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Writing Compelling Recommendations - Honeycomb Consulting Skills Workshop.ppsx
- 1. www.honeycombps.co.uk When you’re ready, here’s 3 ways we can help: 1. No obligation training needs discussion 2. Free Consulting Skills Mastery newsletter: blog.honeycombps.co.uk 3. Future webinars & workshops Deri Hughes deri.hughes@honeycombps.co.uk +44 (0) 7730 748 531 These slides are from a workshop on Writing Compelling Recommendations Delivered by Deri Hughes, Honeycomb PS Founder and Consulting Skills Trainer
- 2. Writing Compelling Recommendations …to help people take decisions Welcome to today’s workshop! 2
- 3. You’ll learn how to write for clarity and engagement …win hearts as well as minds Welcome to today’s workshop! Writing Compelling Recommendations …to help people take decisions 3
- 4. You’ll learn how to write for clarity and engagement …win hearts as well as minds Interactive session – practice exercises and time for Q&A …start building confidence Welcome to today’s workshop! Writing Compelling Recommendations …to help people take decisions 4
- 5. Interactive session – practice exercises and time for Q&A …start building confidence Welcome to today’s workshop! You’ll learn how to write for clarity and engagement …win hearts as well as minds Writing Compelling Recommendations …to help people take decisions Introduce yourself in Chat as we get started …we’re here to help each other 5
- 6. www.honeycombps.co.uk Feedback survey & access to our free Slack Community Ask yourself – how strong is your message? 6
- 7. www.honeycombps.co.uk Feedback survey & access to our free Slack Community Ask yourself – how strong is your message? Pay Attention 7 Pay Attention You want them to…
- 8. www.honeycombps.co.uk Feedback survey & access to our free Slack Community Ask yourself – how strong is your message? Pay Attention 8 Understand You want them to…
- 9. www.honeycombps.co.uk Feedback survey & access to our free Slack Community Ask yourself – how strong is your message? Pay Attention 9 Remember Understand You want them to…
- 10. www.honeycombps.co.uk Feedback survey & access to our free Slack Community Ask yourself – how strong is your message? Pay Attention 10 Understand You want them to… Act Remember
- 11. www.honeycombps.co.uk Feedback survey & access to our free Slack Community What we’ll cover today 11 You want them to… Act Pay Attention Remember Understand Part 1: Make it Clear (structure) Part 2: Make it Engaging (narrative) Bonus: Grab their attention (strong opener)
- 12. www.honeycombps.co.uk Feedback survey & access to our free Slack Community Today’s content is taken from our consulting skills training modules on Clear, Compelling, Recommendations 12 New Consultants (0 – 2 years) Experienced Consultants (3 – 5 years) Build Trust & Lead Teams Managing Client Interactions • Become a Trusted Advisor • Active Listening • Best practices to demonstrate credibility, reliability, connection • Role-play in a safe environment Clear, Compelling, Recommendations Structured Communications • Present results in ways that clients understand & can act on • Apply Pyramid Principle structures for clarity • Practice presenting Solve Complex Problems Structured Problem Solving • Define the Client Question • Disaggregate & Structure • Develop a Hypothesis • Plan your work to ensure on- time at-quality delivery Creative Problem Solving • Apply proven methods to generate innovative solutions • Run co-creation workshops • Develop frameworks to objectively assess options Situational Leadership • Assess competence & confidence to assign tasks • Adapt your leadership style • Practice coaching conversations & delivering hard messages Narrative Storytelling • Win hearts & minds with narrative-led recommendations • Structure engaging, clear & compelling stories • Design high-impact visuals Consulting Skills Training
- 13. www.honeycombps.co.uk Feedback survey & access to our free Slack Community Go-to Executive Summary structure – when you need to land a specific recommendation with a busy audience 13 Grab their attention – usually no slides (human connection) Strong Opener The most important slide – focus for today! Key Messages A few killer slides to bring the key points to life Designed to be memorable Supporting Visuals Tell them what they need to do now Make it easy for them to make a decision Next Steps
- 14. BREVITY: A note from Winston Churchill in 1940 https://blog.honeycombps.co.uk/churchills-rules-for-clear-communication/ 1. Set-out the main points in a series of short, crisp paragraphs 2. Place detailed analysis in an appendix 3. Consider just an aide-mémoire with headings only 4. Remove cumbersome prose
- 15. Make it Clear: Structured Comms using the Pyramid Principle* Reason 1 Headline Recommendation Reason 3 Reason 2 Key question Headline Recommendation: What’s the answer? • The overall answer you are evidencing Key line: Why should I believe you? • The critical points that, taken together, give sufficient confidence in the recommendation • Structured for clarity so people understand Support: • Data and facts that support the key line points • Grouped & ordered logically *The Pyramid Principle was written by Barbara Minto, McKinsey’s first female consultant. The key ideas are now used by all the world’s leading consulting firms.
