Thanking the Audience
At some point in your career you are going to present to an audience that collectively deserves your gratitude. But where to start? What is the right balance? How will you do it?
We usually end presentations with a Thank-You-for-Your-Attention slide. Yet often their attention is not the only reason we have to thank them. Maybe they are a management group who have given your project the green light. Maybe they are are a foundation board who have approved your grant.
In the midst of our presentation, without being obsequious, we want to show our appreciation for their support. In a cynical mode, we want to give positive feedback to those who have supported us, hoping to encourage them to reward us again. In a more honest sense, it is simply courteous and correct to express thanks.
Leslie Harpold has some simple pointers to writing a personalised Thank You note, that we might want to translate into advice for a few slides that we could insert in the presentation. Her advice:
- Greet the Giver. Go beyond ‘Ladies and Gentlemen’. Address the audience personally. Identify those among them who have been influential in the support decision while making sure that the whole group gets credit for the collective decision.
- Express your Gratitude. Just say the words: Thank You. In my own line of work, non-profit, health-related, support decisions are taken for idealistic reasons but there is a more business-like element too. Funders want a return for their investment. Thus express thanks, but not emotionally, simply acknowledging the fact that they have been selective and their decision has given you the privilege of delivering on their ideals.
- Discuss Use. What are you going to do with their support? How are you going to use their investment? What are the steps to realize the project? This may be the main reason behind your presentation and may turn out to the longest part of your talk.
- Mention the Past, Allude to the Future. Use at least one slide to establish the relationship with your group. Identify the history you have with them, and the similarities between your circumstances and theirs. Specify the next steps in this relationship, not simply in the reporting milestones but in the way this new collaboration will build on your commonalities.
- Sign off with Grace and Express your Regards. Don’t be stingy. Towards the end, say thanks again, professionally and with good humor. Your audience are business people and hopefully you have convinced them of your own worth, now you can simply pass on the credit to those who made your work possible.
What techniques do you use for saying Thank You in your presentations? Add your experience to the comments below.
Picture credit: Photo Id 409405305 by J. Star (2007) entitled “Thank you everyone!”. Published under Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike License.
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