This interview is with Stafford Wood, President at Covalent Logic.

Stafford Wood, President, Covalent Logic

As an expert in effective presentations, can you share a bit about your background and what led you to specialize in this area?

I'd love to say that it all started in 1st grade when I performed the title role in "The Little Rabbit Who Wanted Red Wings." I've always been good on stage. But really, it was the late '90s when the company I was working for asked me to put together a presentation on "how to send emails." As the young person on the team, they thought that I would do a good job explaining *literally* how to send emails. Instead, I turned it into a why-you-should-want-to-send-emails, what they're good for, what they aren't good for, and not just a technical presentation of "click here, click there." I realized that I enjoyed educating people as much as learning from them in an interactive presentation.

What was the pivotal moment in your career that made you realize the importance of mastering presentation skills, especially in today's hybrid business world?

I was 35 years old and had just started my own company, Covalent Logic. A client asked if I could travel to New York and discuss a proposal that I had put forward with their boss, who would be in town at their Madison Avenue ad agency. When I arrived, they escorted me into the room with a hundred people and asked for my thumbdrive to be able to project my presentation on the 12 large screens in the arena-style room. I told them I just wanted a keyboard of my own to be able to visit different websites. In the five minutes before my presentation, I was grateful for every deck I'd ever built and every time I'd been nervous on stage. We got the project, we got the client, and the CEO said, "I was so glad you didn't just put up yet another PowerPoint deck."

In your experience, what's the most common mistake executives make when preparing for a high-stakes presentation, and how can they avoid it?

Executives worry too much about the graphic design and the bullets on the slide. They need to start old-school and figure out how they want the audience to be different after the presentation. Then think about what they want to say. Finally, get concerned with what the visuals are that will support their mission.

Can you walk us through your process for developing a compelling narrative for a presentation, whether it's a one-on-one call or a board report?

We start with the audience. What do they know that's incorrect? What do they know that needs confirmation? And what do we want them to do after the presentation is over? From there, we determine the appropriate level of detail and technical expertise for this audience and build a plan of action. The final step of prep before we start to write the real thing is having the person who will be doing the presentation give it to us as if we were the audience before we've designed any slides. From that, we come to understand how comfortable they are speaking without notes and what level of support the visuals will need on the screen. The presenter almost always knows things about the subject matter or the audience that they don't consciously think matter, so seeing them try to present will often expose the unconscious assumptions that they are making about the audience.

How do you approach visual support in presentations? Can you share an example of how you've transformed a text-heavy slide into something more engaging and effective?

The second slide in our company capabilities deck is a good example of how a Venn diagram can explain who we are and what we do. This slide is for our leave-behind, but when we present it, we remove the description on the side, and that's what we say. Visuals and verbals need to work together to create a seamless experience for the audience's eyes and ears. They should never read along with the script on the screen.

In the era of remote and hybrid work, how have you adapted your presentation techniques, and what advice would you give to others struggling with this transition?

Presentations need to be shorter online and leave space for Q&A. This means fewer slides, even for an hour-long meeting. People want to feel that the time is spent in a more customized way. Don't give them a generic presentation when you can alter a few slides to make it seem customized to their industry, their company, or themselves.

We've all sat through over-rehearsed presentations that feel robotic. How do you strike the right balance between preparation and maintaining a natural, engaging delivery?

I'd say the "over-rehearsed" presentation actually hasn't been rehearsed enough. Someone who is comfortable with the words they are saying never looks robotic. You should practice until you can improvise. That's when you know you know your stuff.

Can you share a personal story about a presentation that didn't go as planned, and what valuable lesson you learned from that experience?

When making a private presentation for a Board of Directors, I asked how many copies I should bring. I was told, "There are 14 Directors on the Board." If you notice, they didn't actually answer the question. When I arrived, I found 30 more people in the room, and I only had 14 copies. What's worse, there was a Chairman, too, so I really needed 15 copies. I gave him the copy I had planned to use to present. The most frequent error that I never make anymore is bringing too few copies to distribute.

Looking ahead, how do you see presentation skills evolving in the next five years, and what can executives do now to stay ahead of the curve?

The use of video will only increase over the next five years. That means people need to be comfortable being recorded, lighted, made up, and on screen. The benefit of the recording is that you can do it over and over again until you get it right. The tough thing is that you can't adjust for the audience on the fly.

Thanks for sharing your knowledge and expertise. Is there anything else you'd like to add?

The advice everyone is given is to imagine the audience in their underwear. I prefer to imagine that someone I love is there smiling at me and encouraging me. Even better is to arrange for someone you love to be there, smile at you, and encourage you. And I give the presentation just to them.