- 16. www.honeycombps.co.uk Feedback survey & access to our free Slack Community Example 1: Where should we go on holiday next year? 16 Unstructured Structured “Well, we could go to the Canaries to get some sun, or maybe Norway because it's different and interesting. My friend went to Bulgaria last year and loved it, plus it was dirt cheap. But then again, Italy has amazing food, and I love Italian cuisine. So, maybe Italy on balance?” I think we should go to Italy for our holiday next year • A beautiful place with loads of interesting history • Sunny, but not too hot • Food is amazing! • Best balance of experience, cost & travel time vs Bulgaria, Norway or the Canaries
- 17. www.honeycombps.co.uk Feedback survey & access to our free Slack Community Example 2: Should BespokeSuitCo introduce VR headsets for customers to “try” their suits before we make them? 17 We’re considering introducing VR headsets for customers. We want to create an experience that will make us stand out, and help customers picture themselves in their suit before we make it. Recommendation: We should hold off introducing VR headsets for at least 18 months • Brand Perception: Introducing VR may undermine our positioning as a traditional tailor known for our hand-made craftsmanship. • Customers: Our core demographic (men aged 45 – 65) currently see VR as a novelty gimmick, although some signs of accelerating tech adoption at the younger end. • Capability: We lack experience integrating this kind of tech into our stores. • Cost: We would need to invest ~£250k to trial the headsets and start to design & test the customer experience. This cost is likely to come down significantly in the next two years.
- 18. www.honeycombps.co.uk 18 Make it Clear: Template XX Recommendation Reason 1 Reason 2 Reason 3 XX XX XX Reason 4 XX XX Question
- 19. www.honeycombps.co.uk Feedback survey & access to our free Slack Community Time to practice! 19 Situation Complication Question • April is a Consultant at a boutique consulting firm • She has been there three years and is a rising star • She is smart, creative, diligent and clients love her Key data points • April has been head-hunted by Amazon, with an offer that promises more pay and better work-life balance • Her current project is coming to an end • The client wants to roll into a Phase 2 - but only if April stays on the team! • How should we respond to April's Amazon job offer? • April has been promoted twice within her first three years, faster than the firm average, with 4.5/5 reviews • We pay fixed salary by grade (Associate Consultant £35k, Senior AC £43k, Consultant £54k, Manager £75k), but can offer bonuses & other incentives • Typical bonus is 10 – 25% (more for Managers) • Amazon have offered £72k + stock options, and unlimited annual leave • Her current client wants April to lead a 6-month implementation of the Phase 1 recommendations • Phase 2 quote is £450k for April + an AC + an SAC • April enjoyed the project but is tired from pulling 50+ hour weeks for the last 6 months • Amazon have promised a 40-hour max working week • Your Finance Director is concerned about pipeline - locking in this Phase 2 work would make a difference 10-minute exercise
- 20. www.honeycombps.co.uk 20 Example answer To retain April and secure the £450k Phase 2 contract, we recommend promoting her to Manager (£75k salary) and offering a £10k retention bonus plus 2 weeks of beach time when Phase 1 ends Recommendation Reason 1 Reason 2 Reason 3 April is a star performer – evidenced by strong performance reviews and rapid promotions – and she will leave if we don’t respond quickly to her Amazon offer The Manager role is a stretch, but we believe that (with support) she will be successful in that role on this Phase 2 work The combination of a Manager promotion, 2 weeks rest, and the retention bonus will be enough for her to decline the Amazon offer Reason 4 If she leaves, the client has indicated they may not go ahead with Phase 2 leaving us with a £450k revenue gap How should we respond to April's Amazon job offer? Question
- 21. www.honeycombps.co.uk Feedback survey & access to our free Slack Community What we’ll cover today 21 You want them to… Act Pay Attention Remember Understand Part 1: Make it Clear (structure) Part 2: Make it Engaging (narrative) Bonus: Grab their attention (strong opener)
- 22. www.honeycombps.co.uk Feedback survey & access to our free Slack Community 4 steps to build a Narrative structure into your Recommendations Insight Define the ‘Aha’ moment. What is our core recommendation that they will act on? Hook Find the hook. What will make them pay attention? Story Write the narrative. How can we bridge from the Hook to the Insight? Actions Tell them what’s next. What needs to happen now?
