THE BARD GROUP, LLC

OBJECTIVE

Come to the meeting focusing on the client’s situation and a compelling story that conveys how your solutions can positively impact their business.
Frame all of your key points in a way that makes it easy for them to understand how you are different and feel the total alignment between their challenges and your solution.
Design a crisp, clean, and visual presentation that enables you to control the message and allows the client to stay focused on you and your key points rather than what is on the page.

TECHNIQUES

A. Build a compelling story

1. Start with what you know about your client.

Their business objectives
The challenges they are facing
Why they are meeting with you
What they want to learn from you

2. Determine the goal of the meeting.

The goal is what you want the client to takeaway. It is not what you want to get from the meeting but rather what the client needs from you to decide in your favor.

Headline your goal. Keep it concise and focused on their challenges and opportunities. Write it as you would say it to the client at the beginning of the meeting.

Example:

“We want to talk with you about a new approach to managing your portfolio based on the state of the markets, how this will benefit you, and where we see opportunities for you in the long run.”

3. Get clear on how you are different.

Based on what you know about their challenges, figure out how you are different. Narrow down your differentiators to those most critical to your client and their specific situation.

4. Decide on your 3 key messages

Use the shortlist of differentiators to create 3 key messages that align what you do uniquely well with their challenges. The Rule of Three is very effective when building your story because clients can comfortably remember three new chunks of information. Any more than three creates cognitive backlog or fatigue on their part. Focusing on 3 key messages will also keep you from meandering during the meeting and help you manage the time well.

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5. Write your 'What' and 'So What' statements

For each of your 3 key messages write your ‘What’ and ‘So What’ statements. These statements force you to be very specific about the point you are making and why each is important to the client.

Key message #1: This is what we do and why you should care.

Key message #2: This is what we do and why you should care.

Key message #3: This is what we do and why you should care.

6. Use data or facts to prove what you do works.

Key message #1: This is why you should believe me.

Key message #2: This is why you should believe me.

Key message #3: This is why you should believe me.

7. Outline your presentation using the worksheet in the Exercise section below.

The outline helps you focus on what is most important both when designing your visuals and during the meeting.

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B. Structure your presentation

Structure your presentation to ensure you and your team are in the best position to deliver an engaging and memorable meeting. A great presentation has a beginning, middle, and end.

1. A strong opening grabs the client’s attention and gets them talking.

It sets the tone for the rest of the meeting. This is when you will:

Make introductions,
Check on time,
Share your meeting flow, and
Engage the client around their challenges

Remember, they will only accept your solution if they have first bought into their challenge.

2. The middle (or core) is when you talk about your solution using your 3 key messages to keep the conversation focused.

Create a natural and logical flow of topics where one section feeds nicely into the next.
Allocate time to each section. Assume you will have less time than you have been given. Technology glitches, clients arriving late, or any number of factors can and will likely eat up precious minutes. Reserve time for questions and to engage the client in dialogue throughout the meeting, not just at the end of the meeting. Plan on 45 minutes if you have been given 60, or 20 minutes if you have been given 30.
Decide which key points belong in each section. Remember for every 'What', you want to communicate the 'So What', which is why the 'What’ matters to them. Then support that statement with proof.
Be sure each team member knows their swim lane, how much time they will have, and which key points should be covered in their section.
Plan how you will bridge between slides and from one team member to the next so it all flows smoothly.

3. The close of the meeting should summarize your 3 key messages, why you, and why now.

Prepare your close in advance, but know that when the time comes, you will reflect what you learned during the meeting and use their words (not yours) to connect what you do well with what they need.

Example:

“When you pull all of this together, there are three keys to our ability to meet your challenges of X and Y. Three things that we believe stand out are 1…., 2…., and 3…. Let me summarize why.”

C. Redesign your visuals

Your visuals play an important role in any meeting, but in a hybrid meeting they dominate the screen of those attending virtually. The complex, data-heavy presentations you used before the world shifted to hybrid meetings now need to be redesigned. Let’s face it, those presentations never really worked well anyway.

Remember, your goal in using visuals is to make it easy for your client to listen and absorb your message. You do not want them trapped in your slides, reading and trying to interpret them.

Here are techniques that will ensure your visuals work to your advantage in a hybrid meeting:

1. Be very selective about your content.

Solve to the least amount of information you need to convey your message — nothing more! Eliminate everything in your presentation that does not support your 3 key messages. Every slide you add is a slide you and your team will feel obliged to cover, taking precious time you could be using to engage the client in conversation.

2. Spread your content over more slides.

This provides more frequent on-screen stimulation for your audience and helps to keep their attention.

3. Make only ONE key point per slide.

Each slide should make one main point that ties back to or supports your bigger story.

4. Use descriptive titles.

Your titles should capture the main point of each slide using as few words as possible. At the same time, make sure they are intriguing enough to pull the client back into your presentation if they had been multi-tasking or mentally wandering.

5. Use fewer words, fewer bullets.

The ‘Billboard Rule’ says that the audience should get the gist of what the slide is telling them in just 3 seconds, the time it takes to read a billboard as you drive by. If it takes longer than 3 seconds, you have too much on your slide.

Follow the 6x6 rule — a maximum of 6 bullets, and 6 words per bullet per page.

