Words That Create Instant Credibility
Being a know-it-all is a great way to make people question your common sense.
When it comes to credibility-building, the three most powerful words in the English language are: "I don't know."
Government Proposals Orals Coach | How to Select an Orals Coach
The requirement to give oral proposal presentations has been important for decades, but the nature of oral proposals fundamentally changed with simplification in contracting during the mid 1990s. Two important results of the changes in orals were as follows:
- Government Proposals Orals Coach - Proposal orals that had been free form became highly structured, usually having specific requirements as to length, graphics, content, and who would serve as presenters.
- Orals became much more important in determining the winner, sometimes even accounting for 40 – 60% of the total evaluation point score.
Can’t We All Just Get Along?
An expanded version of this article, Ten Steps to Oral Presentations that Bring Home the Bacon, will be published in the APMP-NCA Executive Summary on July 12, 2011
A Primer for Collaboration Between Proposal Professionals and Orals Team Leaders
The words in the title were uttered by Rodney King, who had been beaten by police after the OJ Simpson trial-inspired riots in 1995, and have become part of the national dialogue. Why use that phrase for this article? Because I believe, as a member of APMP-NCA, and also a member of the Project Management Institute of Washington, (PMIWDC), that those who create RFP-responsive proposals, and those who must present them in oral presentations tend to work in separate spheres. In effect, they should “get along” from the pre-release of an RFP/Solicitation to the oral presentation.
Ten Tips for Presenting to Senior Executives
Summary
The opportunity to present to senior executives is a good news and bad news venture. The good news is that it gives the presenter the chance to showcase his or her capabilities before the people in the organization who have great influence on promotions and future assignments. The bad news is that a poor presentation to senior executives can cast a giant shadow over the presenter’s future. An old saying is particularly apt—People may not remember a good presentation, but they never forget a bad one. Nor do they forget the presenter of a bad presentation.
The Ten Tips below are not classroom theory, but evolve from my speaking experience, including being the senior intelligence briefer to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and are distilled from my book The Shortcut to Persuasive Presentations (available online at Amazon.com.) Adapt these Ten Tips to your own speaking, and you’ll not only avoid the career-damaging bad presentation, you’ll be eager to present to “the big dogs.”
Bring Home the Bacon! Part Two:
The Four-Phase Collaboration between Project Managers and
Proposal Professionals that Develops Contract-Winning Synergy
Synopsis
This two-part article evolved from my November 4, 2010 presentation at the PMTools in Crystal City. Part One emphasized ( a) why proposal managers/writers and project managers/orals teams must work in concert, not separately as is often the case, and (b) specific guidance enabling Project Managers to improve their presentation skills to make them more effective in leading oral presentations. These oral presentations can be the “tiebreaker” in determining which company is awarded the contract.
In Part Two I outline a four-phase approach which unites the proposal and orals teams to enhance the chances of winning contracts.
Bring Home the Bacon! Part One: Why Project Managers Should Improve Their Presentation Skills
Introduction
This article is Part One of a two-part submission for the Project Management Institute, Washington DC Chapter (PMIWDC) webpage. It is evolved from my November 4 PMTools presentation at the Crystal City Sheraton. This article will:
- Explain why proposal managers/writers and the proposed project managers must work in concert, not separately as is often the case; and
- Provide advice that will enable proposed project managers to improve their presentation skills. This advice is based on the methodology that is the heart of my executive workshops.
In Part Two, to be published on the PMIWDC website at a later date, I will outline an integrated four phase process by which writers and presenters can develop contract-winning synergy.
What do I mean by “Bringing Home the Bacon?“ It’s what the proposed project managers are expected to do when they head an orals presentation team that is competing with other companies for contracts. Yet these proposed project managers are often brought into the proposal process relatively late. They are expected to win the business, but are not involved in developing the proposal. That, I submit, is not the way to win business.
How “Beetle Bailey” Can Improve Your Presentation Skills
Some years ago, the comic strip Beetle Bailey contained a valuable lesson for business presenters. As General Halftrack walked into his office, his secretary asked: "How was Lt. Fuzz's presentation?" The General replied: "Like the Washington Monument." Puzzled, the secretary asked, "The Washington Monument?” General Halftrack responded, "Yeah, it took him a long time to get to the point."
How often have you felt the frustration of General Halftrack because the speaker didn't "get to the point?" Worse, have people listening to your presentations been exasperated because they didn't know where you were taking them, didn't know what your point was?
Why Oral Presentations are Important: Part Two – The Murder Board
The term “Murder Board” may sound like something Tony Soprano might convene, but it has nothing to do with a criminal act. It has everything to do with helping people become better and more persuasive speakers, and it is a vital step for an oral presentation for a government contract.
Why Oral Presentations are Important: Part One
Introduction
Many proposal managers and writers believe that all that is needed to win a contract is a well-written proposal that “answers the mail” of an RFP. An oral presentation is merely a formality.
7 Uncommon Power Point Techniques
7 Uncommon Power Point Techniques…That will make audiences sit up and take notice
In this article, we provide several ideas on how to make all of your Power Point presentations more interesting.
1. Insert blank black slides
2. Mix up the colors
3. Embed sound
4. Use video instead of still photos
5. Use photos instead of graphics
6. Use build capability to create visuals with depth and texture (not because something is too complex)
7. Increase the ratio of visuals to text slides