10 good things to know before presenting at a Boye & Co peer group meeting

When you present at a Boye & Co peer group meeting, you are joining a conversation between peers.

This is not a conference talk, sales pitch, or performance. Your role as a speaker is to bring something real into the room and use the group as a thinking partner.

These ten friendly guidelines are here to help you feel comfortable and to set shared expectations, whether you present often or this is your first time.

1. This is a peer conversation, not a keynote

You are not expected to deliver something polished or finished.

  • Speak as a peer, not as a lecturer

  • Share what you are seeing, trying, or wrestling with right now

  • It is perfectly fine to say “we’re still figuring this out”

You do not need a neat story, final conclusions, or all the answers. Honesty and curiosity matter more than polish.

2. Be human (and have fun with it)

Peer group meetings are meant to be enjoyable as well as useful.

  • You can be informal

  • You can show enthusiasm, humour, or doubt

  • You can think out loud

You do not need to perform or impress. Showing up as yourself creates better conversations for everyone.

3. We are happy to help you prepare

You are not on your own.

If it helps, we are very happy to:

  • Review a draft or outline

  • Look over slides

  • Offer friendly, constructive feedback on focus, flow, or timing

This is support, not evaluation. The goal is to help you feel confident and to make the session as valuable as possible for the group.

4. Focus on learning and what comes next

We do not typically run classical, backwards-looking case studies.

You are welcome to share successes, but we care most about:

  • What you learned along the way

  • How your thinking has changed

  • What you would do differently next time

  • How others might benefit from your lessons learned

We are especially interested in forward-looking topics, open questions, and things that are still evolving.

Messy and complicated is good. Finished and overly polished is not required.

5. Keep it grounded in real work

What works best in peer groups is lived experience.

  • Concrete examples beat abstract frameworks

  • Briefly explain your context so others can follow

  • Trade-offs, constraints, and tensions are welcome

If something did not work as expected, that is often more useful than a success story.

6. A light structure goes a long way

You do not need many slides, but you do need a clear thread.

A simple structure could be:

  • The problem or question you are exploring

  • What you tried, observed, or built

  • What you learned so far

  • What you are unsure about or would like input on

Think of your contribution as a starting point for discussion, not a finished argument.

7. Slides are optional, clarity is not

Slides are welcome, but not required.

If you use slides:

  • Keep them simple and readable

  • Aim for one idea per slide

  • Prefer visuals and examples over dense text

If you do not use slides, that is completely fine. Just be clear about where you are going and why.

8. Invite the group in

Peer groups work best when the room is involved.

  • Ask questions during your contribution, not only at the end

  • Flag where you would especially like feedback, challenge, or perspective

  • Be open to the discussion taking your topic in new directions

You are not losing control by doing this. You are creating value.

9. Timing: less is more, and stay flexible

Peer group sessions are dynamic, and timing often shifts in the room.

  • Check timing expectations with the moderator in advance

  • Be prepared to be flexible: you might get more time, or you might get less

  • Design your contribution so it can be shortened without losing the core point

The moderator is holding the space for the whole group and may need to pause you, invite discussion, or move things on. This is not a judgement on your contribution, it is simply how good peer group facilitation works.

If the conversation is lively and relevant, that is usually a sign of success, even if you do not cover everything you planned.

10. After the session

If you would like to:

  • Share links, notes, or references afterwards

  • Continue the discussion asynchronously

  • Reflect on what you learned from the group

All of that is welcome and encouraged.

In short: ten good things to keep in mind

Come as you are.
Bring something real.
Use the group as a thinking partner.

That is what Boye & Co peer group meetings are for.