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How can I make meetings more interesting?
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8
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While we were presenting our Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system, the head of the department seemed uninterested in the details of the system.
This resulted in a boring meeting and lead to the rejection of the ERP system. I believe that this is because the system seems boring, even though it was the meeting which was boring and not the system.
How can I make these meetings more interesting and increase the possibility of systems I am advocating be adopted?
communication meetings
edited Aug 7 '14 at 15:37
IDrinkandIKnowThings
43.9k1398188
asked Aug 6 '14 at 1:27
Cary Bondoc
90811028
suggest improvements |Â
up vote
8
down vote
favorite
While we were presenting our Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system, the head of the department seemed uninterested in the details of the system.
This resulted in a boring meeting and lead to the rejection of the ERP system. I believe that this is because the system seems boring, even though it was the meeting which was boring and not the system.
How can I make these meetings more interesting and increase the possibility of systems I am advocating be adopted?
communication meetings
edited Aug 7 '14 at 15:37
IDrinkandIKnowThings
43.9k1398188
asked Aug 6 '14 at 1:27
Cary Bondoc
90811028
2
Hi Cary Bondoc. I've edited your question to better fit our format and hopefully get you better answers and upvotes. Please feel free to edit it if I have messed anything up or to improve it further. I hope to see you around :D
– Matt Giltaji
Aug 6 '14 at 2:14
Absolutely, I'm glad for fixing my post. Thanks!
– Cary Bondoc
Aug 6 '14 at 2:21
suggest improvements |Â
up vote
8
down vote
favorite
up vote
8
down vote
favorite
While we were presenting our Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system, the head of the department seemed uninterested in the details of the system.
This resulted in a boring meeting and lead to the rejection of the ERP system. I believe that this is because the system seems boring, even though it was the meeting which was boring and not the system.
How can I make these meetings more interesting and increase the possibility of systems I am advocating be adopted?
communication meetings
edited Aug 7 '14 at 15:37
IDrinkandIKnowThings
43.9k1398188
asked Aug 6 '14 at 1:27
Cary Bondoc
90811028
While we were presenting our Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system, the head of the department seemed uninterested in the details of the system.
This resulted in a boring meeting and lead to the rejection of the ERP system. I believe that this is because the system seems boring, even though it was the meeting which was boring and not the system.
How can I make these meetings more interesting and increase the possibility of systems I am advocating be adopted?
communication meetings
edited Aug 7 '14 at 15:37
IDrinkandIKnowThings
43.9k1398188
asked Aug 6 '14 at 1:27
Cary Bondoc
90811028
edited Aug 7 '14 at 15:37
IDrinkandIKnowThings
43.9k1398188
edited Aug 7 '14 at 15:37
IDrinkandIKnowThings
43.9k1398188
edited Aug 7 '14 at 15:37
IDrinkandIKnowThings
43.9k1398188
43.9k1398188
asked Aug 6 '14 at 1:27
Cary Bondoc
90811028
asked Aug 6 '14 at 1:27
Cary Bondoc
90811028
asked Aug 6 '14 at 1:27
Cary Bondoc
90811028
90811028
2
Hi Cary Bondoc. I've edited your question to better fit our format and hopefully get you better answers and upvotes. Please feel free to edit it if I have messed anything up or to improve it further. I hope to see you around :D
– Matt Giltaji
Aug 6 '14 at 2:14
Absolutely, I'm glad for fixing my post. Thanks!
– Cary Bondoc
Aug 6 '14 at 2:21
suggest improvements |Â
2
Hi Cary Bondoc. I've edited your question to better fit our format and hopefully get you better answers and upvotes. Please feel free to edit it if I have messed anything up or to improve it further. I hope to see you around :D
– Matt Giltaji
Aug 6 '14 at 2:14
Absolutely, I'm glad for fixing my post. Thanks!
– Cary Bondoc
Aug 6 '14 at 2:21
2
2
Hi Cary Bondoc. I've edited your question to better fit our format and hopefully get you better answers and upvotes. Please feel free to edit it if I have messed anything up or to improve it further. I hope to see you around :D
– Matt Giltaji
Aug 6 '14 at 2:14
Hi Cary Bondoc. I've edited your question to better fit our format and hopefully get you better answers and upvotes. Please feel free to edit it if I have messed anything up or to improve it further. I hope to see you around :D
– Matt Giltaji
Aug 6 '14 at 2:14
Absolutely, I'm glad for fixing my post. Thanks!
