presentation to senior management ppt

Giving a Presentation to Senior Management & Executives: Templates & Tips

Giving a presentation to senior management or an executive team can be a little daunting. You need to create just the right design to appeal to a C-suite group.

This includes everything from color choice to typography to messaging. When it all comes together, you need a polished presentation deck to make a good impression.

Here, we’ve got some templates and tips to help you create just the right presentation, to help you get your message across in a stylish and professional way.

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Use a Simple Color Palette

A presentation for senior management or executives is not the place to go wild with color or other design choices. You want the content to steal the show, not the color.

Design your presentation with a muted or neutral palette. Use one or two accent colors. If you are working on a presentation for an existing brand, use the color palette according to those brand guidelines.

White, light, or neutral backgrounds are best. This isn’t the place to experiment with dark mode or trendy colors unless you are certain it is appropriate for your direct audience.

Template to try: Executive Real Estate Presentation Template

Keep Content Direct

Management and executives are busy people. Don’t drag out your presentation with content that isn’t to the point.

Use direct messaging and language with calls to action that show your audience exactly what you are trying to say. Don’t get caught up with using animations, long videos, or other design tricks. Create a presentation that is simple, direct, and focuses on the content therein.

Template to try: Companhia Business Keynote Template

Use Charts and Graphs Where Necessary

Charts, infographics, and numbers can help support certain types of presentations. Use these supporting elements where necessary to help make a strong case for what you are communicating.

As with other design elements, use supporting graphics in a way that emphasizes your message and keep them are direct and simple as possible.

This is where a presentation design template can really come in handy. Look for one that presents information in the way you want to communicate it to the audience to help create your slide deck quickly.

Template to try: Accounting Finance in Business PowerPoint Template

Order Slides in a Logical Order

As with other storytelling methods, a strong presentation has a beginning, middle, and end. Order your slides in a logical order that tells your story in this way.

Start with an introduction, mission, vision, or goals. Use a table of contents if your presentation is exceptionally long or will be viewed without you (such as an emailed presentation).

Then get to the heart of what you want to say. Make statements that you can follow up with supporting evidence. This is where charts, images, or graphics can come in handy to help better tell the story.

Finally, wrap up with outcomes or what should happen next. Provide an opportunity for questions or feedback. Don’t forget the call to action: What are the managers or executives you were presenting to supposed to do next? Give them an easy opportunity to take that action.

Template to try: Buzz Consultant PowerPoint Template

Use Easy to Read Typefaces

A presentation for senior management or executives is not the place to start experimenting with wild typefaces. Keep it simple. Readability here is vital.

For the most part, you’ll probably need two typefaces: A display typeface for titles and headers and a body typeface for everything else (you might need this one to include bold or italic options).

Simple sans serif typefaces are the preferred option in most cases. They are easy to read and won’t get in the way of your message. Serif typefaces are also acceptable. Stay away from scripts, novelty fonts, or blackletter for the most part.

Template to try: Centric Corporate PowerPoint Presentation

Don’t Use Too Many Slides

A good presentation should have a strong message. Communicate it in as few slides as possible.

This will help you be respectful of the time of the people you are presenting to, help capture more of their attention, and provide a strong focus for what you are trying to say.

There’s no exact formula for number of slides. There are a few guidelines to help you think through how many you need:

• One thought/idea per slide
• Keep text to a minimum for in-person presentations
• Design for hierarchy and scanning so it is easy to read each slide quickly
• Plan for a cadence of one to two slides per minute

Template to try: Gratus Business Keynote Template

Use Blocks of Content

Think about presentation content in chunks or blocks that help the audience easily digest information. One popular way to do this is with a split-screen design that divides content into two parts – maybe an image and text or two columns of text.

People naturally read from left to right and this can help direct visual flow and make content easier to understand.

This type of design is also organized, visually elegant, and can help you create a design that will appeal to your C-suite audience. It can also work for almost any type of content.

Template to try: Lampu Innovative Google Slides Template

A strong presentation for senior management and executives is simple, direct, and has visual flair without being overwhelming. Refine your message and slide deck to maximize impact in the most concise amount of time possible.

And don’t forget to finish with your ask. Why were you presenting in the first place? Provide a reminder at the end of the presentation with a call to action.

Data & Finance for Work & Life

Management Presentation: 8 Tips, Examples & a Template

In a corporate context, presenting works wonders for a career. Most professionals get exposure to presenting to informed colleagues and department managers. It’s an ideal way to get visibility and show value. But a management presentation to senior executives who aren’t familiar department nuances is a different ballgame.

A management presentation is a high-level summary to senior executive that optimizes reports to include only the details relevant to directorial decisions . They are notoriously difficult to navigate for two reasons: 1. most executives do not have working knowledge of the nuances in each department , 2. presenters rarely have time to understand executives’ preferences .

More than anything else, good management presenters learn how to strike a balance in the degree of detail: they provide enough detail so executives make informed decisions, but not so much detail that they cause confusion.

This article explores how to make a good management presentations in PowerPoint using 4 management presenting best practices , 4 management presenting techniques , providing examples for each, and finishing with a management presentation template you can apply in real life. You can use it as a jumping off point for deeper communication curriculum .

5 management presenting best practices are:

• Ask what managers prefer ahead of time.
• Have 1 message, and 1 message Only.
• The only words should be “Thought Starters.”
• Keep it short.
• Practice 7 times in advance.

4 management presenting techniques are:

• Use a CSP model – Challenge, Solution, Progress.
• Begin with a summary of exactly 3 points.
• Use only these 3 chart types: bar, line, scatter.
• Design slides with the company logo.

I will use a financial analyst perspective in this article, but everything here applies to data and business analysts as well.

