHO YOU ARE ?
Do you even have the creds to
present to the Board on this
subject?
I am credible!
See my Consultant!
4

5. It makes you
look unprepared
- at best -
because you did
not do a
thorough job, or
at worst,
incompetent..
Good luck on
getting approval
the next time
around.
THE ABSOLUTE WORST THING THAT CAN HAPPEN
You are sent away at the end to add
material or do more research to
answer new questions.
5

6. There is a
different
digestive process
for people who
are HR experts,
accountants,
engineers, IT
experts or
salesmen.
WHO WILL BE IN THE MEETING ?
Know who will be making up the
group and what their slant is. This will
help you structure the presentation
to key decision makers.
This is not
a problem ! No music?
People
problem
Too much
money
Where is
the data?
Could be
said better
And this fits
into my IT
system how?
When is
lunch?
VP
Eng.
VP
R&D
Musician Poet VP
HR
VP
IT
VP
Finance
VP
Sales
6

7. Never go into
that meeting
without getting
some buy-in
before the
meeting.
Know the
opposition and
your odds of
decision success
before going in.
DO THE LEGWORK BEFORE THE MEETING
Get feedback from the members (or
their lieutenants) so you can resolve
disagreement areas beforehand.
PLAN
7

8. If you are
confident of the
decision
beforehand, the
presentation is
just a dog and
pony show.
THE SELLING IS DONE BEFORE THE PRESENTATION
The presentation still needs to look as
if the discussion is happening for the
first time. Seems underhanded? You
betcha.
8

9. The presentation
must be well
structured and
get to the point
fast
WHY DO THE LEGWORK BEFORE THE MEETING ?
The Board members will seem to
have the attention span of a gnat.
Inattentive to YOU, anyway.
This bizarre symptom is partly
because they have other things to
deal with, generally.
But even in this meeting YOU are
just one more item way down the
agenda, and they are already bored
before you even open your mouth.
9

10. It can feel
humiliating when
you see them
studying their
open laptops,
documents,
texting on
smartphones, or
whispering
between
themselves.
If you have done the legwork before
nothing will unbalance you.
WHY DO THE LEGWORK BEFORE THE MEETING ?
Dell
10

11. Maybe the case
for action is
because it’s what
the competition
is doing. Or
perhaps the
Project is more
important than
any other Project
competing for
funds.
KEEP THE HERD POINTED IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION
Close the door to the “what if we don’t
to this” question. Make an undeniable
case for the Project.
11

12. Make sure the
results are
MEASURABLE so
performance
improvements
are not assessed
by someone’s
opinions later.
WHAT ARE YOU PROMISING ?
How will be the results be measured?
What are the metrics that you will use?
TODAY
THE PROJECT
12
TOMORROW

13. Triangulate the
possible Project
outcomes, e.g.:
• Best in class
• Median class
performers
• Your assessment
by research or
simulation
… especially if the
technology being
applied is new to
your company.
BE REALISTIC ABOUT THE POSSIBLE RESULTS
Develop a sense of what is realistically
achievable from different sources.
13
Source 1:
Best in class
Source 3:
Median class
Source 2:
Your simulation
PERFORMANCE
LEVEL
(however you
define it)
Actual Performance
Level Today
ZERO PERFORMANCE LINE
THREE
POSSIBLE
OUTCOMES
HIGH
PERFORMANCE
1
3
2

14. Stick your best
estimate of what
is achievable in
your
triangulated
area.
Them back off a
good safety
margin and
promise THAT to
the Board.
BUILD IN A SAFETY MARGIN FOR YOUR PROMISES
Get the expert opinions of the Board
members before the meeting on any
uncertain areas.
14
Your best estimate of
actual achievable
results, all things
considered
The target
results
that you
promise to
the BOARD
PERFORMANCE
LEVEL
(however you
define it)
Actual Performance
Level Today
ZERO PERFORMANCE LINE
HIGH
PERFORMANCE
1
3
2 SAFETY
MARGIN

15. This would be
YOU!
WHO IS THE LAMB GOING TO THE SLAUGHTER?
What if the Project fails? If it all goes
wrong during the implementation,
whose career path gets muddied or
ended?
BAAA
15

16. No one wants to
see all the
details of the
work your team
did.
THE ICEBERG PRINCIPLE APPLIES
Show them this
NOT the rest of the
work that was done
16

17. Very few members
will know the
operational
details. You have
to bring the
understanding of
the operational
changes into the
room.
Keep the discussions
at simple concept
levels; the decision
to be made should
be obvious to all.
BRING THE MOUNTAIN TO MUHAMMAD
#1. Order selection process changes
TOMORROW: Order selection by Pallet Jack
10 people = 300 cases per hour
3 people = 300 cases per hour
TODAY by handcart
17

18. Animations will
only be present in
the final
presentation. The
earlier discussions
before the meeting
will most likely use
static slides.
Make the
presentation itself
interesting.
COMMUNICATE THE INTENDED CHANGES ..
AND CONSEQUENCES
• Use icons to show simple changes.
• Complex changes might need an
Explainer video, or, at the very
least, some animation.
GET OUT THERE
AND PRESENT!
LEAVE ME
ALONE!
18

19. Keep the visuals
simple.
But don’t dumb it
down to the point
of insulting
anyone’s
intelligence.
QUANTIFY THE EXPECTED RESULTS
#1. Order selection process changes
$ 450,000
15
3 years
Manpower reduction
PV Capital Investments $ 50,000
PV Annual savings
Project Life
NPV $ 400,000
100%+
Implementation time 3 months
ROI
Productivity improvement 300%
19

20. Don’t prepare 3
pages unless you
absolutely have
to; you really
don’t want to go
past 2.
Keep it at a
summary level; it
should read like
news flier or
comic book.
DISTRIBUTE A HANDOUT 2 WEEKS AHEAD OF
THE PRESENTATION
A one page handout is best.
PROJECT TITLE
DELIVERABLE 1
ROI
Description
Timeline
Capital Investment
Project Summary:
• Why needed
• Overall results expected
DELIVERABLE 2
ROI
Description
Timeline
Capital Investment
GRAPHIC
GRAPHIC
Metrics & Improvements
Metrics & Improvements
20

21. 213djmax@gmail.com 3doncanvas.com
Presentations done just a little differently….