Here’s an exercise to help wean you from the content on your slide:

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6. Use larger fonts and plenty of white space.

Assume virtual attendees will be viewing your presentation from smaller laptop screens or even on mobile devices. Design your slides as though you are creating them for viewers in the back of a large auditorium.

7. Choose high-contrast color designs.

Light colors easily wash out, and subtle tone variations can be difficult for virtual audiences to see.

8. Apply simple animation.

Build your slides in PowerPoint so you can click through and speak to one chunk of information at a time. This keeps the client focused and listening to you, not reading. It also helps you to clearly and succinctly share your message.

The ‘Appear’ and ‘Fade’ animations in PowerPoint are good choices because they are clean and simple. Avoid motion and other complex animation that could cause technical problems during a virtual meeting.

9. Simplify your graphs and charts.

You will not hold the attention of your client in a virtual meeting using complex charts and graphs. Design a simpler version and animate it so you can bring in one piece of the visual at a time as you walk them through the point you are trying to make. Leave no room for interpretation.

10. Support your story with pictures.

Pictures engage an audience more thoroughly than any other medium. Create or buy pictures that tie directly to your key messages. Be very selective when using stock photography because, while interesting, they can detract from your message if the connection is too abstract.

D. Rehearse as a team

In a hybrid meeting, where you are running both an in-person and a virtual meeting simultaneously, your team needs to be in sync to optimize the time you have and ensure high engagement. Avoid the temptation to wing it. Let’s walk-through when, how, and what to rehearse.

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1. When to rehearse

Rehearse the day before and conclude before 6 p.m. so everyone has time to absorb, restore, and get a relaxing night’s sleep.
If possible, plan for two rehearsals, allowing two days in between so the team has breathing room to refine their message and practice independently.

2. How to rehearse

Have everyone attend as they will the live meeting, some may be in the room while others are virtual. Cameras and audio should be ON for the entire rehearsal.
The Team Lead typically runs the rehearsal and establishes who will provide feedback and how that will be managed.
Rehearse in character exactly as you plan to present in the live meeting — your voice, energy, pace, passion, facial expressions, and body language. When not presenting, the rest of the team plays the role of the client.
Practice using the same technology you will use for the live meeting. Share and advance slides as you plan to do it live. Decide how the presenter will cue the next slide if they are not driving. Avoid saying “Next slide please” every time. It will get old.
When the slide is not needed, stop screen sharing. Practice this technique when you are rehearsing! You want to maximize the time people are looking at each other versus your visuals.

3. How to provide feedback

Focus your feedback on building confidence while also enhancing performance. Positive feedback should always outweigh negative 3:1. When constructive feedback is needed, don’t lay it all out there. Focus only on what will have the greatest impact. Often, just a few tweaks can make a world of difference.
Be specific about what the team member does well and how they can improve. Do not leave your feedback open to interpretation.

For example, instead of saying, “Focus on slowing down.”, you might say:

“Smile at the camera for a moment before beginning to speak. This will give you time to take a deep breath so you start with full lungs. Then while you are speaking, emphasize important points with dramatic pauses. This will help you continue to breathe naturally.”

Tell them why the feedback you are giving is important. People are more likely to make a change when they understand how it can produce a better result.

Example:

“Slowing down your tempo will decrease your anxiety so you will feel and come across more confident. It also allows the client to keep up with what you are saying and absorb it.”

Always end on a positive note.

4. What to rehearse

Rehearse the Opening and the Close.

These are the most important parts of the presentation. Both are typically owned by the Team Lead. Rehearsing these is critical. The Opening sets the stage for the rest of the presentation and gives your audience a reason to care. The Close determines what your client will walk away with and significantly contributes to how they will feel about the presentation hours or days later.

Rehearse each section of the presentation.

Fine-tune your consistency of message across the team.

Track your time to be sure you will end on time; shorten or change content as needed.

Provide feedback on your presence and communication skills.

Be sure each team member genuinely connects with the client because we know that decisions are made primarily based on emotion.

Practice how you intend to engage the client.

Practice asking questions, then restating or rephrasing, and checking in to see if you have it right.

Practice asking follow-up questions.

Rehearse answers to questions you anticipate the client will ask, replying with concise, persuasive answers.

Practice handoffs from one person and section to the next.

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Decide if each speaker will hand off to the next person or if the Team Lead will take it back each time.

As you move from one speaker to the next, summarize what the client just heard. Leave nothing open for interpretation. Then check-in to see if they have questions or comments. Start your question with “what” or “how” to get them talking.

Example:

“Before we move on, what questions can I answer?”

Open the next section by headlining what’s coming. Make the headline intriguing to spike their attention in case they have checked out for a moment.

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ADVANTAGES TO YOU

Each team member is comfortable with who is doing what, allowing you to flow smoothly and maximize the time you have been given.
You are able to clearly and succinctly share your message and hold the client’s attention.
The more succinct and focused you are, the better you will perform, and the easier it is for your client to absorb and remember your message.
You come across confident, comfortable, and natural.

ADVANTAGES TO THE CLIENT

They are free to listen, think, and learn with ease, and let the importance of what you are saying sink in.
They can quickly zero in on your differentiators and understand why you and why now.
They will easily remember you and your message long after the meeting ends.