- 23. www.honeycombps.co.uk Feedback survey & access to our free Slack Community Example: Talent Strategy – imagine you’re advising HR We are struggling to hire people and we have high attrition • Attrition in the middle-manager peer group is 15-20% p.a. • Other companies pay up to 50% more for equivalent roles • Employee survey shows lack of clarity on career paths, insufficient role models, location an issue The job is harder than it needs to be • Decision-making is bureaucratic, slow, and overly political • Too many meetings • Lack of investment in basic IT infrastructure No systematic development of expertise • Average time in role is low (<2 years) and getting lower • No knowledge management system. Too much information in ‘heads and hard-disks’. • Poor onboarding and handover processes
- 24. www.honeycombps.co.uk Feedback survey & access to our free Slack Community First – identify the “Aha” moment Insight 1 We are struggling to hire people and we have high attrition • Attrition in the middle-manager peer group is 15-20% p.a. • Other companies pay up to 50% more for equivalent roles • Employee survey shows lack of clarity on career paths, insufficient role models, location an issue The job is harder than it needs to be • Decision-making is bureaucratic, slow, and overly political • Too many meetings • Lack of investment in basic IT infrastructure No systematic development of expertise • Average time in role is low (<2 years) and getting lower • No knowledge management system. Too much information in ‘heads and hard-disks’. • Poor onboarding and handover processes We must improve how we hire, enable and engage our people
- 25. www.honeycombps.co.uk Feedback survey & access to our free Slack Community Next, grab their attention with a strong ‘Hook’ at the start Insight 1 Hook 2 Our competitors are poaching our best people, with 20% leaving each year We are struggling to hire people and we have high attrition • Attrition in the middle-manager peer group is 15-20% p.a. • Other companies pay up to 50% more for equivalent roles • Employee survey shows lack of clarity on career paths, insufficient role models, location an issue The job is harder than it needs to be • Decision-making is bureaucratic, slow, and overly political • Too many meetings • Lack of investment in basic IT infrastructure No systematic development of expertise • Average time in role is low (<2 years) and getting lower • No knowledge management system. Too much information in ‘heads and hard-disks’. • Poor onboarding and handover processes We must improve how we hire, enable and engage our people
- 26. www.honeycombps.co.uk Feedback survey & access to our free Slack Community What makes a good hook? Threat “Our cost to acquire new customers will increase 50% in two years if Facebook change their algorithms again" Opportunity “Small business owners spend £30m a year on services like this" Hooks are memorable when they include: Humans - bringing in a central character (e.g., customer, supplier, colleague) that the audience care about Value - use numbers to quantify the impact
- 27. www.honeycombps.co.uk Feedback survey & access to our free Slack Community Next, grab their attention with a strong ‘Hook’ at the start Insight 1 Our competitors are poaching our best people, with 20% leaving each year We are struggling to hire people and we have high attrition • Attrition in the middle-manager peer group is 15-20% p.a. • Other companies pay up to 50% more for equivalent roles • Employee survey shows lack of clarity on career paths, insufficient role models, location an issue The job is harder than it needs to be • Decision-making is bureaucratic, slow, and overly political • Too many meetings • Lack of investment in basic IT infrastructure No systematic development of expertise • Average time in role is low (<2 years) and getting lower • No knowledge management system. Too much information in ‘heads and hard-disks’. • Poor onboarding and handover processes We must improve how we hire, enable and engage our people Hook 2
- 28. www.honeycombps.co.uk Feedback survey & access to our free Slack Community Use Story points to bridge from your Hook to the Insight Insight 1 Our competitors are poaching our best people, with 20% leaving each year Reason 1: We make it harder than it needs to be to work here • Inefficient: Slow decision-making, too many meetings, lack of basic IT infrastructure • Ineffective: Lack of institutional knowledge management • Not engaging: Average time in role <2 years Reason 2: We offer our people less than competitors do • Other companies pay up to 50% more for equivalent roles • Employee survey shows lack of clarity on career paths, insufficient role models, location an issue We must improve how we hire, enable and engage our people Hook 2 Story 3
