A software engineer asks:
I regularly meet with a team of stakeholders who need to make decisions about the solutions and recommendations I present. The problem is that a few minutes into the presentation, I usually get sidetracked by their critical questions. How can I get them to engage from the very beginning and make sure they reflect and really listen?
The communications consultant answers:
First and foremost, you will need a substantive argument if you want to convince and engage a group of people. It doesn’t matter how flashy your presentation is—engineers want facts, not fiction. So come well-prepared and know what you want to say.
Let’s assume your presentation is solid in terms of content. It can still be difficult to convince others. Listeners may disengage right at the beginning, or you may not get a chance to tell your story because they immediately start asking lots of critical questions.
In those first few minutes, your main goal is getting your audience to be willing to really listen to you. You achieve this not just with the content of your presentation, but by delving into the interests of the people at the table. Oftentimes, they are stakeholders, coworkers who have their own interests in the project. What do they worry about? What are their plans? What is important to them? In the first few minutes of your presentation, everyone wants to understand why the topic is relevant for them and get the sense you understand them.
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How do you do this? An engaging introduction for your presentation consists of three steps. Step one: Clearly describe the problem and the consequences of inaction. What is the crux of the problem? The root cause of the problem might be will often a highly technical issue that not everyone in the meeting will fully understand. If that’s the case, you will have to start by translating what the technical problem means in terms of its consequences for the stakeholders at the meeting. For example, a technical failure could result in late delivery. That is bad news for the project manager. Or a delay will cause problems in the field, which will need to be solved by Customer Support. Describe exactly what the problem is and quantify as much as possible, using terms that will engage your listeners. This will get their attention and provide the necessary motivation to take action. Know that if it doesn’t hurt, nothing will happen.
Step two: What do you want to achieve? For example, your main goal may be to deliver on time. Or maybe you want to reduce the number of problems in the field. This is the common goal everyone can agree on.
Step three: Indicate what you want to achieve with the meeting. For example, your goal may be to brainstorm possible solutions or to decide on a specific approach you prepared.
Engineers want facts, not fiction...
These three steps will ensure that all the stakeholders at the meeting will be interested in what you have to say. After all, they recognize the problems and objectives you describe.
This is important, because we’re not always willing to acknowledge a problem. Say you are on your way to the dentist. How is your toothache doing? Chances are, your tooth isn’t hurting quite as much. So what will your dentist do? Your dentist will probe your diseased tooth to let you feel you do indeed have a problem. The result? You are once again willing to work towards a solution, and your dentist will tell you what your options are. This approach is similar. After an engaging introduction, your presentation will be more convincing. And your listeners will be more open to really listening to your story.
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