Mastering Your First (Terrifying) Exec Presentation

Another installment in the Terrifying series!

Finally, you get a chance to present to your top executive team. Your emotions are equal parts of excitement and near debilitating fear. Don't worry I got you ….

For the past 15 years (more really, but I want you to keep reading) I have been at the receiving end of those presentations. I want to share with you the common traits of truly impactful presentations; techniques that achieve superior outcomes. Not least of which are the benefits that come when execs are blown away by you.

By sitting through hundreds of presentations and separating the best from the rest, five basic preparation steps have emerged. These steps are universally effective and transformational, and, having discussed them in a recent coaching session, I thought I would share them more broadly. 

Execs want data much more than they want your opinion. That bears repeating. Execs want data much more than they want your opinion.

Step 1 - Clarify the Purpose and Context 

Let’s start with the obvious: If you don’t know why you are presenting, you have a problem. 

Don’t be satisfied with a simple “They want a 20-minute update on the Blah Project.” Dig in. Get more context. First, try to understand the real goal or purpose of the meeting. Do the execs, for example, have a meeting scheduled with the customer, or might they be wrestling with funding decisions? Find out.

Additionally, if at all possible, get more information on the execs' current perceptions. Do they, for example, think the project has gone pear-shaped? When was the last time they got updated and what was said? You get the idea….

The more you understand about why you are presenting and about the execs' current perspectives, the more valuable your presentation.

Step 2 - Map out the Key Points and Build a Narrative Arc

Before going near Powerpoint (or similar), decide what you want to say. All of it. Write down every important point you need to make. 

If you realize you don’t know the key points. Stop. Forget the presentation for now. Do what you need to do to master the topic. Never present to execs (or elsewhere for that matter) if you don't know the subject matter.

Once you are confident you have the key points identified, its time to consider the best way to present those points. Create a narrative arc that lays out the key points in a logical and sequential way. Remember that most execs have a lot of people seeking their attention, and so they are often impatient to get to the substance.  

Your outline should embrace the most logical and concise way to present the information; ensuring no information is dependent on additional information that has yet to be conveyed.  

And yes, remember to start well and end well. 90+% of the time the opening should be a very concise summary of what you are going to present. 

Finally, don't assume the order is chronological. If you are discussing the status of a project you might not want to start with the formation of the project team back when. Most execs want a financial view first. That typically helps them decide how much attention they should spend during the remaining parts! 

Step 3 -- Put Data Center Stage... 

If you only take 1 of the 5 Steps to heart, make it this one.

Execs want data much more than they want your opinion. That bears repeating. Execs want data much more than they want your opinion. Don't be sad. They do want your interpretation of that data, especially if you present it well!

So, every key point should be supported with relevant, insightful, data.  

Here are some examples of how to fill your presentation with data….

• Instead of an opinionated bullet such as “Webinars are an important part of lead generation but impact is fading”, show stats of how many webinars have been run for the past 2 years along with the #attendees and the #leads-generated, then show the number of webinars planned per quarter in the latest marketing plan. Armed with those data you can discuss key factors like the impact of changing webinar frequency, the impact of increasing event promotion, etc
• Instead of stating something like “engineering turnover is impacting product velocity” show stats that include the average number of developers by month for the past 8 quarters, show the declining tenure of the engineers over the same period. Support those facts with data that shows software quality declines.
• Instead of simply saying “customer satisfaction is clearly strong” meet with the head of support and plot the number of support tickets by product by month, present NPS data, data on upsells, etc.   

You get the idea.

Further, if you make statements about what you are going to do, then always add dates, and include key data you will subsequently measure to verify the impact of those activities. 

Data, people.

Step 4 - Make the Main Point Obvious on Every Single Slide

Ever looked at a slide jam-packed with content and wondered “What are they trying to say?” Me too! 

Every slide must have a clear key message. In fact, you should specifically state that message in a prominent place on the slide.

A clear message isn’t, for example, “Service Team Issues”. That might be a slide title, but it doesn’t speak to the actual issues. 

Perhaps the real message is “Inadequate product training is increasing project costs and deployment times”

Another example….instead of simply showing a Profit and Loss table, add a statement like “Despite revenue growth, EBITDA remains flat as marketing expenses have offset the revenue increases”, and put red rings around those data.

As well as putting a well-articulated message on every slide, make sure that all the information included on the slide is relevant to that point. 

Step 5 Conclude Thoughtfully

You have to decide whether the ending is a summary of what you said, a recap of next steps, a call to action to seek help from the execs. Whatever you decide, make the end, well, conclusive. Just don't end with “Q&A”. No engaged exec will wait to ask questions at the end!

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By using this 5 step approach to presenting to execs, not only will you be a master of the content, you will be incredibly confident. So much so, you will barely have to practice, Seriously. Imagine that!

Oh, and what’s good for the execs is good for every other communication context. Why should the execs get the best “you”? Use the steps in other presos, in reports, in meetings, in offsites etc. 

Please like this article if you found it useful. Better still, please share it with your followers.....Bob