As professional presenters for our organizations, we often overlook presentation core principles that help demonstrate thought leadership. The following tips offer a refresher to help best present to the IR Community.

Content

What is compelling about your conversation?
Focus on the key elements of your presentation/conversation that are most compelling to the topic as defined by the session description. Thought leadership is created through sharp focus on topic and delivery based on expectations (session description).

What is the challenge? Why now?
Many of our challenges in corporate life evolve around primary areas of resource constraints, limited management access, and onerous compliance or regulatory requirements. While most in the audience will understand this, you are most compelling when you offer a different take, sharing insight that says "...many think the answer to the problem is 'X', so everyone is doing 'X'...but you are wasting your time...stop doing 'X' and start doing 'Y'!"

To answer "why now," ask yourself:

• Has anything recently changed in the topic area of the session that changes the game?
• Is new change imminent?
• If there is a commonly believed solution to a challenge, is it wrong? Is there a new twist?

 
Preparation
Your time is valuable, so efficient preparation is paramount to a successful session.

• Coordinate sessions in advance of Conference, ensuring that the session is covered as described in the session description.
• Conference calls will assist to set up the session foundation and confirm session descriptions. [Please submit session description updates to Kraig Conrad before May 14.]
• Integrating presentations, or smoothly connecting each presenters' individual presentation will ensure continuity of session delivery.
• Moderators should develop prepared questions to fall back on should the conversation stagnate or fall off course.
• Please note that presentation integration is to manage session flow, not to establish a consensus opinion or an overly-prepared script.
  • Differing opinions build better arguments and incredibly interesting sessions.
  • The goal in this preparation exercise is to ensure points (thesis, arguments) adequately and most compellingly are setup for discussion by the panel and through interaction with the audience.

 
On Site
While everyone's schedules at Conference are hurried, taking a few extra minutes to "warm up" the room before the session will offer great returns. In addition, consider the following:

• Arrive early in order to interact with panelists
• Engage the audience as they enter the room, or greet attendees who are already seated 
• Ensure panels are interactive, they are the most productive and highly rated
• Sessions are 75 minutes, allow time for audience Q&A.
• Please start and end the session on time, reserving until after the session expanding or off-topic discussions 
• The session and moderator will be introduced by a representative from the NIRI Annual Conference Committee.
• Moderators should open the discussion by introducing themselves, thanking the panelists, and introducing each panelist by name, job title, and organization. (See Conference Program Book, and check with speaker to ensure correct pronunciation.)
• Explain your role as moderator and time-keeper, describe how the discussion will flow, and set expectations for asking questions (reserved for Q&A, or throughout session, etc).
• As moderator, focus on three key elements:
  • Is a particular speaker dominating the discussion, is one too quiet? In such cases, divert the conversation to other speakers by asking questions or reminding panelists of time constraints.
  • Has the session discussion become unproductive of gone off track? Interject and redirect the conversation.
  • Have important points/arguments been made? Make sure they are covered, then recap no more than three compelling points at session close. 

• At session close, thank speakers by name and ask the audience to join in to express gratitude with applause. Thank the audience for a (hopefully) lively discussion and interaction.