Mastering the Art of Oral Presentations

CHAPTER 1Preparation Preparation Is the Foundation of Success

Before beginning any work on presentation materials, it is imperative that the presenters share a common understanding of the customer’s needs, the team’s offering, the competition, and how each of these elements should be addressed to achieve the highest probability of a win. This step is of paramount importance, yet many companies—losing companies—commonly overlook it!

If a written proposal is required prior to making an oral presentation, it’s easy to say, “We’ve submitted a ‘winning’ written proposal, let’s just summarize it and talk about our key points.” When required, the written proposal forms a foundation for the oral presentation and is nothing more than that. In general, written proposals are technical and sterile. They are written and prepared using proven processes and strictly follow instructions provided or described by your customer.

Even though you may have submitted an excellent written proposal, winning oral presentations mandate implementation of a creative process that capitalizes on, and launches from, the good work that has been done to date.

As you and your team prepare your oral presentation materials, don’t forget that the process of learning more about the competition and the customer never stops until the contract is awarded. You and your team must continue to learn as much as you can as long as you can and leverage these expanding insights to optimize your value proposition for your ...