Support Your Ideas with Good Reasons

Imagine yourself in this situation. You are the HR and training manager for an IT company that employs 125 people. Work has been heavy and everyone is adjusting to new processes recently put into place, so morale is low. You decide that the best way to motivate and re-energize everyone is to conduct a two-day off-site teambuilding program.

To get the budget you need, you’ll have to present your idea to management. Your job is to convince them that teambuilding will be a long-lasting, cost-effective way to boost morale and increase productivity.

So, you structure your presentation around three main ideas: One, teambuilding boosts morale. Two, teambuilding is long-lasting. And three, teambuilding is cost-effective. Now, how do you build these ideas into a convincing presentation?

Well, you could just get up there and say, “Everybody knows that teambuilding builds morale. That’s why we have teambuilding to begin with!” But unfortunately, although this is easy, it’s not very convincing. To support each of these ideas, you’re going to have to come up with some hard evidence. What works? Examples, research, statistics, case studies and expert testimonials.

Let’s see how this works on your three main ideas. One: "An August 2008 report from the Malaysian Ministry of Labor has shown that 85% of all companies running teambuilding programs for their employees at least once every two years show consistency or an increase in staff morale compared to companies that do not run programs."

Two: "To illustrate the long-lasting effects of teambuilding, let’s examine data from three companies similar to our own that ran teambuilding programs in June 2007 and then surveyed their employees on the key learnings two years later in May 2009."

Three: "The cost of the last teambuilding program we ran in 2005 cost the company RM24,000.00. However, a subsequent 15% rise in employee productivity offset that cost in just four months. Productivity levels remained consistent, resulting in an overall 18% increase in profitability, for the next eleven months."

In short, to be convincing, you must be believable. To be believable, provide your audience with good reasons to believe.

The 5-Point Plan for Convincing

Whenever you deliver a business presentation, your purpose will be to inform, to convince or to persuade. The purpose of your presentation will determine the way you organize your information so that your audience follows you effortlessly to your conclusion.

Informational presentations are organized according to the needs of your audience. You follow their priorities. Generally, this is easy because no matter how you organize it, the information itself does not change.

Persuasive presentations are more difficult because you’re trying to motivate your audience to take action. Before you can persuade, however, you have to know how to convince. So, let’s take a look at one way you can organize your information to be more convincing.

The structure we’ll discuss here is similar to what you used to write in your laboratory reports for chemistry class. These were organized according to what we call The Five-Point Plan. Let’s re-examine that structure now and see how you can use it to help you make more convincing recommendations in your business presentations.

Point One: Begin with an introduction. This will provide your audience with the background information they need. At the very least, your introduction should include your topic and your purpose – in other words, what you are presenting about and what you want to recommend.

Point Two: Explain your procedure. Tell your audience the step-by-step process you used to obtain your findings. This is very useful when you are speaking with a group of technical people; but remember, managers are often more interested in what you’ve got that in how you got there, so when you’re presenting to management, don’t dwell on the procedure.

Point Three: Show your findings. In a business presentation, this is best done graphically with photos, data tables, and charts. Keep your graphics simple, however, so that your most important findings are highlighted.

Point Four: Draw some conclusions. Tell your audience what your data means. Explain the relationships in your data that led you to your recommendations. Highlight your key conclusions so that your audience won’t have to do this on their own.

Point Five: Make your recommendations. Link your conclusions to your recommendations by saying, “As a result of these conclusions, what I would like to recommend is…”, and then explain.

By this time, if your findings and conclusions are in order, your audience should be convinced that what you have to recommend is worth following.

The Purpose Filled Presentation

The key to getting your message organized in a business presentation is identifying your purpose.

Generally speaking, the purpose of your presentation will be to inform, to convince or to persuade. When your purpose is clear, you'll structure your material more easily and your audience will follow you more closely.

If your purpose is to inform, you’ll probably be presenting an update. Presentations like this are common. Monthly updates showing new financial figures or comparing current sales figures with targets are all informational. If you’ve recently attended a conference or returned from a project site visit, presenting what you’ve discovered will also be informational.

An informational presentation can be organized many different ways, depending on the needs of your audience. You might organize it according to personnel. In a sales update, for example, you’d report on who sold what. A sales update may also be organized according to product, explaining what is selling where. Informational presentations may be organized according to topic, department, sequence, chronology, location and even according to the letter of the alphabet. No matter how you organize it, however, the information itself will not change.

If your purpose is to convince, your intention is to have your audience agree with you. When you attempt to get management buy-in on an idea, for example, you need to be convincing. The same holds true if you’re making recommendations for improvement on systems or procedures. Being convincing means getting your audience to believe you.

