Five things to avoid when pitching to busy execs

“The Senator will give you no more than 45 seconds.” That’s what an aide told the high-level engineer desperately wanting the attention of a senior government official. Instead of pulling out an elaborate presentation or detailed slides, he pointed to just one schematic of the state’s bridge infrastructure.

The engineer was unhurried and spoke in a calm voice: “Senator, the yellow dots demonstrate bridge conditions, green dots show traffic volume, and red dots demonstrate bridge investments.” (Long pause.) “It’s not a matter of IF a bridge will collapse, sir, it’s a matter of when.” My friend,?former Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley, told me this story which captures the theme for this month’s Stronger so well. Get to the point and get out! Senior executives don’t have time to hear your process of discovery — they want to know what will affect people and their organization as a whole. Keep this in mind and be sure to avoid the five traps I share below:

1. Avoid not doing your homework If you follow popular “pitch” TV shows like Shark Tank, you’ve seen?eager entrepreneurs thinking they’ve done their homework for the presentation only to fall?apart during the Q&A. Doing such homework may seem pretty obvious but let’s break down what it means to be completely prepared when meeting with a busy executive:

• Ask advisors and mentors for questions you think you might be asked and prepare for them.
• Practice anticipating interruptions and such questions. If you use visuals and know what?figures might be dissected, hyperlink that part of your slide to additional information covering that question.
• If possible, send an email the day before your presentation detailing WHY the executive needs to attend and WHAT they can expect. Make the subject line specific and include attention-getting details.
• Be prepared to present on a time crunch. I suggest you have a few different types of?presentations prepared: A thorough presentation with slides that will last your allotted time, as well as one covering just 25% of that in case your time is cut without warning.

2. Avoid long-winded presentations There’s a fine line between connecting with your?audience and droning on about a story that leaves them thinking, “how is this relevant?”?Try pivoting to facts and statistics within the first two minutes (or less). Hone in on a catchy?phrase or a 30-second pitch to reel in your audience. Explain WHY they should be interested.

Here’s a good example of a young professional. The protagonist in my LinkedIn learning course, Presenting to Senior Executives, must capture the attention of executives in a virtual meeting. She starts with facts about Gen Z research and what that means to the company.

FUN FACT: the protagonist is my daughter, Melina Raglin, who I recruited as “talent” in this remotely-filmed course from 2020 when Covid turned so many plans on their head.

3. Avoid sounding mechanical Many in-person presentations happen with “elbows on the table” and, often, without visuals. Think of this as a discussion rather than a formal presentation and?try to present in a way that sounds conversational. If presenting virtually or in-person, I encourage you not to use visuals at first. Lead with emotion, then follow quickly with facts and logic. Here?are a couple of tricks I teach my students to use when they get nervous or sound robotic:

• Transition with rhetorical questions Words such as “next,” “secondly” and, my least favorite,?“in conclusion” signal robotic structure and are usually followed by a mechanical tone. But?questions can help change our tone and catch attention — they engage the audience and connect them to the content. For example, you could say, “you might be wondering how much will this cost us?” or “we know why this is happening but what can we do about it?”
• Use specific examples?Examples are very context-specific but any chance you have to?make your information come to life provides a huge opportunity to engage your audience.?Use “bridge phrases” in your next presentation which connect to specific examples, such as:?“This is how that plays out with our product,” or “here’s an example where this would matter?for our users,” or “let me share an example where our process didn’t work so well.”

4. Avoid rushing if you're interrupted? View interruptions as an opportunity to build trust and rapport. Executives are busy, so don’t assume an interruption means they’re not interested. They may be looking down at their phones frequently or stepping out of the meeting multiple times. Bring them back to your presentation by using phrases like “as you can see here” or, if a side conversation breaks out, try “shall I pause for a minute? I see this has brought up some thoughts.”

The way you respond to interruptions also depends on your level of preparedness. For example, practice your content in threes. Work on your rehearsing your flow from the introduction to the first example. Then take a break. Later, practice just the middle of the presentation. Then, work?on something else and later in the day you can practice your presentation closer and summary. Ask a colleague you trust to pepper you with questions right after your opening line until you learn to pivot and jump back into your content with ease.

Listen not just with your ears but with your whole body. By this is I mean to take the interruption in stride and really focus on your non-verbals as you listen to the executive barge in with a comment. Nod slightly, tilt your head while listening, either make eye contact or let your gaze rise above?the interrupter’s head as you take in the information to emphasize that you’re absorbing what?they say. If standing, turn to face the speaker but move closer or further from them, avoid stiffening up and keep your hands open by your sides.

5. Avoid assumptions Assumptions can work against you as you prepare for high-level decision makers. Make sure you validate all of your assumptions on knowledge level and past experiences with your content. When it comes to how you communicate information, don’t assume that?everyone can see and hear you equally. As I mentioned earlier, your opening message should?be delivered by you and not your visuals. Bank on your delivery and personal connection to the topic. Create a one-slide executive summary and either pre-share it with executives to prepare?any questions, or display it to generate discussion.

Many in-person presentations may only require your slides to be in print format without a?projector behind you. If you’re in a virtual setting and have visuals to share, choose a tool such?as mmHmm or options in Teams (and other virtual platforms) that allow you to be seen alongside your visuals vs. a small square at the top right of the screen.

Getting exposure to top level executives can be invaluable for your career. Always prepare more than you think you’ll need to and avoid some of the mistakes above. I’d like to know: what have YOU learned from presenting to executives? Share some of your tips and stories with us on this post.

LIVE OFFICE HOURS?Join me Thursday, July 28 at 2:00pm (EST) for a live chat about success tips for presenting to executives. I’ve invited Tanner Snider and Goldy Bhowmik to join me as special guests. They’re two of my former students who have not only excelled in pitching ideas in boardrooms but have overcome tough situations in the process. Here’s the session sign-up link. Grab your note pads and get ready to learn!

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