Presenting Your Work in a Backward Manner: A Strategic Approach

In the realm of professional reporting, an effective presentation can make all the difference. One emerging strategy that proves to be impactful is presenting in a backward manner. This approach involves aligning the final output with key stakeholders first, using placeholder data, and obtaining their feedback before integrating the actual results.

Key Steps in Backward Presentation

  1. Aligning with Uplevels:
    • Begin your presentation by aligning the final output with uplevels. Utilize placeholders for data that will later be replaced with actual results.
    • Presenting with placeholder data facilitates early engagement with uplevels, ensuring alignment with their expectations.
  2. User Validation:
    • Engage with report users early on. Present the preliminary findings using placeholders to gather input and ensure the report meets their expectations.
    • This iterative validation process refines the final output, reducing the risk of misalignment.
  3. Final Data Integration:
    • Once consensus is reached with report users, replace placeholder data with actual results.
    • Ensure that the final data seamlessly aligns with expectations set during the initial stages.

Best Practices for Backward Presentation

  • Format and Alignment:
    • Maintain a consistent format throughout to enhance readability.
    • Align the format with audience expectations for a smooth understanding.
  • Conclusions First:
    • Prioritize presenting the most crucial conclusions at the beginning for immediate impact.
  • Tables and Appendices:
    • Present important, cleaned tables early for a clear snapshot of results.
    • Reserve working or middle results for the appendix if additional detail is needed.

Conclusion

Presenting in a backward manner is a strategic choice that maximizes the impact of your work. By aligning with uplevels first and involving report users early, you establish a foundation for a well-received and effective presentation.

Remember, success lies not just in the results but in how those results are presented and perceived.

Prompt used to generate this blog

This blog is generated by ChatGPT with the following Prompt:

Assume you are an SDE with a Ph.D. degree in STEM and you want to write a blog about how to present in a backward manner. Add examples as needed. Make the text straightforward and add professionalism. Revise the draft that includes between label <text> and </text> and the answer shall be in Markdown fromat.

<text>

Title: Present your work in a backward way

When you do report to the uplevels, please do it in a backward manner where you align the final output with uplevels first probably with some placeholder data and check with your report users. Once they agree then fill those placeholder data with real data.


This is the correct way of presentation. You need to align the format and expectations of your audience before actually doing it.

Keep the most important conclusions and important cleaned tables before. All working or middle results shall be included in the appendix if needed.

</text>
Written on November 17, 2023