Mastering the Art of Persuasion

So, you've put in the hard work and your model is finally complete. Congratulations! But here’s the thing: no one will use your model unless you can convince the stakeholders that it effectively solves their problem. This means you need to present your solution clearly and convincingly. Your audience might be skeptical, and they might not have a technical background. Here’s how you can navigate this challenging task and make your presentation a success.

Balancing Detail and Brevity

When presenting your model, striking the right balance between too much detail and not enough is crucial. You need to satisfy the stakeholders' questions without getting bogged down. Imagine you're presenting a briefing on renovation projects to determine which ones were most profitable. Here's how you could approach it:

"We built our model by analyzing data from 4,982 renovation projects over the past 36 months, with the most recent data being just 60 days old. We had detailed records of renovation costs, but our budget data was unreliable, posing a significant challenge."

Anticipate Interruption and Tough Questions

Expect interruptions and tough questions during your presentation. For instance, stakeholders might ask why you couldn't get solid budget estimates or who is responsible for data quality. Instead of pointing fingers, focus on the aspects you know and can control. Here's an example:

"Our main challenge was the unreliable budget data. To address this, we built a secondary model to estimate budgets using factors like the need for kitchen renovations, number of bathrooms, total square footage, and more. This model gave us a solid estimate, enabling us to compare actual costs to the budget and identify which projects were over or under budget."

Use Clear Visual Aids

Visual aids, like decision trees, can help clarify your findings. You might share a story:

"I remember explaining a decision tree to senior management, which grouped projects into under-budget and over-budget segments. An executive humorously interrupted, saying, 'Get node 21 on the phone.' It highlighted the importance of making complex data understandable and relatable."

Tailor Information to Your Audience

Make sure your presentation is relevant to your audience. Offer solutions that can be integrated into their workflows. For example:

"I set up the model so it can be rerun monthly, populating executive dashboards with updated information. We can also send tailored information to division managers, focusing only on their regions."

Put Yourself in Their Shoes

To persuade senior management, you need to consider their perspective. Ask yourself, "If I were them, what would I be focused on?" Anticipate their questions, prepare thoroughly, and stay focused on the benefits your model provides.

In summary, successfully presenting your model to stakeholders requires balancing detail with brevity, anticipating tough questions, using clear visual aids, tailoring information to your audience, and always considering their perspective. With thorough preparation and a clear understanding of what matters to them, you'll be able to persuade senior management, get your results embraced, and see your model deployed effectively.

Remember, the key to a successful presentation lies in your ability to convey your findings clearly and convincingly, while always keeping the audience's perspective in mind. Good luck!