Poorly structured presentations generate rework, wrong decisions and endless meetings. An invisible cost that few companies calculate.
Do you know the work of art, “The Castle”, by artist Jorge Méndez Blake? He built a 23 x 4 meter brick wall. From a distance, the structure appears solid and impeccable. Up close, one detail unbalances everything: there is a book at the base of the wall, exactly in the center. The object creates a curvature that deforms the entire structure and generates instability.
A small, almost invisible element completely alters the solidity of the whole. I believe that the work of art illustrates well the impact that presentations have on the day-to-day lives of companies.
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Generally, leadership spends time on strategic decisions, mitigates risks for fear of major operational and tax failures… But the danger is often in something sneaky in everyday life: bad presentations.
Confusing slides, meetings that could be an email, long texts and no clear message. At first, they seem harmless, but they generate an accumulated effect that is costly and gradually undermines the stability of companies. When a presentation fails, it usually generates new “alignment” meetings, actions are postponed, relationships between team members deteriorate because no one understood anything and, even if unintentionally, it leads to errors in decision-making.
A report by the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) revealed that companies with 100 employees lose, on average, US$420,000 per year due to communication failures. In the case of organizations with more than 100 thousand employees, the annual loss, according to a study by Holmes Report, is US$62.4 million. Hence the increasing importance of HR and human development areas in companies in investing in leadership training. Managers need to be like a lighthouse that serves as a guide for the team, setting an example in conducting presentations in meetings on a daily basis.
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Powerpoint is a valuable tool, but before focusing on creating slides, the first step is to think about the communication intention. What is the purpose of the conversation? Identifying the real “why” of a meeting is essential to then create clear, concise storytelling that brings the expected result at the end of the conversation. Communication skills are essential for the efficiency and stability of large companies. Companies that have teams with sharp communication undoubtedly have a competitive advantage.
In a scenario where time, focus and attention are increasingly scarce assets, poor day-to-day presentations can undermine a company’s solid structures. When the foundation of communication fails, even the most robust structures begin to give way.