Ask Executives Their Preference Ahead of Time

If you’ve ever taken a class on presentation techniques, you’ve heard the old adage “know your audience.” It’s true, the best way to deliver a great presentation is to align your message with what your audience already understands. The same applies to a management presentation.

The challenge is that, more often than not, executives are too busy for you to get to know them well. This means you hardly get the chance to understand how they like presentations. So what can you do? Well, ask them! There’s no harm in sending an email to understand better. And what’s more, once you know, you can always defer to their preferences in the future.

For a financial management presentation, common questions to ask include the following:

• Do you prefer to see raw data, or only visualizations?
• Do you prefer charts or table summaries?
• Would you like a written explanation on paper for each slide?
• Do you like averages alone, or do you prefer means, or standard deviation?
• What interests you most in a presentation?

If you gather some helpful insights, then your presentation will be that much better. That said, you may not get a response, or it may be quick and not insightful. But most senior executives will appreciate you asking .

The best part is you will be able to surprise them. Using the best practices and techniques below, in additional to any insights gathered form your email, will work wonders for you.

Have 1 Message, and 1 Message Only

The easiest mistake to make on a management presentation is trying to deliver multiple messages. Senior executives go through loads of meetings every day, and each meeting they have includes a wave of information. Your mission should be to deliver 1 essential message so they can easily understand and compartmentalize it.

This is no easy task. When I try to narrow down the focus of my management presentation message, it seems like I leave out critical information along the way. The key is to tell a story to incorporate critical information as part of a story towards the essential message.

For example, imagine you work for a wholesale watch company called Batch Watch . You want to explain a financing operation in which the company has the option of two loans to fund the initial costs of 10,000 watches. These loans have different interest rates and maturity dates. Loan A is better if the company expects to sell the watches within 3 months, while Loan B is better if the company expects to sell over more than 3 months. Each has cancellation fees and cash flow impacts.

Instead of showing the cancellation fees and cash flow impact of the each loan, all you need to say is “ we expect the company to sell them within 3 months, and we recommend loan A for that reason.” If the executives disagree on the sale timeline, they will ask for more information.

This is how you keep senior executives engaged, by integrating them in the story you tell. Ultimately, the essential message of your presentation should be how much profit the company will make from the watch funding operation. Senior executives should leave feeling like the project is in good hands with you, and they only feel that way when you tell a story around the essential message .

Whatever the Message, Use Data

Whatever message you want to send, it needs to be backed up by data. In the example above the data was financial, but it’s not always that simple. Context may require you to provide KPIs and perform extensive data analysis that culminates in a small output that your viewers can easily digest.

You need to be strong with data to deliver a good management presentation. To get started or refresh your memory, you can read AnalystAnswers’ free Intro to Data Analysis eBook .

The Only Words Should be “Thought Starters”

As a general presentation principle, you should not write many thoughts down on presentation slides. Words have two negative impacts on the audience: they demand energy from the reader, and they make the reader feel compelled to read, lest they misunderstand.

If you can avoid putting text blocks altogether, do. If you don’t need any writing at all, don’t. However, if you need guidance as you speak or want to provide reminders for a later data, use “Thought Starters.”

Thought starters are phrases of 3 words maximum that contain ideas leading to the essential message. People often call them “bullet points,” which is common for list-style thought starters. Personally, I prefer to place thought starters at different places on a slide. When I use a chart, for example, I put thought starters at relevant places on the slide.

Keep it Short

Your presentation should never consume more than 80% of the allotted timeframe. This means that if you plan a 5 minutes meeting, deliver the presentation in 4 minutes. If you’re given 30 minutes, do it in 25 minutes. If you have 1 hour, do it in 45 minutes.

By keeping the presentation short, you relieve the audience and you allow for some question buffer. Have you ever sat in a meeting planned for 1 hour, and at 45m it ends early? It’s a pleasure for everyone. Most of us feel like we’re running behind — when you put us ahead of schedule, we love you!

At the same time, senior executives may bombard you with questions throughout the presentation. If you planned to fill the whole timeframe, you won’t finish. But if you planned to finish early, you still have a chance.

And if you use the rest of these best practices and techniques, those senior executives shouldn’t need to ask too many questions!

Practice 7 Times in Advance

There’s a mix of opinions on the number of times you should rehearse a presentation before doing it live, but most people agree that it’s somewhere between 5 and 10 times. If you take nothing else from this article, take this. To deliver a good presentation, prepare excellent slides; to deliver a great presentation, practice presenting them 7 times.

To deliver a good presentation, prepare excellent slides; to deliver a great presentation, practice presenting them 7 times. AnalystAnswers.com

But just practicing isn’t enough, there are a few criteria you must meet:

• Practice in the room you will present in. There’s something about envisioning yourself live that really makes a difference. When you practice in a space other that where you’ll present, it’s good. But when you practice in the “live” room, you’re able to sensitize yourself to the environment, which calms nerves so you can focus on the message.
• Have an audience. We all behave differently when there’s stimulus of other people around. Whenever possible, get one or two people to whom you can present. In addition to getting used to having an audience, you’ll also get some feedback.
• Use the same volume of voice. When we’re not “live,” we have a tendency to hold back on our voice. This is detrimental to the presentation because you feel taken off guard by your own voice. Make sure to envision yourself in front of the senior execs when you practice.

Best Practices Recap

We’ve addressed 5 best practices — now let’s turn our attention to 4 specific techniques you can easily implement. And when you do, that work wonders for management presenting.

Use a CSP Model (Challenge, Solution, Progress)

Every presentation needs structure, but it’s easy to forget that we need to guide our audience. A great way to structure management reports is using the CSP model. CSP stands for Challenge, Solution, Progress, and it’s exactly what it sounds like.