– Cary Bondoc
Aug 6 '14 at 2:21
Absolutely, I'm glad for fixing my post. Thanks!
– Cary Bondoc
Aug 6 '14 at 2:21
suggest improvements |Â
3 Answers
3
active
oldest
votes
up vote
11
down vote
accepted
Identify a portion of the meeting for the manager and then make it shorter. Focus on what is important to the manager. Cover broad areas. Don't be technical unless the manager is technical. Avoid the details.
Schedule any other meeting for those who need more details and/or something more technical.
You're trying to sell the manager on this system. Find out why he/she needs it. If the manager wants absolutely nothing to do with any new system, you could be in trouble, but you're better off with shorter and to the point presentations instead of long and boring sessions.
This is good, +1 for a brief explanation Sir.
– Cary Bondoc
Aug 6 '14 at 6:02
3
I agree. If you are speaking to a manager, especially one that doesn't care all that much, keep your meetings with them less than 15 minutes. Hit the high points, show them charts if applicable, anything to get the info across quickly and effectfly. As @Jeff said, if you need to address technical stuff do it at another time if the manager does not need to be directly involved.
– Jen
Aug 6 '14 at 14:28
2
Yes, I found out that scheduling another meeting for those who are techies can be very effective.
– Cary Bondoc
Sep 18 '14 at 8:07
suggest improvements |Â
up vote
4
down vote
The key to presenting to management is keeping it short and to the point. The topics you need to cover are cost, benefit, time to implement. Everything else are details that they probably don't really care about. Except the charts. Managers like charts.
We used to take an hour to do demos for our software. Along the way we trimmed out nearly all of the actual technical stuff, leaving just the parts showing how it's going to make their lives easier. Demos now take about 15 minutes and sales are up. Every so often we run into those highly technical people that want the details and we'll gladly dive into them.
Show some nicely formatted reports with pie charts and graphs. Cover the benefit and implementation time frames. Go over how your product pays for itself in X number of months/years/whatever. Keep the presentation down to 30 minutes; 20 is better.
If a manager is disinterested, then that amount of time doesn't feel like a complete waste. If a manager is interested (s)he will likely start asking questions while forgetting about how long you guys are talking. Make sure you give concise answers.
answered Aug 9 '14 at 3:15
NotMe
20.9k55695
suggest improvements |Â
up vote
2
down vote
Find out what is interesting for your manager (and the audience in general). This is most likely different from what is interesting to you. Give them real-life examples of how the system can help them in their work.
In one sentence: Focus on the benefits for them and treat it like a black box unless they ask specific questions.
answered Aug 7 '14 at 20:07
Peter Kämpf
41957
You have a point here buddy, what do you mean by treat it like a black box?
– Cary Bondoc
Aug 9 '14 at 4:17
@CaryBondoc: Do not explain how it works on the inside. Most people do not care and would feel embarrassed in a technical discussion that is over their heads. It is better to wait for your audience to start the technical discussion.
– Peter Kämpf
Aug 9 '14 at 7:02
suggest improvements |Â
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3 Answers
3
active
oldest
votes
3 Answers
3
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
up vote
11
down vote
accepted
Identify a portion of the meeting for the manager and then make it shorter. Focus on what is important to the manager. Cover broad areas. Don't be technical unless the manager is technical. Avoid the details.
Schedule any other meeting for those who need more details and/or something more technical.
You're trying to sell the manager on this system. Find out why he/she needs it. If the manager wants absolutely nothing to do with any new system, you could be in trouble, but you're better off with shorter and to the point presentations instead of long and boring sessions.
This is good, +1 for a brief explanation Sir.
– Cary Bondoc
Aug 6 '14 at 6:02
3
I agree. If you are speaking to a manager, especially one that doesn't care all that much, keep your meetings with them less than 15 minutes. Hit the high points, show them charts if applicable, anything to get the info across quickly and effectfly. As @Jeff said, if you need to address technical stuff do it at another time if the manager does not need to be directly involved.
– Jen
Aug 6 '14 at 14:28
2
Yes, I found out that scheduling another meeting for those who are techies can be very effective.
