We worked with the England & Wales Cricket Board to create innovative solutions for presenting data. Here, Mo Bobat, Player Identification Lead, talks about our ongoing collaboration, that resulted in a series of presentations and an animated video for stakeholders and the media
1. Could you start by telling us a bit about your role at the England & Wales Cricket Board (ECB)?
My role as the ECB’s Player Identification Lead is to ‘ensure the right quantity and quality of players are selected on to the men’s pathway and into the England teams’, which is a position that I have held for the last two and a half years. In short, this means overseeing the scouting network for our Young Lions (Under 19), Lions and England teams, directing our identification and selection analytics, supporting and informing squad selection and working closely with coaches to assess players whilst on national programmes. In addition to these core areas of activity, I work closely with our network of counties to ensure their engagement in our identification and selection processes whilst also supporting their player identification activity at a local level.
2. What was the reason for initially reaching out to The Prezenter team?
The first challenge I had for The Prezenter team was to communicate our vision and strategy in a more engaging way and I was actually recommended to use them by a friend who works in professional football. Since then we have done a number of projects together, all with a slightly different emphasis but always with excellent results.
3. How did the creative process develop following the initial brief? Were there many revisions needed?
There are numerous reasons why the creative process has always been incredibly enjoyable. Firstly, the team typically has lots of great ideas and options which is helpful and makes it easy for me to trust the direction of travel. The second thing is that they have always been excellent at working to tight deadlines, and turning around revised editions in a timely manner keeps the creative momentum going. The third thing worth saying is that it has never taken the team long to get to grips with the subject matter which means they show a good appreciation for the audience’s needs and again can add their own creative flair. Finally, I have most enjoyed meeting with members of the team at their HQ and working through some of the jobs together as this has been a good breeding ground for ideas.
The quality of the work is outstanding which is clearly the most important thing, but this has been augmented by a truly caring, diligent and personable approach.
4. As part of your collaboration with The Prezenter, we created an animation video. What was the aim of the animation and how did you choose to share it?
The animated video was our first piece of work with The Prezenter and it basically set out to communicate the vision, purpose and strategy of our national men’s pathway. It has been used during formal presentations to internal and external stakeholders, player and parent inductions, staff briefings and also informing the media.
5. In addition to the animation, we also created some projects using PowerPoint. Which specific areas did you like the most in your presentation?
I’ve had three significant PowerPoint projects done by The Prezenter, all a little different. The first one was a player ID and selection platform which housed all of our strategic and player assessment information. The thing I liked about this most was that the sophistication of the PowerPoint actually gave the impression that I was using a piece of digital software which was very slick! The second PowerPoint piece was a presentation that communicated all key elements of my Player Identification strategy. The most impressive thing about this was that it comprehensively presented my key messages in a very aesthetically pleasing way and in a manner that I could easily tweak myself depending on the audience. The third PowerPoint project was a more basic slide deck for me to use for other presentations and the best bit about this one is that the visuals are excellent, and both the transitions and animations mean that my delivery style can be a bit more creative.
6. How did the end result meet your expectations?
It’s fair to say that all elements of each project have met if not exceeded my expectations. The quality of the work is outstanding which is clearly the most important thing, but this has been augmented by a truly caring, diligent and personable approach.
7. In what way did the collaboration with The Prezenter impact on you and the ECB?
Difficult to sum up at an organisational level, but certainly from my perspective, the work created by the Prezenter team has enabled me to present complex information in a simple and appealing way. By combining a creative structure with excellent visuals, I was able to engage my audience and take them on an enjoyable and insightful journey.
If you have an important presentation coming up and you need help to make it powerful and engaging, get in touch with us at [email protected].