You need to explain the challenge or goal, explain what the solution to the challenge is (or how to achieve the goal), and show where you are in the steps to completing that goal.

For example, let’s look at our Batch Watch case. Imagine you need to find funding for a new product launch — $100,000 to be exact. A sample CSP model for this would be a slide that shows:

By using the CSP model, you guide the audience. However, it’s important to note that the CSP model is not a summary . It’s an overview of the process, but a summary should always come before. Let’s talk about it now.

Begin with a Summary of Exactly 3 Points

Any good presentation begins with a summary. And a good summary communicates the essential message simply in 3 points. However, the summary is not the same thing as the CSP model. Instead, it provides an alternative view on the challenge and and solution.

For example, using our Batch Watch case of funding a new product, you could address a summary in the following way:

• Challenge, Solution, Progress
• Funding acquisition
• Project Timeline

This provides additional details that are most relevant to the project and carry added value to the CSP model.

Use only Bar Charts (aka Column Charts), Line Graphs, and Scatter Plots

Whether it’s for data, financial, and business analyst topics , management presentations should only ever have bar charts, line graphs, and scatter plots. They are common, rich in information, and well understood. Any other kind of graph is distracting more than anything else.

A bar graph is useful when you want to compare like variables. For example, if you want to show the average size of Canadian trout versus American trout. A common mistake, though, is to use bar graphs to show change over time. While it’s not incorrect to do so, line graphs are better for this purpose.

A line graph is useful when you want to show change in one variable over time (we call this time series data). For example, if you want to show the progression of revenues over time, line graphs are the perfect way to do so.

A scatter plot is best when you want to compare a set of observations of one variable to a set of observations of another. It’s the ideal way to quickly visualize the relationship between two variables. For example, if you want to see how company revenues compare to GDP, you could use a scatter plot like this:

For example, let’s look at our Batch Watch case. If we want to see how our company is performing compared to the economy as a whole, we could use this scatter plot. As you can see, we have a positive (bottom left to top right) relationship, but a weak one (points not clustered closely).

Design Slides Using the Company Logo

When you’re presenting to senior executives, you want your slides to look professional. The best way to do that is by putting your company logo on them, including any corporate design standards (colors, fonts, etc). Show through your presentation that you belong to the same company, and that you’re in it in spirit. For example, let’s add the AnalystAnswers.com logo to our CSP slide:

Techniques Recap

Here’s a sample management presentation template below. I hope you understand after reading this article that management presentation is more about your delivery than it is about the slides you prepare.

Download Management Presentation Template for Free

While the techniques we’ve discussed will help you build a good presentation, your success really depends on how well you deliver the ideas needed to help senior executives make decisions. At the end of the day, it’s all about balance.

If you only remember two things from this article, remember that great management presenters give enough detail to inform senior executive but not too much that they cause confusion, and great management presenters make sure they do so by practicing 7 times in advance. You’ll have to practice, practice, practice.

About the Author

Noah is the founder & Editor-in-Chief at AnalystAnswers. He is a transatlantic professional and entrepreneur with 5+ years of corporate finance and data analytics experience, as well as 3+ years in consumer financial products and business software. He started AnalystAnswers to provide aspiring professionals with accessible explanations of otherwise dense finance and data concepts. Noah believes everyone can benefit from an analytical mindset in growing digital world. When he's not busy at work, Noah likes to explore new European cities, exercise, and spend time with friends and family.

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Communication, facilitation, targeted learning, ​powerspeaking blog: tips and strategies for crafting presentations, how to present to senior executives [23 proven strategies].

by Carrie Beckstrom     Jun 4, 2021 10:45:46 AM

If you’re preparing to make a pitch to senior executives, you can throw most of what you’ve learned about making presentations in the trash.

Why? Because this is an entirely different audience. An executive presentation is not about inspiring and persuading, but is instead about presenting meaningful data to top decision-makers as quickly and concisely as possible. As a matter of fact, you should start with your bottom line (what you need from them). And work your way from there.

As a company that lives and breathes communication, we are dedicated to transforming your organization's communication skills, so you can watch people succeed at engaging and influencing others, achieving results, and driving business to new heights.

And today, we are going to reveal our favorite tips for a powerful executive presentation to decision-making leaders to help you get your point across efficiently, earn your audience’s attention, and know when and how to go in for the "ask."

So if you want more success from your business presentations, then you'll love this list of tips, techniques, and strategies.

Keep reading to get started with our tried and true tips!

Don't have time to read the whole checklist right now? 

Save the PDF version to your desktop and read when it's convenient for you.

Tip 1 Understand the executive mindset

Tip 2 Consider executives’ personality styles

Tip 3 Give yourself enough time to gather data

Tip 4 Find and leverage a sponsor

Tip 5 Prepare for possible questions or objections

Tip 6 Follow the 10/30 Rule

Tip 7 Set the context and confirm the time slot

Tip 8 Use the PREP model if your time gets cut

Tip 9 State the outcome you want early

Tip 10 Always use a valid business reason

Tip 11 Follow with the essential data—and do a deep dive only if asked

Tip 12 Focus on analytical proof

Tip 13 Be proactive and transparent when delivering unpleasant news

Tip 14 Remember that executives want a dialogue—not a data dump

Tip 15 Read the room

Tip 16 Use the Headline + Evidence model

Tip 17 Paraphrase complex questions to gain clarity

Tip 18 Address heated feedback and challenging questions in the moment

Tip 19 Answer the question-behind-the-question (before it is even asked)

Tip 20 Rely on the “notice and ask” strategy to refocus the discussion

Tip 21 Be personal to re-engage a disengaged executive

Tip 22 Acknowledge disagreements between top executives, but don't intervene

Tip 23 Conclude with a quick summary and resolve any noteworthy issues before your final ask

Let's dive right in.

