Why PowerPoints Aren’t Bad
One thing that often stereotypically defines the corporate lifestyle is an obsession with PowerPoint presentations - almost to the extent where nothing but making presentations gets done. While I do despise work for the sake of work, we have been introducing a weekly presentation day in our company and have been seeing success with it. Here are a few reasons why PowerPoint presentations (when done in moderation) are a great practice for your startup:
They Force Quality Research
Diligent research into competition, industry and your customer’s needs is essential to running your business. During periods of intense research (those that come with business plan overhauls), it’s more effective to segment research amongst your team and have them report their findings to the company. It’s easy for everyone to get away with copying and pasting a few stats, recommending a few competitors as examples and calling it done. Forcing everyone to present their findings in front of the whole company can ensure they research thoroughly, organize the information and digest it to the point where they can answer questions thoughtfully.
They Give Sales Experience to Those Not in Sales
Topics that you will research include strategy, finance, technology, marketing, etc. Assigning topics to the leaders in those fields (i.e. technology for your CTO, finance to your CFO) will ensure you get maximum expertise and direction going into the research. However, having only the specialist in that area understand the research is not enough and forcing them to present their findings to the team will give them an opportunity to enhance their presentation and sales skills. Getting your CTO to step away from the shell for a second and speak to the team is great preparation for the time he/she will have to come to your next investment meeting. There is never any harm in having your team refine their ideas and demonstrate they understand your industry.
They Strengthen Communication Between Teammates
Setting some time aside each week for your team to present any research findings gets everyone away from their computers and asking each other questions. At For Art’s Sake Media, we have noticed that our most productive days are those spent away from the computer and huddled together brainstorming over issues raised in presentations.
Keep in mind that the reason presentations have such a bad rep is that many companies turn them into the goal of their research. The goal should always be clear going in - you are researching a particular area to draw conclusions that will directly help you shape your business plan, business model, marketing strategy or what have you. Use presentations to refine understanding, build speaking confidence and encourage collaboration.