– Cary Bondoc
Sep 18 '14 at 8:07
suggest improvements |Â
up vote
11
down vote
accepted
Identify a portion of the meeting for the manager and then make it shorter. Focus on what is important to the manager. Cover broad areas. Don't be technical unless the manager is technical. Avoid the details.
Schedule any other meeting for those who need more details and/or something more technical.
You're trying to sell the manager on this system. Find out why he/she needs it. If the manager wants absolutely nothing to do with any new system, you could be in trouble, but you're better off with shorter and to the point presentations instead of long and boring sessions.
This is good, +1 for a brief explanation Sir.
– Cary Bondoc
Aug 6 '14 at 6:02
3
I agree. If you are speaking to a manager, especially one that doesn't care all that much, keep your meetings with them less than 15 minutes. Hit the high points, show them charts if applicable, anything to get the info across quickly and effectfly. As @Jeff said, if you need to address technical stuff do it at another time if the manager does not need to be directly involved.
– Jen
Aug 6 '14 at 14:28
2
Yes, I found out that scheduling another meeting for those who are techies can be very effective.
– Cary Bondoc
Sep 18 '14 at 8:07
suggest improvements |Â
up vote
11
down vote
accepted
up vote
11
down vote
accepted
Identify a portion of the meeting for the manager and then make it shorter. Focus on what is important to the manager. Cover broad areas. Don't be technical unless the manager is technical. Avoid the details.
Schedule any other meeting for those who need more details and/or something more technical.
You're trying to sell the manager on this system. Find out why he/she needs it. If the manager wants absolutely nothing to do with any new system, you could be in trouble, but you're better off with shorter and to the point presentations instead of long and boring sessions.
Identify a portion of the meeting for the manager and then make it shorter. Focus on what is important to the manager. Cover broad areas. Don't be technical unless the manager is technical. Avoid the details.
Schedule any other meeting for those who need more details and/or something more technical.
You're trying to sell the manager on this system. Find out why he/she needs it. If the manager wants absolutely nothing to do with any new system, you could be in trouble, but you're better off with shorter and to the point presentations instead of long and boring sessions.
answered Aug 6 '14 at 2:03
user8365
This is good, +1 for a brief explanation Sir.
– Cary Bondoc
Aug 6 '14 at 6:02
3
I agree. If you are speaking to a manager, especially one that doesn't care all that much, keep your meetings with them less than 15 minutes. Hit the high points, show them charts if applicable, anything to get the info across quickly and effectfly. As @Jeff said, if you need to address technical stuff do it at another time if the manager does not need to be directly involved.
– Jen
Aug 6 '14 at 14:28
2
Yes, I found out that scheduling another meeting for those who are techies can be very effective.
– Cary Bondoc
Sep 18 '14 at 8:07
suggest improvements |Â
This is good, +1 for a brief explanation Sir.
– Cary Bondoc
Aug 6 '14 at 6:02
3
I agree. If you are speaking to a manager, especially one that doesn't care all that much, keep your meetings with them less than 15 minutes. Hit the high points, show them charts if applicable, anything to get the info across quickly and effectfly. As @Jeff said, if you need to address technical stuff do it at another time if the manager does not need to be directly involved.
– Jen
Aug 6 '14 at 14:28
2
Yes, I found out that scheduling another meeting for those who are techies can be very effective.
– Cary Bondoc
Sep 18 '14 at 8:07
This is good, +1 for a brief explanation Sir.
– Cary Bondoc
Aug 6 '14 at 6:02
This is good, +1 for a brief explanation Sir.
– Cary Bondoc
Aug 6 '14 at 6:02
3
3
I agree. If you are speaking to a manager, especially one that doesn't care all that much, keep your meetings with them less than 15 minutes. Hit the high points, show them charts if applicable, anything to get the info across quickly and effectfly. As @Jeff said, if you need to address technical stuff do it at another time if the manager does not need to be directly involved.
– Jen
Aug 6 '14 at 14:28
I agree. If you are speaking to a manager, especially one that doesn't care all that much, keep your meetings with them less than 15 minutes. Hit the high points, show them charts if applicable, anything to get the info across quickly and effectfly. As @Jeff said, if you need to address technical stuff do it at another time if the manager does not need to be directly involved.
– Jen
Aug 6 '14 at 14:28
2
2
Yes, I found out that scheduling another meeting for those who are techies can be very effective.