Before you try to deliver your next presentation to executives, keep this in mind...

Most people fail with their first attempt to wow the top executives for one simple reason:

C-level executives demand an entirely different approach from presenters than does a general business audience. SVP of Strategy and Business Development at Workato , Markus Zirn says,  

“You have to throw out everything you learned from traditional presentation training. It’s not about making a speech that educates, persuades, inspires, or leads. It’s about raw decision-making.”

With that little caveat out of the way, it’s time for our first strategy…

Understand the Executive Mindset

Executives are impatient, bottom-line-focused leaders who don't care about the minutiae of your project or expertise. They want you to get to the point, step away from your slide deck, and be ready for a dynamic dialogue.

During your presentation, they might multitask and switch topics quickly, make calculations in their heads at lightning speed, and they may be challenging when analyzing data. Be ready for this.  

Understanding the executive's mindset as you are going in for the pitch will help you succeed. Watch the video below on Audience Analysis and getting started.

Here's just one executive you'll hear from...

"If it is a C-suite presentation and you’re actually asking for an outcome, you need to know what are the hot points of the CFO, or the treasurer’s office, or the VP of finance."

Consider executives’ personality styles

Think of each executive who will be in the room.

How do they prefer to have information presented to them?  Where are they on the risk profile?  Are they highly conservative, or are they innovative and open to experimentation?  How will your proposal affect their areas of responsibility? 

Starting with your audience in mind helps you strategize how to present your information.

Give yourself enough time to gather data

Weeks ahead of your presentation to executives, you may need to: meet with people in various functional areas for input and/or buy-in; check in with your manager; research executives’ hot buttons; and prepare slides or documents to send ahead. Don’t underestimate the time it will take to do all of this.

And speaking of being prepared, make sure you’ve considered the environment in which you’ll likely be with them—namely, virtual. If presenting to executives weren’t challenging enough, today’s digital interactions present another layer of things to consider.

Check out this great article, “ Digital Communication Skills: Is Your Message Getting Across? ,” by digital presenting and training guru Cindy Huggett. Great suggestions not only for putting your best digital self forward with senior executives, but also tips you can use in any virtual-meeting situation.

Find and leverage a sponsor

Find someone who knows the group you’re presenting to who is willing to not only help you prepare as your guide, but can also advocate for you during the meeting. Use your sponsor to check the validity of your logic ahead of time, rehearse with and get feedback from, and agree on when you should look to them for help during the executive meeting. 

Debrief with your sponsor after the meeting to gain insights and lessons you can use in the future.

Prepare for possible questions or objections

Consider including a slide that states the answers to anticipated questions or concerns rather than waiting for them to be brought up. This is a great way to demonstrate that you’ve kept your audience in mind when preparing your presentation.

Follow the 10/30 Rule

If you have 30 minutes on the executives’ meeting agenda, plan to present 10 minutes of material. The remainder of the time will likely be devoted to discussion and interaction and not necessarily in sequence.

R emember that your role is to facilitate a conversation, not just deliver a presentation.

Set the context and confirm the time slot

You don’t need an entertaining, attention-getting opening, but you do need to set the context as you start and get an agreement on timing. Thirty minutes originally may have been planned, but the meeting timeline can change. 

Start by saying, “I understand we have scheduled 30 minutes. Does that timing still work?”

Rajeev Goel, Co-Founder and CEO at PubMatic, and Monica Poindexter, Vice President, Inclusion & Diversity/Employee Relations at Lyft, will give you tips on overcoming the presentation challenges in regards to context.

Use the PREP model if your time gets cut

Don’t be surprised if what you thought would be a 30-minute meeting is cut to 10 minutes because the executives have another more urgent matter to discuss. Use the “PREP” model to craft your abbreviated pitch before the meeting:

State the outcome you want early

State the outcome you want from your presentation early. What do you want the executives to say “yes” to?

Be specific. For example, “I want your support” is vague. “I want you to approve a $500,000 investment in new centrifuge equipment this quarter” is specific.

Get that key message out first...

Always use a valid business reason

Clearly state what value or ROI your ask will bring in terms of revenue increase, cost reduction, protection from risk, competitive advantage, or other business drivers. It can’t be just a “nice to have” proposal. 

For example...

“The bottom line is, we’re seeking your approval for five new FTEs in account management roles for an investment of $750,000. The reason is that we have a $2M revenue opportunity with the launch of [XYZ project]. These account managers will focus on the top 20% of our customer base to ensure we maximize the sales opportunity.”

Follow with the essential data—and do a deep dive only if asked

Instead of drowning listeners in data, lead with the top two to three key points and supporting evidence that best support your ask and business reason. The key points should be answers to the primary questions you think the executives will have about your proposal. 

Keep in mind that execs want the 10,000-foot view and how it affects the organization's bottom line.  

Focus on analytical proof

Senior decision-makers don’t need to be entertained. So while your logic may follow a “storyline,” hard data is what will be more convincing.

If you have a customer success story or a brief anecdote that supports your point, use it. But remember, unlike a general audience, the C-level executives in the room will grow impatient with stories unless they’re succinct and tie directly to your proposal.

Be proactive and transparent when delivering unpleasant news

There are four steps to presenting bad news:

• Get it out at the beginning
• Be candid about what happened
• Explain how you will fix it
• Offer options and recommendations. 

You can use this 4-step framework to present bad news in a way that speaks to executives.

