For those that share that view, I recommend heeding the words of a former executive of the world’s most successful strategic consulting firm, McKinsey & Co. The final presentation to clients is a critical part of McKinsey’s highly-profitable business model. Robert Garda, now a professor at Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business, was quoted in the book The McKinsey Mind as saying:

                          “I’ve put half-baked ideas into great presentations and
                             seen them soar, and I’ve put great ideas into poor
                             presentations, and watched them die.”
      
A brilliantly written proposal with “great ideas” can be undermined by an inept oral presentation. The written proposal is, of course, the formal response to the Selection Criteria of the RFP.  The oral presentation rests on more subjective elements, such as the attitude of the presenting team, enthusiasm and intensity of the members, their speaking skills, and other non-verbal forms of communication.
 
Proposal writers and oral presenters must realize that their efforts are not separate elements of the bidding process. They are separate but interdependent means to achieve a common goal – winning the contract. This is especially true when competing proposals may be virtually identical in solving the Government’s problem. The oral presentation often becomes be the deciding factor.
 
George Clemenceau, French Prime Minister in World War l, famously commented “War is too important to be left to Generals alone.” As a professional presenter and coach of presenters, I can say emphatically: The oral presentation is too important to be left to presenters alone.
 
Proposal managers and writers should work closely with the project managers, engineers and other technical experts who have been selected to comprise the orals team. Similar to siblings within a family, there will be tension between proposal writers and oral presenters. But the well-being of the family – the company bidding on the contract – depends on the cooperation and collaboration of all its various members. Having used the family metaphor, I can assure you that this two-part essay will not be an inspiring call for writers and presenters to hold hands, give group hugs and sing Kumbaya. Instead, it will be practical and tactical, providing a methodology to optimize your company’s capabilities in order to increase the chances of winning federal contracts.
 
Proposal managers and writers must be involved in the oral presentation process. They are the creators of the intellectual product known as the proposal. They have had to interpret the obtuse writing of the Government’s RFP. They understand what was communicated in the proposal. They understand why any particular topic was discussed or described in the way it was. They understand the interconnectedness of the various proposal subject areas. That knowledge is invaluable in the development of the oral presentation.
 
In part two I’ll address the questions that are in the minds of the government evaluators judging the orals, and I’ll discuss how to address these concerns in a simulated orals with a macabre name—The Murder Board.