- 29. www.honeycombps.co.uk Feedback survey & access to our free Slack Community Finally – make it easy for them to know what to do next Insight 1 Our competitors are poaching our best people, with 20% leaving each year Reason 1: We make it harder than it needs to be to work here • Inefficient: Slow decision-making, too many meetings, lack of basic IT infrastructure • Ineffective: Lack of institutional knowledge management • Not engaging: Average time in role <2 years Reason 2: We offer our people less than competitors do • Other companies pay up to 50% more for equivalent roles • Employee survey shows lack of clarity on career paths, insufficient role models, location an issue We must improve how we hire, enable and engage our people There are three things we can do: 1. Offer our people more – increase pay, clarify career paths, set-up a mentoring programme 2. Make it easy to work here – be clear on decisions, upgrade IT, set a better example 3. Share information more openly – document our expertise & create a knowledge bank Hook 2 Story 3 Actions 4
- 30. www.honeycombps.co.uk Feedback survey & access to our free Slack Community Starting point – structured data, but no story or “so what” We are struggling to hire people and we have high attrition • Attrition in the middle-manager peer group is 15-20% p.a. • Other companies pay up to 50% more for equivalent roles • Employee survey shows lack of clarity on career paths, insufficient role models, location an issue The job is harder than it needs to be • Decision-making is bureaucratic, slow, and overly political • Too many meetings • Lack of investment in basic IT infrastructure No systematic development of expertise • Average time in role is low (<2 years) and getting lower • No knowledge management system. Too much information in ‘heads and hard-disks’. • Poor onboarding and handover processes
- 31. www.honeycombps.co.uk Feedback survey & access to our free Slack Community Our competitors are poaching our best people, with 20% leaving each year Reason 1: We make it harder than it needs to be to work here • Inefficient: Slow decision-making, too many meetings, lack of basic IT infrastructure • Ineffective: Lack of institutional knowledge management • Not engaging: Average time in role <2 years Reason 2: We offer our people less than competitors do • Other companies pay up to 50% more for equivalent roles • Employee survey shows lack of clarity on career paths, insufficient role models, location an issue We must improve how we hire, enable and engage our people There are three things we can do: 1. Offer our people more – increase pay, clarify career paths, set-up a mentoring programme 2. Make it easy to work here – be clear on decisions, upgrade IT, set a better example 3. Share information more openly – document our expertise & create a knowledge bank Narrative structure makes it Clear and Engaging
- 32. www.honeycombps.co.uk Feedback survey & access to our free Slack Community Our competitors are poaching our best people, with 20% leaving each year Reason 1: We make it harder than it needs to be to work here • Inefficient: Slow decision-making, too many meetings, lack of basic IT infrastructure • Ineffective: Lack of institutional knowledge management • Not engaging: Average time in role <2 years Reason 2: We offer our people less than competitors do • Other companies pay up to 50% more for equivalent roles • Employee survey shows lack of clarity on career paths, insufficient role models, location an issue We must improve how we hire, enable and engage our people There are three things we can do: 1. Offer our people more – increase pay, clarify career paths, set-up a mentoring programme 2. Make it easy to work here – be clear on decisions, upgrade IT, set a better example 3. Share information more openly – document our expertise & create a knowledge bank Story ordering: Hook Story Insight Actions Story Hook Insight Actions
