IT and finance professionals often struggle with preparing and delivering presentations
Such as:
• How do I keep my presentations more engaging?
• How do I ensure my tone is appropriate?
• How much detail should I include?
• How do I handle miscommunications?
…and the list goes on.
To overcome these challenges takes
✅ time,
✅ practice,
✅ preparation.
There are no quick fixes.
But if there’s one mantra that can help you transform your presentations, it’s this:
➡ 𝐊𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐚𝐮𝐝𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞.
★ As 𝐀𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐡𝐚𝐦 𝐋𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐨𝐥𝐧 said:
“𝘐𝘧 𝘐 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘴𝘪𝘹 𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘱 𝘥𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘢 𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘦, 𝘐’𝘥 𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘴𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘹𝘦.”
This quote highlights the importance of preparation.
Great presentations start with understanding your audience.
Here are a few actionable strategies:
👉 𝐈𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐟𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐮𝐝𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐭𝐲𝐩𝐞
The first step is to recognize who you’re speaking to.
Different roles and expertise levels need tailored messaging.
𝐓𝐞𝐜𝐡𝐧𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 a𝐮𝐝𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞
• Who are they?
Developers, IT engineers, analysts, data scientists.
• What do they care about?
Technical details, implementation processes, performance metrics, and feasibility.
The best ways to communicate:
➥ Use precise terminology.
➥ Include methodologies and tools used.
➥ Highlight technical information
𝐍𝐨𝐧-𝐓𝐞𝐜𝐡𝐧𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 a𝐮𝐝𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞
• Who are they?
➥ executives, business stakeholders, clients, or end users.
• What do they care about?
➥ Business impact, ROI, customer satisfaction, and risks.
The best ways to communicate:
➥ Avoid jargon.
➥ Focus on outcomes and benefits.
➥ Use simple analogies and relatable examples.
👉 𝐔𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝𝐬
• What results or information are they expecting?
➥ Align your summary with their objectives.
➥ Pinpoint the problems they’re solving
➥ Frame insights around solutions to their challenges.
Example:
➥ A CFO might want to know how a new process reduces costs.
➥ An IT manager might need to know the technical changes .
👉 𝐀𝐝𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐞𝐩𝐭𝐡 𝐨𝐟 𝐈𝐧𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧
➥ For executives, high-level summary is enough
Use concise, impactful statements focusing on outcomes.
➥ Technical teams could enjoy more in-depth information
👉 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐲𝐥𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧
Are they visual learners?
➥ Use graphs, dashboards, or diagrams to summarize complex data.
Are they detail-oriented individuals?
➥ Provide written summaries with supporting documentation.
👉 𝐄𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐐𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬
Consider their common concerns
Example:
➥ For executives: “What’s the ROI? How much will this cost?”
➥ For IT teams: “What’s the implementation timeline? are there any potential risks?”
Prepare any necessary supporting data for deeper discussions.
How well do you know your audience for your next presentation?
Sri
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