Let's take a look at a hypothetical example. You have to explain to them why a consultant they hired quit, and you need to rectify the situation...

1. G et it out at the beginning

The consultant you approved quit unexpectedly.  A response to the audit she was supposed to help us with is due next week. Today I want to talk about the path forward. 

2. Be candid and explain how you will fix the situation

By the end of this meeting, I’d like your approval to:

Respond to the audit in a generic way with help from the audit team

Collaborate with the internal process improvement team to assess our local processes 

Collaborate with my counterpart to create one agreement that combines the best aspects of our process and theirs 

3. Offer options on why it makes business sense 

No additional cost of hiring a consultant

We’ll be able to leverage the existing processes to create a process that is consistent across the globe

4. Offer final recommendations   

With all of that in mind, today I’d like to talk about how we should change our audit process and why I’m confident this plan will receive regulatory approval.

Is there anything else you’d like me to add?

If you have bad news, don’t try to gloss over it. Use the framework to present it in a way that speaks to executives.

Remember that executives want a dialogue—not a data dump

Expect questions and energetic discussions to occur before you have presented all of your material.

(Remember the 10/30 Rule: If you have 30 minutes, prepare only 10 minutes’ worth of “presentation.”) Respond to questions when they come up.

Use facilitation skills to refocus the discussion after a topic change.

Here are a few more tips to enhance your facilitation skills:

Read the room

Notice the process of the discussion as well as the content. When there is cross-talk, interruptions, or rapid-fire questions, you can observe first and then choose an appropriate intervention.

Reading the room can be especially challenging in virtual meetings. You want to encourage everyone to turn on their webcam. Solicit feedback via chat. Stop the presentation and do a quick “reality check” if you notice disengagement or tension.

Use the Headline + Evidence model

Again, this is a time-pressed audience that wants brief, focused answers to their questions. Use the “Headline Response” model to help you do just that.

Paraphrase complex questions to gain clarity

Instead of restating an executive’s question verbatim, use synonyms when you paraphrase.

Remember, you don’t know what is on someone’s mind. So, always check for accuracy after paraphrasing. “Did I get that right?” or just “Right?” gives the questioner a chance to agree or disagree. If your understanding wasn’t accurate, try again.

Address heated feedback and challenging questions in the moment

Especially if someone is upset, a deeper level of listening is required. Reflect on both the content and the feeling you noticed (skeptical, concerned, frustrated, etc.) and answer the question as best you can.

Always check to see if you got it right. Never say, “I know how you feel,” because you don’t, actually. 

Answer the question-behind-the-question (before it is even asked)

If you get resistance or objections to your ideas, often executives are concerned with key business drivers such as top-line and bottom-line impact, competitive positioning, and risk management.

When you paraphrase their questions, check for these concerns and be ready to address them directly.

Listen for the question-behind-the-question.

Rely on the “notice and ask” strategy to refocus the discussion

You are not in a position to tell the executives what to do.

But if the discussion goes in a different direction, you can say, “I notice our discussion is now focused on X. May I get your guidance? Would you like to keep going in this direction, or would you like to go back to our topic?” 

Be personal to re-engage a disengaged executive

You don’t want to catch anyone off guard, so give a little context when you ask someone directly for their thoughts (as a re-engagement strategy).

For example, “Jaime, given that what we are trying to do here is to reduce response time, in your experience, will this new approach work in the field?” 

Acknowledge disagreements between top executives, but don't intervene

You may look to your sponsor to help calm things down, but don’t intervene.

Conclude with a quick summary and resolve any noteworthy issues before your final ask

As you end your presentation, summarize and check to be sure you are clear on what decisions or agreements have been made and what your next steps will be. 

“I explained x and y; you also brought up a and b. Do I have your go-ahead now to purchase the new equipment for $500,000 this quarter?”

Presenting to senior executives is often a nerve-wracking, high-stakes situation. But as these leaders will tell you, it can be a great opportunity to grow, and to increase your value to the organization.

I hope you’ve found these tips enlightening and helpful. L earning to think like senior executives and present to them means learning new habits—and breaking old ones. But wow, I know it’s hard. And we present a lot of information to take in with our 23 Tips.

So, here’s one final piece of advice: start small. Pick one or two tips to apply to your next presentation. And check out this quick-read article, “ 4 Steps to Making New Habits Stick ,” by Cindy Solomon, founder, and CEO of the Courageous Leadership Institute. It will help you learn how to make the most of small steps toward new habits.

But before you get started using them for your next presentation, I’d like to hear from you.

Which presentation tip from this list was your favorite?

...Or maybe you have a suggestion that I didn't cover here?

Either way, let me know by leaving a comment below.

Join Us in Conversation . . .

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Thursday, november 21, 2024, 9-10:00 a.m. pt/12-1:00 p.m. et/5-6:00 p.m. bst.

Julia Kraft

Founder, speak to inspire.

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Dec 21 2009

7 Tips for Presenting to Senior Executives

Don't miss an opportunity to impress the execs! (c) Shutterstock

When it comes to presenting, knowing how to present to senior executives within your own company or another company is going to have the biggest impact on your career. Some presenters figure it out to their great success. Other people crash and burn only to lament an opportunity missed.

I’ve compiled a series of tips that will hopefully come in handy the next time you’re going to present to a CEO, CMO, Senior VP, VP, etc. For example, you might be proposing a promising new social media initiative to marketing executives at your company or pitching a prospect’s executives on a new web-based payroll solution. My suggestions will focus on the boardroom situations rather than keynote presentations . Boardroom presentations are typically two-way interactions in smaller, more personal settings (e.g., meeting room, office, etc.) compared to the one-way interactions with large, anonymous groups of executives at business conferences.

