Justin O'Brien

‘Speak up more,’ they told the project manager.

‘Show more confidence,’ they said.

But forced authority is failing your construction bids.

Here’s what actually builds authentic authority in bid presentations, based on coaching 100+ construction managers:

Silent Power: Using strategic pauses to emphasize key points and let critical information land

Impact Focus: Connecting every technical feature to measurable business outcomes

Story Banking: Leading with real project experiences that demonstrate proven execution

Command Language: Replacing weak phrases (‘we think’, ‘probably’) with confident statements (‘we will’, ‘we know’)

Space Mastery: Controlling the room through deliberate movement and positioning

The truth about authority in bids:

It’s not performance

It’s not volume

It’s not theatrics

It’s demonstrating clear command of how your solution drives their success.

Remember: Stop trying to be a ‘better presenter.’ Start being the confident expert they need to trust.

What’s your experience with authentic authority in technical presentations?

Share below.

#PresentationSkills #Bid #Communication

“Great presentation,” they said. Then you lost the $75M bid. Because the real decision-maker never saw it…

After losing a massive project last year, a bid team did something different: They mapped the REAL decision chain.

Here’s what we discovered:

1. The Shadow Board: Junior staff members who brief senior executives
2. The Technical Validators: Engineers who never attend presentations
3. The Risk Committee: A separate team evaluating every major project
4. The Financial Gatekeepers: Treasury teams with specific concerns
5. The Project Champions: Mid-level managers who fight for you internally – who lost interest

The reality? Your one-hour presentation gets filtered through five different lenses before reaching the final decision-maker.

Each one can kill your bid.

Stop presenting to the room. Start creating content for the entire decision chain.

What’s the most surprising hidden decision-maker you’ve encountered? Share your story below.

#PresentationSkills #BId #Pitch