Preparing for a Dais Presentation
Overview
This manager’s job aid was designed to provide tips
and strategies for any County staff member who may
present to the Broward County Board of County
Commissioners. It is intended to be a quick reference
guide and does not supersede any County document,
policy, procedure, or guideline.
Although intended specifically for County Board
presentations, the suggestions listed in this job aid
may also apply when addressing audiences in court or
other formal “council type” environments.
Preparation
From the day an agenda item is scheduled for a
commission meeting to the day of the meeting, the
staff member needs to prepare!
 Practice the presentation with staff or another coworker
 Brainstorm questions and answers to what might
be challenged
 Be armed with facts, data, and any other specific
information, to support the agenda item
 Write note cards or speaker notes
 Practice being confident and believing in the
points on the agenda item to be approved
 Select professional attire to wear for the day of
the board meeting; remember these meetings are
recorded
 Watch a commission meeting (Live Meeting
webcasts) if this is your first time
Director’s Advice:
Here are some tips from leaders with experience who
have presented to the Board of County
Commissioners and other public boards:
•
“Present solutions…think the issue through for
them (from their perspective as best you can),
outline your position logically and
diplomatically.”
•
“Keep your response simple, straight to the point,
and only respond to the question(s) asked.”
Procedure
•
Broward County protocol for providing information
prior to the Board meeting includes the following
actions:
“Be factual and sincere. If you do not know the
answer, say so. Then get back to them.”
•
“Recognize that your agenda item may not be
approved ‘as is’ and may need some additional
review. Although you may need to go back to the
drawing board, in the end you will succeed.”
•
“Remember, you may be nervous but the Board
members won’t know it unless you tell them. The
more prepared you are, the less nervous you are
so prepare, prepare, prepare.”
o
o
All PowerPoint presentations (PPTs) should be
sent to Sergio Gonzalez and Manny Espinal at the
Office of Public Communications (OPC); copy
Margaret Stapleton and Leslie Stout, also at OPC
All PPTs (with notes) should be shared with the
agency’s County Administration Representative
and Bertha Henry’s office prior to the
presentation
Human Resources Division, Learning and Organizational Development Section
June 2014
Speaking from the Dais
Delivery
Don’t
When presenting:
 Greet Professionally: Good Morning/Good Afternoon and
thank them for allowing you to speak
 State your name and department/division location
 Address commissioners by formal name - “Commissioner
last name”
 State the issue you are there to speak about
 Know what you want to say and know it thoroughly
 Match your tone to the seriousness of the topic but be
conversational
 Have your thoughts in a logical order and make
them clear and concise; you can’t cover everything
so decide what is essential
 Be sensitive to the body language of the County
Administrator and the commissioners, as well as your
own body language; read non-verbal messages
 Share an applicable personal story when possible;
stories get remembered
 At the end, thank them for listening and stress your
confidence that they will make the right decision
and support your agenda item
When presenting, don’t…
…use acronyms or jargon and assume
the commissioners will know what
you mean.
…go over the allotted time.
…use humor, it typically falls flat.
…use filler words like “um”, “uh”, “you
know”, or “okay”.
…assume they know what you know;
they have many agenda items to deal
with and your item may not be at the
top of their list.
When asked questions or need to defend an agenda item:
 Greet Professionally: Good Morning/Good Afternoon
 State your name and department/division location
 If you don’t know an answer, say “Let me research that
and get a complete and accurate answer.”
 Paraphrase the question for clarification if needed
 Make eye contact to the commissioner who asked the
question, then look to the other commissioners while
responding, then return to the commissioner who
originally asked the question
 Ask, “Did I answer your question?”; but use this sparingly
to avoid additional questions
When asked questions or need to
defend an agenda item don’t…
…get defensive regardless of how a
question is asked.
…lecture about or negatively comment
on another agency involved.
…ramble on.
…only look at the one commissioner
who asked the question.
…wing it!
Additional Resources:
- Agenda Quick
- Broward County Job Aid Style Guide
Subhead.
Subhead.
- Commission
Meeting Schedule
- Learning and Organizational Development
- Podium Presentation Skills Quick Reference
Continue flyer text here. Continue flyer text here. Continue flyer text
here. Continue
Human Resources Division, Learning and Organizational Development Section
June 2014