We just completed a comprehensive study for a team and spent a day discussing the findings. Their task was to digest the information and determine how they would communicate it to other interested parties. Like any big, high-visibility project, lots of folks-around-the-edges, and leadership teams were itching to hear the discoveries. The answer seems simple—total transparency, send the presentation to anyone who asks for it.
Wrong answer, Grasshopper! You can’t send it into the stratosphere, with minimal context “We have been working on XXX, here are the results. Our team is determining next steps…blah blah blah.” Is it any wonder that the phone starts ringing, emails are flying and the coffee pot chatter reaches a fevered pitch?
As recipient of the original data, when you distribute the findings to others, you have to give each requesting group the EXACT data they need, no more, no less…..and trust me, it will never be the entire presentation. Here are four tips to help ensure each presentation tells the right story to its intended audience:
- Before you DO anything—-PLAN. Write down the action you expect the recipients to take as a result of reviewing the presentation. Yes…totally old school with a touch of Mad Men advertising….but if you can’t put into words how you expect them to use the information then warning bells and whistles should be going off in your head.
- Are they Information Junkies? If they are not required to take any action but must/want to know, put this in the category of a morning news report. Give a strong headline, good opening lead, nice graphics and keep to the essence of the key points. Keep to the headlines and don’t spend time with issues that need lots of discussion and context.
- Will they be Recommenders? If yes, then consider the one-two punch. Use the presentation as a pre-read and follow it up with a F2F (virtual or old school) where you discuss the pros and cons of the findings. As Recommenders they need the story with background information and key issues. They must become knowledgeable, but they are not Decision Makers so this is still informative, not the hard-sell-time-to-make-a-decision presentation.
- Are they Decision Makers? If yes, then they need the whole persuasive enchilada. Restructure the data story for retelling so it clearly defines the pros, cons and decision points. Like the Recommenders, the most effective strategy is to create the Decision Makers presentation, and follow it up with a tailored meeting. Your goal is to present relevant facts and move to a decision.
Bottom line—3 audiences….3 different slants of data… each tailored to the audience.
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So true, don’t forget to warn about activity verses progress…and what does Chompers have to say about it all???? inquiring minds want to know;)