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Martin Tanner, 18th September 2025
It's presentation day. The one you've been waiting for - the must win.
You walk in. The energy's flat. No eye contact. No smiles. Just polite silence.
And the thoughts start racing:
- Have they already picked their supplier?
- Are we just here to tick a box?
- Are we the last in a long line of pitches and they're just bored now?
It's the kind of room that makes you question everything, even your own story.
So what do you do?
- Do you stick to the script and plough through the slides exactly as rehearsed?
- Do you pause? Let the silence breathe? Let them lean in?
- Or do you shift gears - tell the story in a different order, respond to the mood, not the plan?
They're not giving you much. So what do you give them?
A moment of honesty? A different angle? A question they weren't expecting?
We've all been there.
What's your move?