Presenting Technology to a Business Audience

I’ve often worked with technology professionals who have been called upon to participate in business-orientated webinars.  I frequently am impressed by not only their innovation and capabilities, but the passion with which they convey their developed services.  However, as any technology marketer knows, it’s a long leap from a deeply technical presentation to one that can be easily digested by a business audience.  I’m loath to use the term “dumb-down”, but I’ve heard that phase applied many times to this situation.  I prefer to use the term “cross-convert” to refer to transforming a technical presentation for the business audience (frequently the buyers and decision makers for the service).

Previously, I would start the process by asking the tech person to create a draft presentation, usually from a multitude of slides they had previously developed.  Then we would work to whittle the slide deck down as well as the voluminous content on each slide.  After a few painful experiences using this method, I’ve found it’s more productive to engage in a discussion first with the tech presenter prior to producing a single slide.  Points for this discussion are as follows:

•  Understand the Target Audience:   This is the first step in gaining an appreciation for the level of detail to be presented.  It helps to discuss the prospect’s business, their challenges and the pain points they might be experiencing.
•  Focus on the Benefit to the Client:  While it’s wonderful to create ‘cool’ technology and I am the first to appreciate elegantly written code, it’s the perceived benefits that will drive the client to a purchase decision.
•  Remember the Primary Goal of the Presentation:   Before beginning any webinar preparation, I always determine with the client the primary goal of the event.  In other words, after the webinar, what is the one thing you want the audience to carry away in their heads?  Communicating this to the tech presenter is key to helping them understand the mission at hand and how that translates to their presentation.  I challenge them on every slide to understand how that slide contributes to our primary goal.
• Outline the Presentation:  It’s tempting to place slide after slide with capabilities in a presentation, but a presentation is like a story – it needs a beginning that builds tension, a body with the majority of content and a big finish.  Putting together an outline with the tech presenter will make a smooth transition to a finished product.
•  Use Graphics and Text Wisely:  Typically technology presentations have one of two flavors:  large complex diagrams or long lists of bullets with very small text.  Neither of these bode well for a business oriented presentation.  Explaining the role of well chosen supporting graphics with the spoken word filling in the details will ensure a quality presentation.
•  Apply Effective Speaking Techniques:  It doesn’t matter if you’re on the technology or the business side, speaking in general can be unnerving.  Speaking online can be especially stressful, so it’s best to be prepared using some simple speaking techniques.  (See Chocolate Vine white paper entitled “Into the Void:  Techniques for Speaking to an Online Audience” at http://www.chocolatevine.com/Webinar_Resources.html for more information.)
• Handle Q&A with Confidence:  Once the presentation is complete, the webinar is not over.  I find it useful for everyone to set some simple guidelines ahead of time around the Q&A portion of the webinar.  Topics include what should and should not be said about the company’s revenue goals/progress, new product plans, expansions (or reductions) and other sensitive items.  Additionally, for a tech presenter, it’s especially important for everyone to understand what constitutes the “secret sauce” that should not be revealed about the technology during the webinar.

 Once armed with this orientation, the tech presenter usually has a firmer handle on the level of detail to provide and a more confident approach to the webinar in general.  It also helps to review the attendee list with the tech presenter ahead of time to fully appreciate the titles/departments that will be represented at the event.  Most business buyers of technology services want to understand the mechanisms behind the scene, but only in a way that reinforces that their pain points will be relieved after they start to use it.