You’d be wise to consider the following suggestions:

1. Start strong

A good start is critical (c) Shutterstock

Starting strong is important for any presentation and audience, but you might find senior executives slightly less forgiving. Starting strong with executives means giving them confidence that you’re going to use their time wisely. You gain their confidence by establishing a clear direction for what’s going to be covered and what the desired outcome is.

Executives are frequently going from meeting to meeting — often not always knowing what the exact purpose of the next meeting is. Their admin assistant may have accepted the meeting on their behalf or they may not have had time to review any information prior to the meeting. You need to tell them why they’re there and why your topic is important to them.

2. Use your time effectively

Senior managers’ time is valuable. They have 20+ other things they could be doing in the 10-60 minutes they have given you. Be prepared to cover your content in the time allotted . Also, leave ample time for discussion or questions .

I was recently in a presentation to several VPs where the presenters delivered a great presentation, but left no time for discussion and questions at the end. Unfortunately, they missed an opportunity for the senior executives to discuss the presentation content, buy into the recommendations, and determine a plan of action. The executives had to run to their next meeting.

3. Be flexible while presenting

Be flexible and incredible like Elastigirl (c) Disney

It’s common for senior executives to ask you to jump back to a previous slide or fast forward through your slides to a particular section of your presentation. Don’t be surprised when executives interrupt you as you present a painstakingly crafted slide with “Got it. Next”. Fight the urge to scream “I spent 5 hours on this slide!” and reinterpret those three words as “Great job on this particular slide. I understood its main point. Please move on.”

An extended discussion on a particular slide may mean you need to whip through other less important slides in order to get back on track in terms of covering all of your slides. In some cases, you may even forgo covering all of your slides because the discussion on a particular aspect of your presentation is going really well. The key is to be flexible and cover what they want to focus on — not necessarily what you want to . In order to achieve your objectives (e.g., more resources, budget, executive support, etc.), you may not need to go through every slide. 

4. Be ready with supporting data

Don’t make the mistake of not being able to answer a senior manager’s question during your presentation. Executives are experts at finding holes in your logic or content. They want to be sure you understand the consequences and implications , and that they can trust your analysis and recommendations .

I made the mistake of including some preliminary survey data that indicated that customers felt differently about a particular company practice. I thought the data was interesting, but when the senior VP shouted “bull sh!t” I knew I had made a terrible mistake including it in my presentation. I should have either gathered more information on the surprising insight to verify it or left it out of my presentation entirely.

It’s a best practice to anticipate potential questions by identifying what content could be susceptible to further questioning. Be prepared with additional supporting data on any parts of your presentation that could be viewed as counter-intuitive, unexpected, challenging to current opinion or practices, or result in significant changes. You may need to have additional data at your finger tips, including back-up slides in an appendix section or a spreadsheet ready to go. Senior executives often take comfort in the fact that you have tortured the data.

5. Know your audience

Before you open that door you should know what you're heading into. (c) Shutterstock

It’s always important to know your audience and in the case of senior executives it is imperative.

• How much do the VPs know about your topic? (i.e., how much time should you spend on providing background information?)
• What topics are hot buttons or particularly interesting to the executives based on their current business goals?
• Which executives would be politically threatened by your recommendations?
• What can you find out about their pet peeves or preferences ?

For example, I worked at one company where the CEO hated when people substituted “challenge” or “issue” for the word “problem”. He wanted people to call problems what they were. It’s better to avoid pet peeves such as this one that can unnecessarily sidetrack a presentation.

You need to find an insider who can coach you on how to best present your material to the targeted executive or group of executives. That person could be your executive sponsor, one of the executive’s direct reports, their admin assistant, or another peer/next-level manager who has interacted with your audience on a regular basis. You’re looking for inside information on your audience so that you can avoid derailing your presentation and wasting everyone’s time.

6. Keep it simple

In a study that asked top executives at several large companies how people could present more effectively to them, the overall feedback was to make the presentations shorter and more candid . The researcher found that “Senior people don’t have time to learn about your topic. They just want to know how they can help you.” Remove extraneous information that could take your discussion off track or cloud your main points. You lean towards focusing on the bottom-line in presentations to executives. The more simple and candid your presentation is, the easier it will be for your executive audience to understand how they can help you and move things forward.

7. Be prepared

Be prepared like a Wilderness Explorer (c) Disney

For most of us, opportunities to present to the senior management team don’t happen everyday. A key to seizing the moment is to be prepared, which may mean conducting an exhaustive analysis and review of the topic, carefully building slides that clearly and succinctly convey your message, creating back-up slides with supporting data, rehearsing your slides several times, seeking peer feedback prior to presenting, etc.

Being prepared means that you will be more confident in these intimidating situations. You’ll also be more flexible when executives throw curve balls your way such as switching the focus to a whiteboard instead of reviewing the rest of your slides. Your preparedness and polish will leave a positive impression on your executive audience — one that will benefit your career long-term.

What has been your experience?

I’m sure many of you have had different experiences with senior executive presentations — both good and bad. I’d love to hear your war stories and what valuable lessons you have learned along the way. If you’re a senior executive, I’d love to hear your perspective as well.

While writing this blog post, I found a couple of related articles on this subject which may be helpful to you. Good luck with your senior executive presentations in 2010!

• “ Now That We Have Your Complete Attention… ” (Eric Matson, Fast Company)
• “ Presenting to the Big Dogs ” (Marsha Redmon, Bnet)

No related posts.

Tags: audience , boardroom , clarity , executives , preparation , time , time management

Comments (8)

8 Responses to “7 Tips for Presenting to Senior Executives”

I love the visuals as well as the numbered headed contents. This is my favorite blog of the year. Thanks for the tips!

