How company presentations can be made relevant

In the article ‘Why company presentations are irrelevant’, I explored why many company presentations don’t strike a chord with their audiences. I noted that such presentations are often self-centred, overly driven by marketing and rules, and delivered by professionals whose primary role lies elsewhere. Consequently, they are often perceived as mere busywork by both speakers and audiences. So how can you improve how you deliver them?

Sales representatives are no longer hard-sellers

Sales reps are professionals who present their company’s products to customers. Although stereotypes portray salespeople as sleazy and pushy, this doesn’t apply much to those in science and tech fields. Therefore, it’s worthwhile for all scientists to examine the communication strategies of salespeople.

I spoke with David Giltner, an expert in industry–academia partnerships, who told me: ‘In science and high-tech fields, the customers often include highly educated scientists. These people are often inherently sceptical of sales reps and will be resistant to anything that feels like a hard sell.’ Therefore, a sales pitch is usually a discussion about the value customers will get, not a show-off.

Attention to customers’ needs starts before the pitch. Sales and communication expert Maximilian Rauscher visited a company where C-level executives’ quotes in the lobby strongly emphasised the safety standards of their production facility. Rauscher used this observation to frame safety as a key argument, prompting questions such as, ‘How will your decision change if safety is guaranteed?’ Starting a discussion with open questions allows the other side to speak more freely than closed questions do, which helps you learn about their priorities and distinguish them from generic statements.

A concrete outcome as the goal

Some presentation settings make success hard to measure, like when presenting to PhD students interested in the company or updating colleagues on your project. But a lack of measurable success doesn’t mean you can’t clarify your presentation goal – such as inspiring a visiting student to join your team or sparking new internal collaborations.

Develop a positive vision of what your presentation might achieve. This vision guides your work: speaking well is a means to an end, namely impacting your audience.

Chemical engineer and communication expert Cas de Bruijn told me about an employer he worked for who established an open format for all internal presentations: everyone from the company could drop by and attend. There was no written rule about how such situations had to be handled, but slight shifts in tone and focus would happen organically. When someone from finance attended a technical presentation, the tone shifted to their business interests, leading to new questions and insights. De Bruijn described these presentations as a ‘pressure cooker,’ requiring deep reflection on one’s work and on-the-spot storytelling adjustments.

Getting past the communication department? Work with them

I previously described communications departments as strict gatekeepers of the images and words that leave internal circles. I don’t see their role as censorship but as facilitators maintaining a balance between confidentiality, branding rules and your freedom to speak. To address this constructively, start early: ask for the presentation’s strategic aim , success criteria, and degrees of freedom. ‘Make accountability the red thread for the preparation,’ de Bruijn advised me.

Giltner described another pitfall that scientists are prone to: ‘Scientists are trained to be complete and as accurate as possible. This has two potential drawbacks. First, it can lead to content being redacted when screened for company IP. Second, it can lead to excessive detail that is too much for the intended audience to absorb.’ Instead of aiming for a complete story, use a known, non-confidential example. Describing it in detail helps the audience understand the company, its colleagues or its products. From this relatable start, you can generalise without breaching confidentiality.

Adapt to the audience

The main problem with company presentations is that many focus on showcasing the company’s strengths rather than genuinely addressing the audience’s needs. The best way to explore those needs is to engage in a dialogue. For example, trying to sell a new instrument to a technician on the basis that it could simplify their job might seem like a strong argument. However, it can backfire if the technician fears losing their job or being relegated to a less engaging role. A better approach is to frame the discussion around the more interesting work possible with the time saved by the new instrument.

Rauscher faced a tough case where adapting to the audience felt like a game of hide-and-seek. He aimed to sell an IR probe for monitoring reactions up to 180°C. The company sent 10 people to his presentation, showing strong interest. However, their reactions were run at 230–250°C. He wondered, ‘Why invite me?’ Yet he persisted and learned the hosts needed to cut energy costs. Lowering the reaction temperature would save energy, making the IR probe a thermodynamic self-management coach.

Presenting as a company representative differs from presenting academic work. Challenges like low priorities, strict communication rules and self-marketing can be addressed by identifying and communicating your aims early and clearly in the process.