– Cary Bondoc
Sep 18 '14 at 8:07
Yes, I found out that scheduling another meeting for those who are techies can be very effective.
– Cary Bondoc
Sep 18 '14 at 8:07
suggest improvements |Â
up vote
4
down vote
The key to presenting to management is keeping it short and to the point. The topics you need to cover are cost, benefit, time to implement. Everything else are details that they probably don't really care about. Except the charts. Managers like charts.
We used to take an hour to do demos for our software. Along the way we trimmed out nearly all of the actual technical stuff, leaving just the parts showing how it's going to make their lives easier. Demos now take about 15 minutes and sales are up. Every so often we run into those highly technical people that want the details and we'll gladly dive into them.
Show some nicely formatted reports with pie charts and graphs. Cover the benefit and implementation time frames. Go over how your product pays for itself in X number of months/years/whatever. Keep the presentation down to 30 minutes; 20 is better.
If a manager is disinterested, then that amount of time doesn't feel like a complete waste. If a manager is interested (s)he will likely start asking questions while forgetting about how long you guys are talking. Make sure you give concise answers.
answered Aug 9 '14 at 3:15
NotMe
20.9k55695
suggest improvements |Â
up vote
4
down vote
The key to presenting to management is keeping it short and to the point. The topics you need to cover are cost, benefit, time to implement. Everything else are details that they probably don't really care about. Except the charts. Managers like charts.
We used to take an hour to do demos for our software. Along the way we trimmed out nearly all of the actual technical stuff, leaving just the parts showing how it's going to make their lives easier. Demos now take about 15 minutes and sales are up. Every so often we run into those highly technical people that want the details and we'll gladly dive into them.
Show some nicely formatted reports with pie charts and graphs. Cover the benefit and implementation time frames. Go over how your product pays for itself in X number of months/years/whatever. Keep the presentation down to 30 minutes; 20 is better.
If a manager is disinterested, then that amount of time doesn't feel like a complete waste. If a manager is interested (s)he will likely start asking questions while forgetting about how long you guys are talking. Make sure you give concise answers.
answered Aug 9 '14 at 3:15
NotMe
20.9k55695
suggest improvements |Â
up vote
4
down vote
up vote
4
down vote
The key to presenting to management is keeping it short and to the point. The topics you need to cover are cost, benefit, time to implement. Everything else are details that they probably don't really care about. Except the charts. Managers like charts.
We used to take an hour to do demos for our software. Along the way we trimmed out nearly all of the actual technical stuff, leaving just the parts showing how it's going to make their lives easier. Demos now take about 15 minutes and sales are up. Every so often we run into those highly technical people that want the details and we'll gladly dive into them.
Show some nicely formatted reports with pie charts and graphs. Cover the benefit and implementation time frames. Go over how your product pays for itself in X number of months/years/whatever. Keep the presentation down to 30 minutes; 20 is better.
If a manager is disinterested, then that amount of time doesn't feel like a complete waste. If a manager is interested (s)he will likely start asking questions while forgetting about how long you guys are talking. Make sure you give concise answers.
answered Aug 9 '14 at 3:15
NotMe
20.9k55695
The key to presenting to management is keeping it short and to the point. The topics you need to cover are cost, benefit, time to implement. Everything else are details that they probably don't really care about. Except the charts. Managers like charts.
We used to take an hour to do demos for our software. Along the way we trimmed out nearly all of the actual technical stuff, leaving just the parts showing how it's going to make their lives easier. Demos now take about 15 minutes and sales are up. Every so often we run into those highly technical people that want the details and we'll gladly dive into them.
Show some nicely formatted reports with pie charts and graphs. Cover the benefit and implementation time frames. Go over how your product pays for itself in X number of months/years/whatever. Keep the presentation down to 30 minutes; 20 is better.
If a manager is disinterested, then that amount of time doesn't feel like a complete waste. If a manager is interested (s)he will likely start asking questions while forgetting about how long you guys are talking. Make sure you give concise answers.
answered Aug 9 '14 at 3:15
NotMe
20.9k55695
answered Aug 9 '14 at 3:15
NotMe
20.9k55695
answered Aug 9 '14 at 3:15
NotMe
20.9k55695
answered Aug 9 '14 at 3:15
NotMe
20.9k55695
20.9k55695
suggest improvements |Â
suggest improvements |Â
up vote
2
down vote
Find out what is interesting for your manager (and the audience in general). This is most likely different from what is interesting to you. Give them real-life examples of how the system can help them in their work.
