Updated September 2026: in May 2019 a teammate asked me to run a session for the whole team on the day before my planned vacation, and I reluctantly agreed. I have rewritten it into a guide to preparing a team knowledge session quickly, especially on material you last touched a year ago.
I had planned my leave carefully, and then a teammate asked me to present to the team on the approach I had used for a proposal a year earlier. My promotion was due, so I was careful about how I responded, and I agreed. It meant working the day before my vacation and re-reading documents to remember a process I had half forgotten.
Should you agree to run a team session?
Usually yes, because it is visible, useful work that managers remember at review time. But you can agree to the session and still negotiate the date. "Happy to do it; can we schedule it for the week after I return?" is a reasonable reply that most teammates will accept. Saying yes to the content does not require saying yes to the timing.
How do you prepare quickly on old material?
- Start from the final deliverable, not your working notes. It shows what actually mattered.
- Write the approach as five or six steps before making any slides.
- Pick one worked example and walk through it, rather than covering every variation.
- List what you would do differently now. It is often the most valuable part for the audience.
How long should the deck be?
Short. Eight to twelve slides is plenty for a thirty to forty-five minute session: the problem, the approach, the example, lessons and questions. Keep detailed templates and documents as links rather than slides. People remember the reasoning, then look up the detail when they need it.
How do you run the session itself?
Open with why the approach was needed, then walk through the example, and leave at least a third of the time for questions. Record it if your team allows, and share the deck and recording afterwards. A recorded session keeps paying off, because new joiners can watch it without asking you to repeat it.
What if it clashes with leave you already planned?
Say so clearly and early. If the session truly cannot move, prepare a short deck and hand over the presentation to a colleague, or record a walkthrough before you leave. Giving up the day before a planned holiday should be a choice you make, not an assumption others make for you.
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