Successful Oral
Presentations For Government Contracts
In recent years,
the Federal Government has placed increasing emphasis on the "oral presentation"
in warding contracts. Additionally, many Government agencies, in their
Request for Proposal (RFP), are stipulating that only those who will
be working on the contract are to be involved with the oral presentation.
This is obviously intended to permit Government agency evaluators to
have an "eye-to-eye" meeting with those with whom they will be working,
thereby resolving issues and questions before the contract is awarded.
This new emphasis
on the oral presentation has not been greeted with universal acclaim
by companies. Most have developed a skilled cadre of proposal writers,
and probably feel a bit uneasy about having their economic future riding
not on the demonstrated ability of these writers but instead on the
verbal skills of engineers and technicians who have not been called
on in the past to make marketing presentations. Now, however, the "doers"
must become "sellers."
Some Government
agencies have also instituted changes in the RFP with respect to how
visuals will be employed. These agencies, probably realizing the persuasive
capability of "PowerPoint" and other graphics programs, often require
that only black-and-white overhead transparencies be used. This may
not be good news for Microsoft and other software developers, but it
is actually a compliment to the effectiveness of such programs. Evaluators
in the agencies imposing this restriction may believe they will be able
to concentrate more on the substance and recommendations of the presentation
if black-and-white overheads are used, and not be swayed by the remarkable
features of computer-generated visuals.
Another restriction
dealing with visuals can be counterproductive. The company bidding on
the contract, or more likely the group of companies combining their
talents into a consortium, are sometimes required to submit the overheads
approximately two weeks before the actual presentation. Evaluators want
to have a "heads-up" on the direction the presentation will take, and
to see how it tracks with the already-submitted written proposal. Unfortunately,
this early delivery may inhibit the synergistic creativity that can
be generated in the run-up to the presentation by people from the diverse
backgrounds found within a consortium. Thinking may be "frozen" to the
submitted overheads. Both the Government and the consortium lose if
this happens, as excellent ideas may not be included in the presentation
if they were developed after the visuals were sent to the Government.
A way to lessen the impact of this problem will be shown later in this
essay.
Copyright
© 2000 by Lawrence L. Tracy
All Rights Reserved.
or clash? Is the prime contractor really in charge, or do there appear
to be some Prima Donnas among the sub-contractors, suggesting later
friction? Does the presentation demonstrate that the consortium has
the experience to accomplish the project required by the RFP? Is there
a willingness of team members to accept Government oversight, or an
attitude of "give us the contract, then get out of the way?" Most importantly,
does the company/consortium seem genuinely interested in, and demonstrate
proven capability to solve, the Government's RFP-expressed problem?
Technical
experts placed in the position of making the oral presentation must
strive to demonstrate they are a confident (but not arrogant), competent,
and coordinated "team." Forging this unity and cohesiveness is achieved
with thorough planning and rigorous preparation, elements that are the
center of my Presentation Skills in a Nutshell workshop.
Copyright
© 2000 by Lawrence L. Tracy
All Rights Reserved.