In one sentence: Focus on the benefits for them and treat it like a black box unless they ask specific questions.
answered Aug 7 '14 at 20:07
Peter Kämpf
41957
You have a point here buddy, what do you mean by treat it like a black box?
– Cary Bondoc
Aug 9 '14 at 4:17
@CaryBondoc: Do not explain how it works on the inside. Most people do not care and would feel embarrassed in a technical discussion that is over their heads. It is better to wait for your audience to start the technical discussion.
– Peter Kämpf
Aug 9 '14 at 7:02
suggest improvements |Â
up vote
2
down vote
Find out what is interesting for your manager (and the audience in general). This is most likely different from what is interesting to you. Give them real-life examples of how the system can help them in their work.
In one sentence: Focus on the benefits for them and treat it like a black box unless they ask specific questions.
answered Aug 7 '14 at 20:07
Peter Kämpf
41957
You have a point here buddy, what do you mean by treat it like a black box?
– Cary Bondoc
Aug 9 '14 at 4:17
@CaryBondoc: Do not explain how it works on the inside. Most people do not care and would feel embarrassed in a technical discussion that is over their heads. It is better to wait for your audience to start the technical discussion.
– Peter Kämpf
Aug 9 '14 at 7:02
suggest improvements |Â
up vote
2
down vote
up vote
2
down vote
Find out what is interesting for your manager (and the audience in general). This is most likely different from what is interesting to you. Give them real-life examples of how the system can help them in their work.
In one sentence: Focus on the benefits for them and treat it like a black box unless they ask specific questions.
answered Aug 7 '14 at 20:07
Peter Kämpf
41957
Find out what is interesting for your manager (and the audience in general). This is most likely different from what is interesting to you. Give them real-life examples of how the system can help them in their work.
In one sentence: Focus on the benefits for them and treat it like a black box unless they ask specific questions.
answered Aug 7 '14 at 20:07
Peter Kämpf
41957
answered Aug 7 '14 at 20:07
Peter Kämpf
41957
answered Aug 7 '14 at 20:07
Peter Kämpf
41957
answered Aug 7 '14 at 20:07
Peter Kämpf
41957
41957
You have a point here buddy, what do you mean by treat it like a black box?
– Cary Bondoc
Aug 9 '14 at 4:17
@CaryBondoc: Do not explain how it works on the inside. Most people do not care and would feel embarrassed in a technical discussion that is over their heads. It is better to wait for your audience to start the technical discussion.
– Peter Kämpf
Aug 9 '14 at 7:02
suggest improvements |Â
You have a point here buddy, what do you mean by treat it like a black box?
– Cary Bondoc
Aug 9 '14 at 4:17
@CaryBondoc: Do not explain how it works on the inside. Most people do not care and would feel embarrassed in a technical discussion that is over their heads. It is better to wait for your audience to start the technical discussion.
– Peter Kämpf
Aug 9 '14 at 7:02
You have a point here buddy, what do you mean by treat it like a black box?
– Cary Bondoc
Aug 9 '14 at 4:17
You have a point here buddy, what do you mean by treat it like a black box?
– Cary Bondoc
Aug 9 '14 at 4:17
@CaryBondoc: Do not explain how it works on the inside. Most people do not care and would feel embarrassed in a technical discussion that is over their heads. It is better to wait for your audience to start the technical discussion.
– Peter Kämpf
Aug 9 '14 at 7:02
@CaryBondoc: Do not explain how it works on the inside. Most people do not care and would feel embarrassed in a technical discussion that is over their heads. It is better to wait for your audience to start the technical discussion.
– Peter Kämpf
Aug 9 '14 at 7:02
suggest improvements |Â
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2
Hi Cary Bondoc. I've edited your question to better fit our format and hopefully get you better answers and upvotes. Please feel free to edit it if I have messed anything up or to improve it further. I hope to see you around :D
– Matt Giltaji
Aug 6 '14 at 2:14
Absolutely, I'm glad for fixing my post. Thanks!
– Cary Bondoc
Aug 6 '14 at 2:21