“Act as if…”
When you’re trying to get buy-in, share information and drive decisions, always put yourself in your audience’s seats while preparing. Ask yourself what they would expect from your presentation, as well as your strategy and approach. Act as if you’re in their seats and give yourself feedback. Look for what you’re missing and what you’re adding unnecessarily. Use this also to structure your talk: consider what they know already and what they don’t. Push yourself outside of your thinking bubble. If you’re giving a presentation to higher-level leaders or stakeholders, use this to anticipate questions they might ask and answer them in your presentation.
- Related Note(s):
- Focus on making one point the key takeaway.
- You might need to audit your team in three pillars to present in higher-level meetings.
- Consider the medium while acting as if.
- This anticipating approach will help you move faster.
- Don’t forget to lay out the pros and cons and why you go with one direction.
