Creating a Project Kickoff Presentation That Works

Kickstart Success: Making Hybrid Kickoffs Work Here is the situation: half of your team is in the office, the other half is scattered across the globe in home offices, coffee shops, and co-working spaces. Sound familiar? Welcome to the hybrid world. Running a seamless project kickoff with a hybrid team isn’t just about connecting people on a call. It’s about uniting them with a shared vision and making sure everyone feels heard—whether they’re sitting in the room or on Zoom. Here’s how you can make it work flawlessly: 1. Set the Stage Early ↳ Send an agenda ahead of time. ↳ Include expectations, goals, and key discussion points. ↳ Give everyone time to prepare. 2. Be Inclusive From the Get-Go ↳ Start with a check-in that includes everyone. ↳ Use icebreakers that work for both in-person and virtual attendees. ↳ Make sure remote voices aren’t left behind. 3. Leverage Tech That Bridges the Gap ↳ Use collaborative tools like digital whiteboards. ↳ Encourage everyone to contribute—in person or online. ↳ Test all tech beforehand to avoid hiccups. 4. Clarify Roles and Responsibilities ↳ Assign clear roles during the meeting. ↳ Ensure everyone knows their part in the project’s success. ↳ Accountability drives engagement. 5. End With Clear Next Steps ↳ Recap decisions made and actions to be taken. ↳ Assign owners to tasks and set deadlines. ↳ Follow up with a summary email so no one’s left guessing. According to a survey by Microsoft, 73% of workers want flexible remote options to stay, but 67% also want more in-person collaboration. Finding that balance is key to successful kickoffs. A great hybrid kickoff isn't just a meeting. It’s an experience that unites, motivates, and aligns your team—wherever they are. Have you run a hybrid kickoff before? What worked well? What didn’t? Drop your thoughts below! 👇

Ever been handed a vague project like "We need better personas" and a crazy deadline? A simple framework can turn that chaos into clear action: The key? Start with the END GOAL in mind and work backwards. This is because only when you’re clear on the outcome can you create a process that’s realistic, effective, and aligned with business goals. Let’s break it down with the example: "We need better personas." 🎯 Step 1: Define the end goal Ask: Why do we need better personas? What’s the real business metric we’re trying to move? Example: Increase win rates by 9% over the next 6 months. In this case, it’s clear the project isn’t just about creating personas, it’s about using those personas to sharpen messaging and drive more sales. 🎯 Step 2: Align stakeholders & set milestones Before jumping into deliverables, align with key stakeholders. Ensure everyone agrees on the goals, timelines, and success metrics. Kickoff meeting: Confirm the end goal, scope, and key deliverables. Milestone check-ins: Schedule  updates to ensure alignment and course-correct if needed. 🎯 Step 3: Get specific on deliverables If the focus is on increasing win rates, what’s needed beyond just personas? - > Persona profiles: Core buyer personas, pain points, triggers, buying journey maps, and content preferences. - > Messaging guide: Value propositions, key messaging themes with proof points, objection handling, and specific talking points. - > Sales enablement toolkit: Persona-specific pitch decks, talk tracks, one-pagers, FAQs, and objection-handling guides. 🎯 Step 4: Gather data Given the timeline and goals, what’s realistic for research? Examples could be: - > Deploy a customer survey to 200 customers to refine and segment personas. - > Analyze 10 closed sales deals within ICP. - > Conduct 5 in-depth customer interviews for qualitative insights. 🎯 Step 5: Build, test, and iterate Once stakeholders agree on the research plan and deliverables, start building and validating. - > Develop personas and associated messaging. - > A/B test messaging to validate impact (e.g. using emails) -> Collect sales team feedback on persona usability and messaging effectiveness. Key takeaway: Working backwards forces clarity and also makes it easier for you to counter unrealistic times.  I have been working through this process with dozens of clients to help them get more clarity. I’d love to hear from you! How do you approach vague project requests? #productmarketing #coaching #GTM #productivity #career

Early in my project management career: Kickoff meetings felt like one-sided lectures with me laying everything out. Now: They are a two-way dialogue. Here's how I transformed kickoff meetings to make them more interactive: Pre-Meeting Prep: I ask team members to come up with lessons learned from other projects that could impact this one. Strengths & Support: I ask team members to share what they expect to contribute to the project and what they need from others to be successful. Room to Grow: I state from the onset that not everything is clearly defined yet, and that's normal at the beginning. Questions Upfront: I leave dedicated time for questions and track them in a log for future reference. What are your key strategies for fostering collaboration in kickoff calls? Join the conversation in the comments below. #leadership #collaboration #communication #projectmanagement

