How To Present A Competitive Audit

How to present a competitive audit
After researching direct and indirect competitors, and compiling those findings into a
spreadsheet, the next step is sharing your insights with your team or client.
You can present your competitive audit as a written report or a slideshow presentation using
software like Google Slides, Microsoft PowerPoint, or Apple’s Keynote. This course will
teach you how to present your audit findings as a written report, but in the workplace you
can choose from many different formats to demonstrate what you’ve learned to
stakeholders. In this reading, you’ll learn about some best practices for creating a slideshow
presentation of your competitive audit findings.
Both written reports and slideshow presentations have their advantages. Slideshows are
dynamic and visually engaging, but require more time and effort to create and rehearse.
Written reports are more concise and less time-consuming to create. They’re an efficient
way to communicate insights quickly when your audience doesn’t have a lot of time.
Later in the course, you’ll prepare to present a competitive audit for your portfolio project.
You’ll learn more about written reports when you get there. Right now, let's explore some
best practices for presenting competitive audit findings as a slideshow presentation. Ready
to learn more? Here we go!
Tips for your slides and presentation structure

Every good presentation needs an introduction, so you’ll want to begin by laying out the
goals of your competitive audit. It’s also a good idea to outline your research questions,
methodology, and the features or characteristics you compared across competitors.
Summarizing the purpose of your presentation makes it clear exactly what you're trying to
learn about the competition. Note that the example introductory slide below includes sections
for an objective, research questions, and procedures.
Slide that shows goals and methods, broken into Objective, Research Questions, and
Procedure. Objective: Burger Garden says their clients have lost interest in their product. We
audited industry competitors to understand how the BG app compares. Research Questions:
Are they attracting the right audience that they say they are speaking to? How does their app
look and feel? Does the design complement the product? Will the user get confused as they
navigate through the app? Procedure: We reviewed these aspects of each restaurant and
their app or website design: Audience, First Thoughts, User Interaction, Visual Design, and
Content.
To organize your information for your audience, begin each section of your presentation with
a slide that identifies the section’s topic (similar to a chapter title in a book). Stick to simple,
clear visuals, like the bold text and solid background of the slide below:
Next, summarize what you learned about your competitors’ products, and how they compare
to yours. Be sure to point out where your product excels, as well as areas that need
improvement.
As you organize your presentation, think about the most effective ways to present your
insights. Keep the overall design as simple and clean as possible. Avoiding cluttered and
confusing imagery makes it easier for your audience to follow along and focus on the
important information. Note how the example slide below outlines the most important
information and expands on it in the section to the left:
Visual presentation of competitive audit findings for Burger Garden located in Kansas City,
Missouri. On the left of the presentation slide, text shows the cost of burgers (around $10
each), the business size (small), the audience (millennials), the unique value prop (large
variety of burgers and toppings), and the initial findings (clear branding identified in
screenshot A, content ton is inconsistent in screenshot B). On the right side of the slides are
two screenshots. Screenshot A shows the company name is clearly displayed at the top of
their website. Screenshot B shows text on the website that reads "Each ingredient
implemented into our burgers is of the highest grade and viscosity, assembled with diligence
and care for your family unit."
Finally, conclude your presentation with a summary of key points and takeaways. As you
learned earlier, competitive audits can compare up to 10 companies. That’s a lot of
information for your audience to take in! A summary can refresh their memories by
recapping the most important information.
Presenting data effectively

The way you present your data can influence how your audience interprets it. Keep in mind
that different types of data lend themselves to different formats. For example, if your
presentation has a lot of numbers or quantitative data, a chart or graph can help your
audience grasp how the numbers compare to one another. To demonstrate a specific
function or issue with a competitor’s product, consider including a screen recording in your
presentation. Finally, it can be helpful to include a rubric that explains the grading system
you used in your audit. For example, the rubric system used in the example audit graded the
burger restaurants from “needs work” to “outstanding.” Using that rubric, each restaurant
was rated on a scale of one to four in each category to create a final rating.
Delivering a strong presentation

Knowing what to include in your presentation is only part of the process. As you prepare to
present your findings, keep these tips for effective presentations in mind:
● Get feedback from your team. Share your report or slides with a trusted teammate
ahead of time to get their take on how the information flows.
● Limit the amount of text on your slides. Your slides should include just enough
information to draw attention to important points. Save the details for your speech.
● Stick to the highlights. A presentation to your team or client should only focus on
the highlights of your audit. If you want to get into more detail, add them to the
appendix of your presentation or create a written report.
● Use notes. An outline or note cards can help you stay focused, on topic, and on
time.
● Practice ahead of time. Do a few trial runs before the big day to get comfortable
with the content and pace of your presentation.
● Use relevant graphics. Make sure any images and graphics relate directly to the
topic of your presentation. Choose images and graphics carefully to ensure they
enhance clarity.
● Keep your biases in check. Be aware of your own design biases and try to prevent
them from clouding your judgment during the presentation.
● Be able to defend your conclusions. Make sure you have evidence to back up
your conclusions. Use actual data and specific examples whenever possible.
Presenting your research can seem intimidating, but remember that you are representing
your users! Competitive audits give you, your team, and your clients knowledge that will help
create well-rounded product designs that work. To ease your presentation jitters, check out
this article from Forbes for expert tips on connecting with your audience:
https://www.forbes.com/sites/markfidelman/2014/08/15/20-world-
class-presentation-experts-share-their-top-tips/?sh=2920b075c40d

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How to present a competitive audit

Tips for your slides and presentation structure

Presenting data effectively

Delivering a strong presentation

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