- 33. www.honeycombps.co.uk Feedback survey & access to our free Slack Community Wasted spend & a stretched team: The power of a compelling hook Total marketing budget is $6.5m per year 23% allocated to keyword ad spend on Google 8% of keyword budget goes on generic keywords that have never generated sales Opportunity to save $10k / month We’ll need a project team to complete the analysis and push through the changes The data The story Money wasted on under-performing keywords could pay for two new colleagues We spend $120k a year on generic keywords That tail of keywords is unprofitable and has never brought us new customers Our team are over-stretched and we have several new projects we want to run It will take a few weeks to execute, but by cutting that wasted ad spend we can recruit two new people into the team 33
- 34. www.honeycombps.co.uk 34 Make it Engaging: Template XX Hook Story points XX Insight XX Next steps XX
- 35. www.honeycombps.co.uk Feedback survey & access to our free Slack Community Time to practice again! 35 Situation Complication Question • April is a Consultant at a boutique consulting firm • She has been there three years and is a rising star • She is smart, creative, diligent and clients love her This time… • April has been head-hunted by Amazon, with an offer that promises more pay and better work-life balance • Her current project is coming to an end • The client wants to roll into a Phase 2 - but only if April stays on the team! • How should we respond to April's Amazon job offer? • Start from the output of the last exercise • Identify an Insight (from your Recommendation) • Then, think of a Hook – how can you make people pay attention in just a few words? People, or value • Add a couple of Story points, to bridge from the Hook to the Insight • Tell us what we need to do next – drive to Action • Remember: Hook Story Insight Actions 10-minute exercise
- 36. www.honeycombps.co.uk Feedback survey & access to our free Slack Community 36 Example answer We stand to lose £450k and one of our best Consultants if we don't act swiftly Hook Story points • April is a star performer and clients love her • She’s planning to go to Amazon, for £18k more pay, stock options, and better work-life balance • If she goes, we’ll lose the Phase 2 work – worth £450k • If we lose April then others may follow Insight We should promote April to Manager (£75k salary) and offer a £10k retention bonus plus 2 weeks of beach time when Phase 1 ends Next steps 1. Discuss this offer with April and get her commitment to stay 2. Confirm to the client that April will stay on, as Manager on Phase 2 3. Review support needed for April as a new Manager
- 37. Example: BeerCo Market evolution in Poland Polish beer market is evolving, with major chains (esp. Discounters) taking share from Traditional Trade ‘Do nothing’ profit impact will be significant (-150M PLN in 4 year, -230M in 10 years) • Consumers will buy the same amount of beer, but where they buy will change radically Total beer volumes will stay flat, at 35 – 37M HL In 10 years, Traditional Trade will have half current volume, but Discounters will be 3x larger • Many Traditional Trade outlets that survive will enter franchises, shifting power to Cash & Carry franchisors who will be highly influential in the market C&C share of TT + HoReCa volumes will grow from 25% to 45% (>20% of total market) • Traditional Trade will still buy significant volumes direct from BeerCo but this will fall each year In 4 years, Traditional Trade will still be >50% of the market – we have time BeerCo business model must change to protect profitability We will evaluate business model options over the next 6 weeks
- 38. www.honeycombps.co.uk What we’ll cover today 38 You want them to… Act Pay Attention Remember Understand Part 1: Make it Clear (structure) Part 2: Make it Engaging (narrative) Bonus: Grab their attention (strong opener)
- 39. 39 Why am I here? Why should I care?
- 40. www.honeycombps.co.uk Feedback survey & access to our free Slack Community 40 Example opener “Great to see you today. I’m John. These are my colleagues Bran and Arya. This meeting is to discuss the outputs from our employee interviews. By the end of it you’ll know how people feel about the proposed changes. We have some people who are unhappy and considering resigning – we’ll present some options for you to manage this challenge. As we go through it would be great to get your perspective on what we can learn from the other recent change programmes & how you’ve managed those. To get us started, it would be great to hear if there are any specific topics you want me to focus on first?”