[…] 7 Tips for Presenting to Senior Executives […]

Great post. I think #3 and #7 particularly go hand in hand. I’ve found that quite often when presenting to senior executives, or at least those who view themselves in a powerful position, you always have to be on your toes and ready to react. It’s not uncommon to be interrupted, challenged, or questioned. Not only do you have to be ready to stop and change directions on a dime, but you must be prepared to back up your statements/facts. And make sure you get to the point, fast, as it relates to them.

Great job putting all of this information together. It’s definitely a great resource.

[…] Powerpoint Ninja includes more detailed suggestions in 7 Tips for Presenting to Senior Executives. My favorite is: Executives are frequently going from meeting to meeting — often not always […]

[…] ‘7 tips for presenting to executives’, viewed 14 September 2011, https://www.powerpointninja.com/presentation-delivery/7-tips-for-presenting-to-senior-executives/ […]

[…] https://www.powerpointninja.com/presentation-delivery/7-tips-for-presenting-to-senior-executives/ […]

Educative,good

[…] 7 Tips for Presenting to Senior Executives – PowerPoint Ninja […]

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7 Tips for Presenting to Senior Executives That Will Elevate Your Career

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PresentationPanda.com is now proudly owned by INK PPT . We aim to enrich and expand upon the valuable content previously provided by PresentationPanda.com . This blog will deliver even deeper insights, comprehensive guides, and innovative strategies to elevate your presentations to new heights.

TL;DR: Presenting to senior executives can have a profound impact on your career, making it crucial to approach these opportunities with a strategic mindset. Begin your presentation with a strong opening to immediately capture attention and convey the importance of your topic. Use your time wisely, ensuring that you cover all essential points concisely and leave ample room for discussion and questions. Flexibility is key, as executives may interrupt with questions or request you to jump to specific sections. Being able to adapt on the fly while maintaining your composure will demonstrate your confidence and command over the subject matter.

Supporting your data with robust evidence is essential to building credibility and trust. Executives expect well-researched, accurate information, so be prepared with additional data and backup slides if needed. Understanding your audience is equally important; tailor your presentation to their preferences and anticipate their questions. Keep your slides simple and focused, avoiding unnecessary details that can detract from your main points. Thorough preparation is vital, including rehearsing your presentation and being ready to address any potential questions. By following these tips, you can deliver a compelling and effective presentation to top-level executives, showcasing your strategic thinking and enhancing your professional reputation.

7 Tips for Presenting to Senior Executives

When presenting to senior executives within your company or another company, it could have a huge impact on your career or lead to tremendous opportunities. This is your chance to showcase your ability to think and act strategically, ensuring your credibility. Whether you are proposing a new initiative or pitching for additional funding, here are a few tips that will come in handy when presenting to senior executives like a CEO, CFO, Senior VP, VP, etc., in a boardroom or a smaller, more personal setting (conference room, office, etc.).

So, before you go into your next executive presentation, consider these 7 executive presentation tips :

1. Obviously proud of the stomach.

Executives are busy, so make sure you give them confidence that you are going to use their time wisely. Make sure you start strong by telling them why they’re there and why your topic is important to them. Outline your topics. Keep in mind that staying on point shows you respect their time.

Starting strong is one of the most crucial presentation strategies . Begin with a powerful opening statement or an intriguing question that grabs their attention. For example, "Today, I will show you how our new strategy can increase our market share by 20% within the next year." This immediately engages them and highlights the significance of your presentation.

2. Use Your Time Effectively

Executives’ time is valuable. They have other things they could have been doing during the time they have given you. Be prepared to cover your content in the time allotted and leave ample time for discussion or questions. You don’t want to be put in the situation where you delivered a great presentation but left no time for discussion or questions at the end. This will create a missed opportunity for the executives to discuss your ideas, buy into the recommendations, and determine a plan of action. Don’t waste time belaboring details. Instead, offer to email them the presentation afterward to learn more on their own.

Using time effectively is one of the key presentation strategies . Structure your presentation to ensure each segment flows logically and efficiently. For instance, allocate time to discuss key points, case studies, and actionable steps. Ensure that each section transitions smoothly to keep the executives engaged and on track.

3. Be Flexible

Always remember to be flexible and cover what is most important to your audience. For example, don’t be surprised if the senior executives ask you to fast forward through your slides or jump back to a previous slide. In some cases, you may be forced to speed through other less important slides or even forgo covering all slides as a result of a discussion on a particular slide or topic. To achieve your objectives (e.g., approve an idea, give feedback to an approach, etc.), you may not need to go through every slide.

Flexibility is vital in presenting to senior executives . Be prepared to adapt your presentation on the fly. This might mean skipping less critical slides to spend more time on pressing issues or answering spontaneous questions. Demonstrating flexibility shows that you are responsive and capable of handling unexpected situations.

4. Be Ready With Supporting Data

It’s a best practice to anticipate potential questions by going through each slide and identifying what content could be subject to further questioning. Be prepared with additional supporting data on any parts of your presentation. You may need to have additional data at your fingertips, including backup slides in an appendix section or a spreadsheet ready to go. Senior executives often take comfort in the fact that you have done robust analysis with the data. Demonstrate that you understand the consequences and implications, and that they can trust your analysis and recommendations.

Supporting data is essential in effective presentations . Ensure your data is current, accurate, and relevant. Visual aids like charts, graphs, and infographics can help convey complex information clearly and concisely. For example, if discussing a new marketing strategy, present data on expected ROI, customer acquisition costs, and market trends.

