If team members can anticipate questions of evaluators, they can then develop answers ahead of time. Think back to when you were in college or graduate school. Your GPA would probably have been higher if you could have seen the questions before the final exams. The Murder Board permits presenters a look at the evaluator's probable “exam questions.” The principal obstacle to developing a question–anticipating simulated presentation is imagination and willingness of team members to take hard hits in practice so they are more effective in the actual orals.
Some presenters will probably resist participating in such intense practice sessions, saying they do not require such play-acting. These confident (or fearful) people should be reminded of words of Albert Einstein: “What a person does on his own, without being stimulated by the thoughts and experiences of others, is, even in the best cases, rather paltry and monotonous.”
If Einstein believed he needed outside stimulation for his best work, perhaps these reluctant presenters can be convinced they may benefit from the crucible that is the Murder Board. The various Murder Boards (and there should be several) should be videotaped, and the videotapes critiqued with little mercy on the premise that it is better to have mistakes pointed out in practice by colleagues than have them noted by evaluators, thus jeopardizing the chance to be awarded the
lucrative contract. Follow the five areas below to insure an effective Murder Board that will pay–off in the presentation:
1. Employ two video cameras. All Murder Board practice sessions should be videotaped to enable presenters to gauge their individual performances, and how the team presents as a whole. Consequently, employ two video cameras. One will tape the entire presentation, including the “choreography” of how presenters pass the baton to the next presenter. The other camera can then videotape the individual presentations, so the presenters can review their performances individually.
2. Hone the delivery skills of all speakers. The purpose of the oral presentation is to transmit, clearly and persuasively, the vision of the consortium as to how it intends to accomplish the RFP-expressed requirements. The technical experts making the presentation will concentrate on the What of the presentation, while the outside coach provides valuable insight into How the speakers communicate their ideas to the evaluators. Poor eye contact and body language, as well as poor vocal inflection, especially monotone delivery and “uh's” and “Y'knows,” can negatively impact on the way a message is received. We like to think the lucidity of our presentation is more important than how we look and sound.
