As the pace of change accelerates in our lives, we’ve been advising presenters who want to produce and deliver winning presentations how important it is to be responsive to the changing needs of business, including markets, customers, employees and investors. While you’re focused on being thorough in your presentation planning, it’s sometimes impossible to anticipate everything. That’s when resilience – the ability to bounce back from change without harm – is key to closing the deal.
Gabriella Kellerman, Chief Innovation Office at BetterUp, a virtual coaching platform, has identified five drivers to becoming resilient, many of which serve as predictors of resilience. They are:
- Emotional regulation – the ability to step away and think through bad news before acting on it
- Optimism – viewing problems as short term challenges they can resolve lets them bounce back easier
- Cognitive ability – handling a setback by evaluating the options and choosing the best for everyone
- Self-compassion – be as empathetic to yourself as you would a friend who experienced a setback
- Self-efficacy – believe that you can succeed in whatever you’re doing
Ms. Kellerman notes that “we’re able to grow stronger through challenges’ ‘. So instead of worrying about situations, lean into the unexpected changes you encounter to build resilience muscles through creative solutions. Throughout your career, you’ll be better equipped to handle more difficult challenges.
Let me share one example. A client wanted to launch a $100M investment banking opportunity fund. The challenge was getting time with prospects. He had met many over the years at a bar with stand up tables and knew he could get them there for 20-30 minutes. Therefore, we adapted a unique approach: since time was too limited for a full discovery and presentation, we decided to:
- Use the time to build interest in “Opportunities” by identifying the major concern the investor had
- Follow up with a presentation tailored to meet the investor team’s needs.
An additional benefit of the two part process was that we were anchoring a relationship in which we could “get back with appropriately fitting information”. Within a matter of weeks, we found strong interest by the investment groups, and were able to launch the fund soon after.
In sum, discover and build your resilience muscles for long-term presentation success.