Proposal Presentations for United States and International Audiences

The Cain Project in Engineering and Professional Communication

ENGINEERING SERIES

Audiences Differ

• Cultures affect expectations

• Expected organization varies

• Knowledge and background may vary

– Vocabularies may be different

• Social relationship between presenter and audiences vary, too

US Audience’s Questions

• What makes the project necessary for us?

• What decisions must be made?

• What task did your group perform?

• Why is it important?

• What are your conclusions and recommendations?

• What justifies these conclusions? (Calculations? Application of a model? Data gathering?)

• What are the costs and implementation issues?

• What are the limitations?

A Speaker’s Decisions Rest on . . .

• Unconscious choices– Values we think we

share with audience

• Conscious choices– Issues we think are open to question

But some cultures postpone the main point and build trust first.

US Assumption:

A client wants to hear about the main recommendation first.

Organize Answers to Put Actions, Info in Context

• What audience already knows

• What audience already cares about

• Interrupting demand/need

NEW

Discomfort

Resolution

•Your response, solution

•Your (their) reasons

•Rebuttal of opposition

•Conclusion

KNOWN

US Presentation Structure

• Introduction of the team

• Situation, importance, and upcoming decision

• Brief statement of work done

• Main reason to accept recommendation

• Conclusions recommendations

• Reasons for decision by impt.

– NOT “we did X, we did Y, then Z”

• Costs

• How to address implementation issues

• Limitations or add’l work needed

• Request that client accept proposal

OVERVIEW SECTION DISCUSSION SECTION

Cultural Basis for US Structure

• Emphasis on results

• Dominance of professional roles over individual identity, personal relationships

• Drive for immediacy over the past

• Relative intolerance for narrative

• Sense of urgency, being busy, not enough time

• Control time, costs

• Preference for models, schematics

• Focus on problem solving

• Status more important than age, but bottom line relatively more important than status

• Trust in contracts

• Emphasis on working hard, getting results fast

• Preference for sports, competition, logic

Questions of Technical Audience

• Quality of evidence?

• Type of models?

• Limitations of analysis?

• Need for future or add’l work?

US Delivery Preferences

• Stance– Vertical, confident

• Gestures– Linear, decisive

• Eye contact– Direct, friendly

• Voice quality– Warm, authoritative

Mexican Presentation Structure

• Recognition of relationships and introduction of team

• Affirmation of value and relationship

• History of the situation

• Brief statement of work done

• Analysis of situation leading to conclusions

– We did X, which led to Y, which caused us to Z

• Conclusions & recommendations

• How conclusions benefit client

• Narrative of future implementation

• Suggestions of additional issues client might want to consider

• Statement of hope that work done demonstrates commitment to client that would justify future work or collaboration

Past to present to future

Respect Dominates Everything

• Affirm relationship first and last• Let intent to do good dominate

interpretation of information• Emphasize other’s benefit, not your

personal brilliance• Realize your commitment to relationship

affects assumptions about changing contract provisions later

Mexican Delivery Preferences

• Stance– Natural, confident

• Gestures– Curved, process and

relationship oriented

• Eye contact– Respectful, friendly

• Voice quality– Warm, personal

QuickTime™ and aTIFF (Uncompressed) decompressorare needed to see this picture.

Carlos M. Sada, Consul General of Mexicohttp://www.prweb.com/releases/2006/9/prweb440220.htm

Handling Questions for Non-US

• LISTEN!

• Repeat or rephrase question for clarification

• Watch body language

• The client or boss is never “wrong”

• Delay or avoid direct confrontation

• Offer to discuss issues in private

• Thank everyone very courteously

Adapt to Audience Preferences

• Find out about speaker-audience relationship

• Organize to meet audience expectations

• Practice audience’s preferred delivery technique

• Avoid slang, US metaphors and references

SUMMARY

More resources are available for you

• under “Engineering Communication” at Connexions at http://cnx.org

• at the Cain Project site at http://www.owlnet.rice.edu/~cainproj

• in your course Communication Folder in OWLSPACE.

Lead through Excellence in Engineering Communication