To Hell with Presentations!

Earlier this week,  I accompanied the Executive Director of a professional organization I am a member of on a sponsorship call to the Toshiba Business Center.

The President of the company began our visit with  a tour of his facility which started in their showroom.

As he described the way they used the space, I realized it was less of a showroom and more of a Sales Theatre. The space is re-imagined for every client that comes through the door; it is set up to mirror the problems the client has and the solutions his company can provide.  His products aren’t exactly sexy; Toshiba Business Solutions provide printing and technology related solutions.   I imagined myself as a a client walking into this space, one that is set up specifically to address my problems and the solutions TBS provides which would  make running my business easier, more efficient and more cost effective and I got excited. REAL excited.

What if we took this idea one step further?

I frequently hear  from my clients,  especially those in finance and engineering , that the work they do isn’t interesting, just a lot of numbers and stats – and that may be true; but the presentation of such work doesn’t need to be boring. It IS boring because few take the time to imagine a more creative way to present it ( if they have, email me here – I’d love to hear it!). I encourage my clients to see their work in the terms of story – what story do the numbers tell? What do the numbers or stats mean for everyone else in the room?

The word “presentation” is limiting. Folks have a Pavlovian response to the word;  eyes begin to glaze, shoulders slump and heads hang low.  Mention “presentation” and the creativity levels instantly drop.

Let’s do away with Presentations. Let’s abolish the word and the idea. Let’s pack it up in a time capsule and bury it. Let’s replace it instead with the Theatre of Sales; why not? We have Theatres of War and Political Theatre why not the Theatre of Sales? Or Theatre of Finance?

Let’s re-imagine the physical make-up of boardrooms into something more vivid and effective. What if boardrooms and meeting rooms weren’t made up of one long, heavy, dark rectangular table with lots of black chairs that encourage poor posture and  offer no back support? What if they weren’t windowless, dark rooms that sapped energy? What if the lights didn’t dim in a way that encouraged nodding off?

What if, instead, they become spaces that required interaction and encouraged engagement and participation? Managers often complain  that the engagement level in meetings is low – no one speaks, ideas are few and far between, people are distracted by their constantly buzzing smart phones.   What if meeting rooms became theatres where the humanity of work replaced the drudgery of presentation?  How would this revolutionize your meetings and your business?

Do you know a business that is doing interesting things with presentation, internally or externally? If so, please tell me about it!  Email Kate