Assembling a proposal presentation team is a critical task that can make or break your chances of winning high-stakes government oral presentations. The process involves careful consideration to avoid common traps and biases, ensuring the selected team is well-equipped to deliver a compelling oral presentation. Here’s a guide to help you navigate this process and build a winning team for your next orals.

Avoiding Common Traps in Team Selection

Rushing to select your presentation team can lead to significant pitfalls. Here are some common traps in government oral presentations and how to avoid them:

1. Shooting at No Target: Do not assume you already know the perfect team. Instead, cast a wide net and gather diverse candidates for your orals.
2. Infecting the Search: Keep your opinions and preferences to yourself initially. Allow others to contribute their best candidates for the oral presentation without being influenced by your initial choices.
3. Limited Search: Broaden your search to include candidates from partner companies and different departments to ensure a comprehensive talent pool for your government oral presentation.

The Five Critical Factors for Selection

When building your presentation team for government oral presentations, consider these five factors, ranked by their importance:

1. Meets or Exceeds Required Qualifications: Ensure your candidates meet the education, qualifications, and experience required by the government’s RFP. This is non-negotiable and forms the foundation of your decision matrix for the orals.
2. Availability for Training and Presentation: Confirm that your candidates are available during the training and presentation period. Personal commitments, health issues, or professional conflicts can jeopardize their participation in the oral presentation.
3. Incumbency and Insider Knowledge: Candidates with prior experience and established relationships with the client have a significant advantage in government oral presentations. Their familiarity can positively influence evaluators, making your proposal more compelling.
4. Skeletons in the Closet: Assess whether any candidate has past issues that might negatively affect the evaluation during the orals. This could include bad reputations or tense relationships with evaluators. Address these concerns openly and mitigate risks where possible.
5. Candidate Motivation: Choose genuinely motivated individuals to participate in the government oral presentations. Intrinsic motivation often translates into better performance and a more cohesive team.

The Non-Factor: Presentation Skills

While individual presentation skills are important for orals, they should not overshadow core competencies like expertise and experience. Even if they lack polish, a team of experts can be coached to deliver an effective oral presentation. Authenticity and deep knowledge often resonate more with evaluators than superficial polish.

Finalizing Your Team Composition

After evaluating individual candidates for your government oral presentation, consider these additional criteria to finalize your team:

1. Scope Coverage: Ensure that your team collectively covers all aspects of the Statement of Work (SOW) or Performance Work Statement (PWS). This is crucial for addressing all technical requirements comprehensively during the orals.
2. Relationship Coverage: Aim to include team members who have strong relationships with the anticipated Technical Evaluation Board (TEB) and the client organization. These connections can provide a significant edge over competitors in government oral presentations.
3. Stakeholder Access: Include members with access to important stakeholders within the client organization. This can enhance your team's perceived value and provide strategic advantages in the oral presentations.
4. Innovative Experience: Incorporate team members who bring innovative perspectives and experience with future challenges the client might face. This forward-thinking approach can set your proposal apart in government oral presentations.
5. Diversity: Reflect the diversity of the client organization within your team. A diverse team can bring varied perspectives and solutions, making your proposal more robust and inclusive during the orals.

Choosing Corporate Representatives

Corporate representatives are crucial in establishing credibility and demonstrating the company’s commitment to the contract. Select high-level executives who can introduce the team, provide an overview of their expertise, and assure the client of the company’s support during the government oral presentations.

Summary

Building an effective proposal presentation team for government oral presentations requires a strategic approach that balances qualifications, availability, incumbency, and motivation. By avoiding common traps and focusing on the right factors, you can assemble a team that not only meets but exceeds client expectations, increasing your chances of winning the contract. Use a decision matrix to keep your selection process organized and transparent, ensuring that you make the best choices for your team and your proposal’s success in the orals.

Trident has a team of winning coaches who can create a cohesive team so you can all put your best foot forward. To learn more about our coaching and the services we offer, visit us here. 

Original Content by Jeff Everage*
*Disclaimer
This blog post was created using original content from Jeff and run through ChatGPT for condensation. The original content used to form the prompt comes from Jeff’s draft book, which will be released at a later time.