When the realities of the COVID-19 pandemic first became apparent and began to impact the business world, many companies scrambled to find ways to stay afloat amid lockdowns and other restrictions. Two things occurred in the resulting paradigm shift.
First, remote workers transformed overnight from a select few professionals with special arrangements to a must-have workforce group in demand by many companies. Second, many businesses furloughed or laid-off employees to reduce payroll costs. Unfortunately, for many, those furloughs have become permanent terminations, including at major companies from Disney to Shell.
Increasingly, these layoffs impact knowledge workers and salaried employees as well as hourly professionals. Many office staff has seen their positions reduced or put at risk of elimination. In a business world undergoing a contraction, how can you make sure that your position remains secure?
Now, more than ever, it’s the time to enable your skills to shine and showcase value to your employer so that you remain an integral part of the team. With the right approach and modern resources, you can prove that value the next time you pitch an innovative idea or process improvement to management.
Here’s how to ramp up your chances of making a successful presentation or pitch.
Do Your Homework
First, determine how you can use your skills to improve the business. Find an idea that’s worth crafting a presentation around rather than waiting for an opportunity to arise in the course of your normal work duties. You might identify an opportunity for speeding up the supply chain, or you could spot a deficiency in the company’s operations that could result in a positive effect on the bottom line.
With an idea in mind, research everything that you need to know about making it happen. Come prepared with the necessary information but simplify your message down to a core idea that’s easy to communicate. Anticipate questions so that you can be ready with a quick and informative answer.
Make It Your Mission to Be Memorable
Although the information that you put into your presentation matters, avoid getting lost in the details. Your boss cares less about the third bullet point on the tenth slide and more about what it all means.
Make sure that everyone in the room remembers the crux of your idea. Upgrade your PDF software so that you can leverage modern tools to create stunning presentations that make it easy to present critical information in accessible formats—including remotely.
Consider the Context and Impact of Your Content
Tell a story through your presentation rather than simply stating data points. While your personal goal is to demonstrate your value and make your position more secure, the goal of your presentation should be to convey a clear pathway and opportunity to your boss.
Evaluate the efficacy of your pitch by asking questions such as:
- What is my main idea?
- How could we move from idea to reality?
- What are the positive impacts of pursuing this pitch for this business?
- Are there any downsides?
- How could this make my colleagues’ work easier?
Consider the pitch deck and presentation that you create with these questions in mind objectively to ensure that you stay on target.
Make Your Pitch a Conversation, Not a Speech
Avoid a one-sided presentation that treats management or your colleagues as a captive audience. Instead, look for opportunities to bring in their skills, experience, and ideas.
While you can focus on delivering your message and communicating the potential effects of your ideas, make it clear that you’re including your audience as a critical part of the formula for success. Your goal is to create value for the business—both as an individual and as an able collaborator.
Build Presentations with Confidence and Showcase Your Value
As many companies look to do more with less, making yourself an indispensable part of the team is essential. By bringing fresh ideas to the table and presenting them in a memorable way that invites collaboration and uses your skills, you can improve the likelihood of retaining your position. The right idea could even open new doors in your career that you haven’t yet considered.
Take a step back, evaluate what your strengths can do for a business, upgrade your presentation tools, and find the right way to make your value undeniable.
