An oral proposal is both a technical presentation and a
job interview. Its a technical presentation. Your teams gets one chance to show
how they can help the customer solve their problems and achieve their goals.
It's a job interview. Customers want to see the people who will actually be doing
the job – providing the services and interacting with their own people on a
day-to-day basis.
Unfortunately, the experts who are best suited for the job aren't always the
best presenters. They know what they're talkinb about, but they often lack the ability to
present their ideas clearly and persuasively.
|
1. Build on people's strengths. Technical
presenters tend to be detail oriented, logical, and
obsessed with getting it right. As a result they can
overwhelm audiences with too much information. It's
counterproductive to try to turn them into something
they're not. It's better to help them leverage their
strengths. Teach them how to use a
presentation as a way of helping the audience solve
a problem.
2. Make it persuasive. Technical
presenters often think that they've done their job
if they've said everything they know about their
subject. They need to learn that the important
thing is to help their audience get what they're
looking for.
| |
|
______________________________________________________________________________
Resources for Technical Experts Giving Oral Proposals
In the pages that follow you’ll
find resources to help you make winning oral proposals.
What Is an Oral
Proposal?
The goal of an oral proposal is to win the contract. You do so by showing the
customer how your team and technical solution will solve their problems and/or
meet the goals they set out in the Request for Proposal (RFP).
How to
Plan an Oral Proposal
Follow these five steps to plan a winning oral proposa.
Designing
PowerPoint Slides for an Oral Proposal
To avoid the most common mistakes — too much information on one slide, poorly
designed and hard-to-understand graphics, and endless pages of bullet points —
follow these rules.
Using
PowerPoint Slides during an Oral Proposal
To make the most of your slides during your oral presentation, follow these
guidelines.
How to Handle
Questions and Answers during an Oral Proposal
The Q&A session during an oral proposal gives the customer the chance to see
how your team will respond to them unscripted. It's a great opportunity for your
team to shine, if they follow these suggestions.
How to
Rehearse an Oral Proposal
If you’ve prepared your presentation well—your message,
slides, demonstration, and support material—you’ve half-way home. Once
you’re ready to rehearse, start with a wall walk. Here’s how it’s done or,
at least, how I do it:
The Red Team's
Evaluation
Present your proposal to a knowledgeable group of people to get their feedback
and suggestions.
Pre-Oral
Proposal Checklist
An oral proposal that’s part of the procurement process for a major job
requires careful planning and attention to detail. Here's a checklist to make
sure you don't forget anything.
| 