A convincing presentation is organized around information that supports your ideas and recommendations. This may include statistics, research, case studies and testimonials from experts, all of which provide evidence and support for your conclusion.

If your purpose is to persuade, your intention is to have your audience take action. You may want them to join your cause or sign your petition. You may want them to participate actively in a company-wide campaign. Or, if you’re delivering a sales presentation, you may simply want them to buy your product. All of these require motivating your audience into action.

To be persuasive, start by convincing your audience that they have a particular problem or need for which you have the solution. Sell them on your solution through explaining how they will benefit from it, and then explain easy steps for them to acquire what you have.

Recognizing the purpose of your presentation – to inform, to convince or to persuade – is your first step towards getting your information organized. The more organized you are, the easier it will be for your audience to follow you.

To Grow or to Hang?

For many companies, growth and expansion are built into their business plans. Growth and expansion are their key indicators of business success. However, for other smaller companies, like many family-run businesses, maintaining a reasonable profit margin and satisfying the needs of a local customer base are their primary objectives.

To grow, or not to grow? That’s a key business question. Let me illustrate this dilemma with two businesses from the world of drum music.

The first is a company from Singapore. The program director is a drummer who started off as a school music teacher. He gradually turned this into a business and began selling his programs to Singaporean schools, which implemented them in their music curriculum. As the drum programs became more popular, he opened them to the public. He hired a staff of drummers to facilitate the programs and had them trained to run their programs in the corporate world.

He now manages a staff of 10 and taps into a network of drummer contractors to work with him. “Now that I’ve got a well trained staff I can trust,’ he told me, “I can concentrate on my business.” His business continues to grow based on social outreach and community building. Growth has served him well.

The second company is from Switzerland. The two artisans who formed the company manufacture a haunting percussion instrument called the Hang (pronounced 'hung'). The Hang is a saucer-shaped object formed of acoustically dented steel and played with the hands. Percussionists who hear one and play one want one.

The Hang, however, is hand crafted. Production is limited, and the manufacturers want to keep it that way. As a result, the Hang has achieved cult status in the drum world. The company has neither a web site nor a distribution chain. Percussionists who want to acquire a Hang are requested to write a letter to the company in Bern. Subject to approval, the artisans will grant appointments for successful applicants to come to Switzerland and personally collect their Hang.

Fewer than 5000 Hang have been produced since they were introduced in 2000. Because of the high demand, Hang have appeared for sale on E-bay for more than ten times their original price. Yet, production levels remain constant AND the two artisans stop production for three months out of every year for research and development. By choosing not to grow, the company has created scarcity which has escalated the value of their product.

To be fair to the Hang manufacturers, they are opposed to what the market has done to their pricing. Now, they require agreements from all new Hang buyers stipulating that should they decide to sell their Hang, they will sell it back to the manufacturer at retail so they can sell it to someone else who wants one.

To grow or not to grow? Either plan has merits. What do you envision for your company’s future?

Growing Your Business Internationally

Growth and expansion are very likely key objectives for your business. So now let’s say you’ve expanded and made an impact on the domestic market. Are you thinking about making the big move next and expanding internationally?

Sounds fantastic, of course. But going global is going to require some careful planning. Here are five things to consider to help ensure that your move overseas goes smoothly.

First, make sure you can replicate your existing business model. Wherever you decide to locate overseas, you’ll be facing challenges that are different from those at home. Labor laws, cost structures, weather patterns, holiday seasons… all of these may alter the way you’re accustomed to doing business. Ensure, however, that the key components of your business model overseas are similar to your existing model. Remember, you’re expanding, not restructuring.

Second, make sure you find the right local partner. Many countries require joint ventures. Having a partner that’s financially sound with a good local reputation is essential to your success. It’s also useful if your local partner is an efficient operator that has access to resources and influence.

Third, make sure your infrastructure is set up. Expanding overseas will make new demands on your finance department, your IT department, your logistics department... Well, EVERY department. Will you need to do currency conversions? Will you be bringing your new facility onto your IT hub? Be prepared on your home turf before stepping off.

Fourth, make sure you’ve done your cross-cultural homework. In addition to all of the differences in business regulations that you need to know, it’s also critical to know how your host culture operates. Breakdowns in international business communications are often culture based. It’s a good idea to do thorough research and ensure that your expatriate staff are trained.

Finally, make sure you take your time. Take as much time as you need and more to plan. Rushing in with high expectations, a lack of support and increasing overhead costs can result in losses on all levels. And don’t expect profits overnight. Many businesses that expand overseas experience losses during the first few years. Invest time, learn from your experiences and build your learning into your business plan.

Of course, there’s a lot more than these five points to consider. That’s why planning is key. Do your homework in advance and you’ll save you time later that you can invest into your international business success.