Three Keys for the Day of Your Oral Presentation

The Federal Government continues to explore ways to garner bidder information beyond from the traditional written proposal. A popular approach is to have the offerors provide an oral presentation to Government evaluators. These can take many different forms, from a traditional presentation to a rapid response scenario to a question and answer session. No matter what form the oral presentation takes, your team should spend weeks (preferably months) with an orals coach preparing and polishing the presentation. In addition, there are three tips your team needs to keep in mind when they step into the room on the day.

tip 1: be confident

A key theme throughout my orals coaching engagements is to make the team comfortable with the notion of presenting in front of evaluators. Often, this is the first time they have had to speak in public in their professional careers. They are nervous about the prospect of making a mistake and costing their firm the bid.

I address that by reinforcing the idea that each person on the team was chosen because of their knowledge and expertise in a chosen area. They know what needs to be said based on their skills and capabilities. Therefore, they just need to be able to present it in a way that will resonate with the audience.

The day before my teams present, I reinforce the idea that they are the best team we can put forward. They know this material. They’ve been practicing their presentations. And they are ready to go. Your team should walk into the room with their heads high and excited for the challenge.

tip 2: stick to your routine

I am all for trying new things. However, when you are about to participate in an oral presentation, stick to the familiar. Any changes to your routine can throw you off physically and mentally. So, if you normally have oatmeal for breakfast, do not protein load the morning of the presentation with eggs, bacon, and toast. If you do not have a glass of wine with dinner, the 2 to 3 days before your presentation is not the time to start! Even if your nerves keep you awake the night before but you’re not a coffee drinker, today is not the day to make a Starbucks run. Get a haircut the week, not the day, before you present. In short, stick to the tried and true to ensure your focus is on what is in front of you.

tip 3: be prepared

All good teams are prepared in terms of content and speaking capabilities. However, the great teams are prepared for anything that comes their way. Planning out your team’s presentation day is critical to success. Make sure you have transportation and timing planned to arrive well in advance of the presentation window. Have all the supplies and personal effects you need. If you are not allowed to have electronic devices, plan ahead of time what you will do with your phones, laptops, and smart watches. Be sure you have multiple copies of any electronic media you are allowed to bring (in other words, multiple laptops if you are supplying your own; your presentation on multiple flash drives, etc.). The team should have a checklist to ensure they do not miss a thing.

conclusion

Oral presentations are not like normal proposals. They are a way for the Government to not only judge capabilities but also to know if you and your team are the right partner for them. Therefore, your team needs to be confident, focused, and prepared when they walk into the room. Your team is highlighting the solution but, just as important, putting the evaluators at ease and demonstrating the minimal risk involved with selecting your firm. The above tips can help any oral presentation team deliver on the promise of their practice sessions.