The invitation to present to executives—opportunity and peril 

The invitation to present to your organization’s senior executives is a pivotal career moment. Crush it, and you will make a name for yourself and appear on the radar screen as someone worth watching. Chances are, you will be invited back in the future. Stumble, and you will also make an impression, just not the one you wanted to make.

Of course, presenting to executives isn’t a day at the beach. They’re a demanding audience, short on time and patience, and motivated to find answers to the problems renting space in their minds—issues surrounding strategy, execution, and the demand to innovate and improve.

What we worry about when presenting to executives

Last year, I polled several groups of rising managers and senior contributors and asked them what challenges they face when presenting to executives. Their responses speak volumes about the pressures of these situations.

  • I know I’m being judged, and that adds stress to the situation.
  • I try to read their body language and facial expressions, and if I perceive they’re bored, I struggle with delivery.
  • I have a lot to share, and I’m never sure how deep I should go into my topic.
  • I want to give them information they can use, but I’m not completely sure of their priorities.
  • I live in fear of one of them asking a question I can’t answer.
  • I feel pressured to show them I know my stuff.
  • I know that I ramble when I’m nervous. Sometimes, I feel like my mouth and brain aren’t connected.

Each person is unique in their challenges in tough communication situations. Yet, from my work with hundreds of professionals each year striving to strengthen as communicators, there are some great tools and approaches to help you succeed in these critical moments. Here are seven:

Seven tips to help you succeed when presenting to executives

1. Align with your sponsor

Whether your boss or another senior manager invited you to present, you should tune in to their objectives for your portion of the program and know what you are being asked to deliver.

2. Learn your audience

This can be difficult for individuals with little or no prior contact with senior management team members. Your sponsor or boss may have some insights. You should seek out others who have presented to this group recently and ask about their experience.

Strive to understand their current focus. Are they leading an organizational transformation, embarking on a new strategic initiative, or striving for improved operational effectiveness?  

3. Design, test, and tune your message

Whatever your topic is, you’re in front of the executive team for just a few brief moments. Prepare carefully using a Strategic Message Mapping structure, including:

  • A laser-focused core message
  • The most important three or four key supporting points for your core message
  • Evidence to back your key supporting points

See my article: The Career Enhancing Benefits of Message Mapping.

Taking the time to design, test, and tune your message using the Strategic Message Mapping structure prepares you for a crisp delivery and easy (easier) handling of tough questions.

If you must use slides, the mapping effort easily translates to simple, clear slides.

4. Bring your confidence and back it with authenticity

Executives are particularly attuned to confidence and smell “lack of confidence” in nanoseconds. They also are susceptible to any attempt by presenters to dodge key questions or provide excessively sunny projections.

While your nerves are fighting your attempts to project confidence, your efforts to tune in to the group’s needs and to design a crisp message (map) help.

It’s imperative to bring the real you to the situation. It may be the amped-up real you but don’t try to be someone you’re not. Believe it or not, the executives are on your side and want to connect with you. One indicator that it’s working is if you start to feel like you’re having a conversation rather than giving a presentation.

5. Passion at the right volume is powerful

I’ve lost count of how often senior executives have told me that my passion for a project, the business, the strategy, or the people is contagious. Passion is great until it reaches a tipping point and overwhelms clarity, transparency, and a crisp message. Dial up the passion too loud, and your message will be distorted. Bring your enthusiasm, but hold on the over-the-top cheerleading.

6. Sometimes, a picture will defuse tension and create clarity

I learned this from a valued colleague during a particularly contentious exchange about the firm’s new technology strategy. This individual walked to the whiteboard, grabbed a marker, drew a picture, and completely shifted the tone and direction of the discussion. He eliminated the cognitive overload the group was experiencing and clarified the topic. He also showcased his professional presence with the confidence to do this.

7. It pays to have a cognitive circuit breaker ready for tense moments

I worked in one setting where the board chair was intent on showing everyone how smart he was and how smart we weren’t. I saw red every time this a@@ criticized or pontificated.

A coach helped me develop an internal mantra to help me return to calm and avoid the rush of adrenaline and loss of cognitive control I feel when I grow angry. Instead, after invoking the mantra, I can reason, cite examples, and overcome objections without sounding and acting like the board chair!

See my article Lead Yourself in Challenging Workplace Moments.

The Bottom Line for Now:

I wish I had encountered these tips before my initial executive presentations. I was nervous, my slides were overloaded, and I rambled. Thankfully, they weren’t complete disasters, and I was invited to return. A great deal of practice and some excellent coaching support from a boss and a mentor helped immeasurably. If presenting to executives is on your agenda or part of your role, take the above tips seriously, follow the links to the articles, and strengthen your effectiveness in these crucial situations.

Art's Signature

 

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Art Petty’s New(er) Manger Development and Senior Manager Programs include training and coaching for navigating challenging communication situations. Check for the upcoming open enrollment sessions or contact Art to discuss a program for your team or organization.