- 41. www.honeycombps.co.uk Feedback survey & access to our free Slack Community 41 Inform: Clarity on purpose and outcomes “Great to see you today. I’m John. These are my colleagues Bran and Arya. This meeting is to discuss the outputs from our employee interviews. By the end of it you’ll know how people feel about the proposed changes. We have some people who are unhappy and considering resigning – we’ll present some options for you to manage this challenge. As we go through it would be great to get your perspective on what we can learn from the other recent change programmes & how you’ve managed those. To get us started, it would be great to hear if there are any specific topics you want me to focus on first?” Inform
- 42. www.honeycombps.co.uk Feedback survey & access to our free Slack Community 42 Excite: Hook them in with a reason to listen “Great to see you today. I’m John. These are my colleagues Bran and Arya. This meeting is to discuss the outputs from our employee interviews. By the end of it you’ll know how people feel about the proposed changes. We have some people who are unhappy and considering resigning – we’ll present some options for you to manage this challenge. As we go through it would be great to get your perspective on what we can learn from the other recent change programmes & how you’ve managed those. To get us started, it would be great to hear if there are any specific topics you want me to focus on first?” Excite Inform
- 43. www.honeycombps.co.uk Feedback survey & access to our free Slack Community 43 Empower: Give them a clear role in the meeting “Great to see you today. I’m John. These are my colleagues Bran and Arya. This meeting is to discuss the outputs from our employee interviews. By the end of it you’ll know how people feel about the proposed changes. We have some people who are unhappy and considering resigning – we’ll present some options for you to manage this challenge. As we go through it would be great to get your perspective on what we can learn from the other recent change programmes & how you’ve managed those. To get us started, it would be great to hear if there are any specific topics you want me to focus on first?” Inform Excite Empower
- 44. www.honeycombps.co.uk Feedback survey & access to our free Slack Community 44 Invite: A relevant question to get them talking “Great to see you today. I’m John. These are my colleagues Bran and Arya. This meeting is to discuss the outputs from our employee interviews. By the end of it you’ll know how people feel about the proposed changes. We have some people who are unhappy and considering resigning – we’ll present some options for you to manage this challenge. As we go through it would be great to get your perspective on what we can learn from the other recent change programmes & how you’ve managed those. To get us started, it would be great to hear if there are any specific topics you want me to focus on first?” Inform Empower Invite Excite
- 45. www.honeycombps.co.uk Feedback survey & access to our free Slack Community 45 Openers: Inform Excite Empower Invite “Great to see you today. I’m John. These are my colleagues Bran and Arya. This meeting is to discuss the outputs from our employee interviews. By the end of it you’ll know how people feel about the proposed changes. We have some people who are unhappy and considering resigning – we’ll present some options for you to manage this challenge. As we go through it would be great to get your perspective on what we can learn from the other recent change programmes & how you’ve managed those. To get us started, it would be great to hear if there are any specific topics you want me to focus on first?” Inform Excite Empower Invite
- 46. Want to practice an opener?! Join us, and share it in Slack 46 Feedback survey - We’d love your feedback - It’ll take <5 minutes & you can opt-in to join our Slack Community - In Slack you can ask questions, share your exercises, and get feedback from our expert training team 1st December Webinar Training Curriculum Design 15th December Webinar Consulting Skill Accelerator Upcoming workshops & webinars
- 47. www.honeycombps.co.uk When you’re ready, here’s 3 ways we can help: 1. No obligation training needs discussion 2. Free Consulting Skills Mastery newsletter: blog.honeycombps.co.uk 3. Future webinars & workshops Deri Hughes deri.hughes@honeycombps.co.uk +44 (0) 7730 748 531 Get in touch – we’d love to hear from you!
Editor's Notes
- https://forms.fillout.com/t/9cZi1CgmDRus?ID=231107 1st Dec: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/4716904534168/WN_Vg3Idn8RQsuGXPygNQwLsg 15th Dec: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/3016904533190/WN_ql2y1jJMR4-1vZPN41JApA