Do you have to present to your boss again soon?
Presenting to ANYONE can be intimidating.
But presenting to your boss is a BIG. Deal.
How you present to your boss depends on ONE thing:
Your bosses personality type.
We can do this by looking through the lens of DISC theory, created by American psychologist William Moulton Marston. He broke all of us down into 4 types, RED, BLUE, GREEN and YELLOW..
So if your boss is RED, they are a no-nonsense, cut the bullshit, strong willed, confident extrovert. You can’t be a shrinking violet in their presence, they don’t respect shyness. Be bold, brief, direct, get to the point quickly and don’t use too many examples. Don’t get lost in the details, this type of boss likes BOLD brush strokes. Expect questions, very direct questions. Reply with confidence. End your presentation with a short sharp conclusion.
If your boss is BLUE, they are detail person, they will want data, they will want detailed examples, you can’t gloss over the granular with these guys. Be systematic with your structure too, they will call you out if you miss something. Cut to the chase, and keep your presentation short. They’re not that interested in the fluffy emotional stuff, or the big picture, get your facts right - this kind of boss appreciates the fine print. End your presentation with a detailed conclusion, perhaps even a hand out.
If your boss is GREEN, these will be the most sympathetic if you don’t like public speaking. They avoid the limelights themselves, so they get it. Don’t expect your Green boss to be too enthusiastic about your presentation and don’t take that too personally. Green would rather die than engage in audience interaction, so maybe leave that out. Green is not big on praise themselves, so don’t expect a round of applause. End your presentation with mixture of clarity and detail, but let them go away with an outline of your presentation for them to reflect on later.
Finally is YELLOW. Yellow bosses appreciate a bit of razzmatazz, so go to town on the bells and whistles in your presentation. BUT don’t hover for too long on a single topic, they will get bored. Yellow doesn’t mind a bit of audience interaction. And isn’t shy with praise. Yellow doesn’t have the most logical mindset, so don’t expect them to put all the pieces together for themselves, end your presentation with a SHORT but clearly constructed summary.
So now which colour is your boss, and how can you improve your next presentation?
Looking to become better at work presentations, get in touch today.
Mark Westbrook
Presentation Skills Coach