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗠𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗜𝗺𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝗠𝗲𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝗻 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗖𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗿 𝗝𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗻𝗲𝘆? It’s not the demo. It’s not the renewal. It’s not even the cold call. It’s the 𝗞𝗶𝗰𝗸𝗼𝗳𝗳 𝗖𝗮𝗹𝗹. This is the moment where your client’s belief in your product is either validated… or tested. 🚀 If you deliver value or even a small win early, their belief in you goes up. 💔 If you ask for too much effort and the patch to value is unclear, their belief is tested. 👉 Belief drives action 👈 As soon as your clients stops believing you can help them, they stop taking action.. So... here’s how to run a Kickoff Call that builds confidence and drives momentum: 𝗣𝗵𝗮𝘀𝗲 𝟭: 𝗣𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 This process starts before the kickoff call. The sales rep closing the deal needs to hype up the CSM. It can sound something like this: "𝘏𝘦𝘺 [𝘊𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘵], 𝘺𝘰𝘶’𝘷𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘥𝘦 𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘸𝘦𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘥𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘯𝘦𝘹𝘵 𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘱 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘦𝘦𝘵 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘙𝘺𝘢𝘯. 𝘏𝘦’𝘴 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘱𝘦𝘥 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳 200 𝘤𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶, 𝘺𝘰𝘶'𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘴. 𝘐’𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘪𝘮 𝘶𝘱 𝘰𝘯 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘦’𝘷𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘤𝘶𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶’𝘳𝘦 𝘰𝘧𝘧 𝘵𝘰 𝘢 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘵." This simple step helps transfer the trust and authority built in the sales rep to the CSM as they take over. 𝗣𝗵𝗮𝘀𝗲 𝟮: 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗳𝗶𝗿𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 Once you're on the kickoff call, make sure you; 1. Start with an 𝗘𝗮𝗿𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗥𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 to position yourself as the expert. 2, 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗳𝗶𝗿𝗺 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝗴𝗼𝗮𝗹𝘀 by reviewing what was shared during the sales process. 3. 𝗦𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗮𝘁𝗵 by providing a high-level overview of the onboarding process. Keep it clear and simple so they understand the journey without feeling overwhelmed. 4. 𝗚𝗮𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗰𝗲𝘀 by identifying what is needed for implementation, both from your side and theirs, to ensure a smooth process. 5. 𝗦𝗲𝘁 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀. Make sure to highlight responsibilities, timelines, and who will be involved at each step. 𝗣𝗵𝗮𝘀𝗲 𝟯: 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀 Now, it’s time for quick wins. Get something—anything—done early. It could be as small as exchanging logins or getting them into the system. Then, book a meeting from a meeting. Confirm the next steps and schedule the next call to keep the momentum rolling. There you have it: a Kickoff Call that sets you up for success. Want the full breakdown? Check out my YT video: https://t2m.io/LW2Jbrw9 Or DM/comment "KICKOFF" and I’ll send over our Customer Success Kickoff Call SOP + a rubric to audit your calls. Let’s go! 🚀

If you’re looking to impress senior leadership and get your team’s projects approved—these 6 tips are the way to go about it. 1️⃣ Pre-wiring: Host a prep meeting before the main event. Get feedback from peers in similar industries to ensure it will resonate. This can help you refine your points, anticipate questions, and ensure your content is perfectly tailored to resonate with executives. 2️⃣ Frame topic QUICKLY: Within the first 30 seconds, make clear what your presentation is about. Being on a time-crunch…Executives want to know immediately why they should care and how it impacts the business. 3️⃣ Set clear expectations: Outline the agenda and what you’ll cover right from the start. Let the executives know what they can expect to gain by the end of your talk. 4️⃣ Use an inductive approach: Lead with your main conclusion, then support it with data and reasoning. This gets straight to the point and helps executives grasp your key message quickly. 5️⃣ Balance your time: Limit your talking to 50% of the time. This promotes a two-way dialogue and allows you to adapt based on their feedback. They value conversation NOT monologue. 6️⃣ Be ready to zoom out: When questions arise, step back and address broader issues. Executives are looking for strategic insights, so contextualize your answers to align with overall business objectives. Remember, winning over a tough crowd has specific requirements. → Address the elephant in the room. → Stay focused on your objective & respect the clock. 👉What's your go-to strategy for engaging tough audiences? Let me know below how they’ve worked for you!