Can You Make These Slides Pretty?
Most organizational change management professionals can relate to this…your client asks, “Can you make these slides “pretty?” How do you react? Are you offended? Too good for this? That’s not your job? Don’t be too quick to say no, or you might just lose out on a great opportunity to do some real change work.
As an experienced organizational change management consultant with over twenty years of client-facing work under my belt, I must admit that a little part of me bristles every time a client asks if I can make their slides “pretty.” However, through the years, I have learned that this seemingly low-value-add request, can be the door to some high-value-add change work.
Act of Trust First and foremost, this request indicates that your client trusts you and your judgement. They have taken a first shot at organizing their thoughts and putting them on paper, and now whether explicitly or under the guise of “making them pretty,” are sharing them with you, giving you an opportunity to review them and provide feedback. They are demonstrating vulnerability, they are making their thinking visible to you, and asking you to respond. That’s a great opening for any consultant to begin to do great work.
Opportunity to Define the Objective Often my client’s presentation is a reaction to a request by their superior to pull together a deck about XYZ. They are so focused on getting the XYZ content right that they fail to step back, think about the “Why”, and define the desired outcome of the discussion. Working with your client to clarify the objective can have a powerful impact on your client’s ability to refine their content, enabling their presentation to pack a punch.
Opportunity to Shape the Story My clients know their stuff, but often are not the best story tellers. This review provides the opportunity to not only tighten-up whatever the client gave you to begin with, but also to optimize the content by tying into the larger program or organization strategy, reinforcing key messages, aligning with other relevant activities, including a call to action, and perhaps even plugging in some often overlooked organizational change management content. This opportunity to add, modify, delete, and reorder content, ensure that your client will have a compelling story to tell.
Opportunity for Engagement There is not much anyone can do with a presentation if you don’t know the intended audience. This seemingly superfluous request allows you to ensure the right people are engaged in this content. It enables a discussion with your client regarding who has been invited to the meeting, and perhaps revisit who should or should not be included to achieve the meeting objectives. It may even lead to a broader discussion regarding stakeholder engagement beyond the presentation at hand.
Make It Pretty! Don't underestimate the value of a good-looking presentation. We’ve all been on the receiving end of all-text slides and know the communication power of fewer words, relevant pictures, and clear graphics. As consultants, we spend a lot of time in programs like PowerPoint, Google Presentation, Keynote, etc. Let’s face it, we can knock-out updates in minutes that may take our clients hours as well as eliminate associated frustration.
Next time your client asks if you can make their slides look pretty, I encourage you to reply, “I’d be happy to!” Take advantage of this seemingly little request to build trust, maximize engagement, and ultimately have a big organizational change management impact. Trust me, your clients will thank you!
Contact ChangeStaffing to learn how our organizational change management consultants can add value to your organization.