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.
“Watch inspiring examples of top presenters on TED’s Public Speaking page
𝐈𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐟𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐮𝐝𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐭𝐲𝐩𝐞
The first step is to recognize who you’re speaking to.
Different roles and expertise levels need tailored messaging.
If you struggle with speaking during networking, this post will help
𝐓𝐞𝐜𝐡𝐧𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 a𝐮𝐝𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞
• Who are they?
Developers, IT engineers, analysts, and 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.
For data-backed insights on presentation and persuasion, see this HBR article on effective communication
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.
For more actionable presentation frameworks, see this 7-step guide.
Proven presentation skill-building resources visit Toastmasters Internationa
How well do you know your audience for your next presentation?
Sri
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