5. Know Your Audience

It’s always important to know your audience, especially when it comes to presenting to senior executives . Although you will have a general understanding of who they are or their leadership style, try to find out more about their personal preferences. Do they have any preferences? What are their particular pet peeves? What topics are particularly interesting to the targeted executive or group of executives? Do you know their background and objectives? Are they likely to interrupt your presentation with questions?

I highly recommend finding someone who can coach you on how to best present your material to the targeted group of executives. That person could be your supervisor, an executive’s admin assistant, or another peer/next-level manager who has interacted with your audience on a regular basis. You’re looking for inside information on your audience so that you can figure out what issues to focus on. That way, you avoid wasting everyone’s time.

Knowing your audience is crucial in executive presentation tips . Tailor your content to their interests and needs. For instance, if you're presenting to a finance-focused executive, emphasize cost savings and financial benefits. Understanding their perspective will help you connect with them more effectively.

6. Keep It Simple

Research shows that executives appreciate presentations that are clear, brief, and to the point. Remove any irrelevant information that could take your discussion off track or take away from your main points. Focus on the bottom line in your presentation to executives. The simpler and more candid your presentation is, the easier it will be for your executive audience to understand how they can help you and move things forward. Structure your information in a way that is memorable and easy to digest.

Simplicity is key in effective presentations . Use concise language and avoid jargon. Break down complex ideas into easily digestible chunks. For example, use bullet points to list key benefits or steps in a process. This helps the audience grasp your message quickly and clearly.

7. Be Prepared

When preparing for a presentation for senior executives, it is beneficial to try and anticipate questions they may ask. Prepare answers for each of the questions. Senior executives are under tremendous time constraints. They will most likely be grateful if you can get to the root of issues quickly. So, when preparing for your next presentation, remember to conduct extensive analysis and review of your topic, be prepared with supporting data, practice your slides, and seek feedback.

Preparation is the backbone of presentation strategies . Practice your delivery multiple times to ensure a smooth flow. Familiarize yourself with every slide and anticipate potential questions. Have a clear understanding of your key messages and objectives.

Presenting to executives can sometimes be intimidating. However, executives will appreciate a calm, commanding presentation. If you aren’t sure about an answer or don’t know an answer, make a note and promise to follow up. No one is expected to know everything all the time. Just don’t forget to follow up as soon as possible.

Having presented to top executives in many fields, I’ve learned that the key to a successful presentation is to get your message across quickly and efficiently. Mastering these tips will most likely help you do so. Remember, if you nail this presentation, it might be you sitting at the table next time.

I hope that you found these executive presentation tips useful. This might sound like a lot of work, but presenting to senior executives is a great honor and can open tremendous doors for you. If you crush this presentation, people with a lot of influence will become strong advocates for your ideas.

Let me ask you this …

Do you have a friend that could use some help with designing a presentation for a senior executive team? If so, make sure to send them a link to these presentation tips . I’m sure they will return the favor one day to you!

Do you think you will try these presentation tips yourself? Leave me a detailed comment below! I make sure to read each and every one!

• What are the best tips for presenting to senior executives? The best tips for presenting to senior executives include starting strong, using your time effectively, being flexible, having supporting data, knowing your audience, keeping it simple, and being well-prepared.
• How can I make my executive presentation effective? To make your executive presentation effective , focus on clear and concise messaging, use relevant data to support your points, and structure your presentation to highlight key benefits and actionable steps.
• Why is it important to know your audience when presenting to executives? Knowing your audience is crucial because it allows you to tailor your content to their interests and needs, making your presentation more relevant and engaging. Understanding their perspective helps you connect with them more effectively.
• What should I avoid in an executive presentation? Avoid using jargon, overloading slides with information, and straying off-topic. Keep your presentation focused, concise, and relevant to ensure clarity and engagement.
• How can I prepare for questions during an executive presentation? Anticipate potential questions by thoroughly reviewing your content and preparing detailed answers. Have supporting data and additional information ready to address any inquiries confidently.

Ready to elevate your career by mastering presentation strategies ? Start implementing these executive presentation tips to deliver compelling presentations to senior executives. Share this blog with friends and colleagues who could benefit from these tips, and start creating impactful presentations today!

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10 Valuable tips to create and present effective presentations to senior executives

Here are 10 keys to ace senior executive presentations and master all C-suite meetings.

Bharti Jain

Delivering presentations

Table of contents

Stepping into a room full of senior executives can feel like entering the lion's den. The stakes are high, and every moment counts. This is your moment—a chance to influence the decision-makers at the very top. It's not just about being heard, but about making an impact.

"When you try to talk to everyone, you end up talking to no one." - Meredith Hill

This insight is crucial when you’re presenting to a room where every attendee has the power to change the course of your project or career. Crafting your presentation for this C-suite audience isn't about using big words or complex graphics; it's about connecting, being clear, and getting straight to the point.

Before you step up to present, let me share ten powerful tips with you. These aren’t just tricks of the trade; they’re your toolkit for turning nervous energy into a standout performance and detailed data into decisive actions. So, get ready—because we’re about to elevate your skills in presenting to executives from just okay to absolutely stellar.

What does C-suite mean?

You've heard the term "C-suite" thrown around, but what does it really mean? The "C" in C-suite stands for "Chief," referring to the top executives in a company. These are the decision-makers who steer the ship—whether it's the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) who calls the shots, the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) who manages the money, or the Chief Operating Officer (COO) who keeps everything running smoothly.

These leaders occupy the highest ranks in an organization and play crucial roles in shaping its future. Each "Chief" has a critical area of focus, but all share the responsibility of setting strategy, making pivotal decisions, and ensuring the company’s long-term success. Understanding who sits in the C-suite can give you valuable insights into how a business operates and what drives its leaders. This knowledge is not just useful; it's essential for anyone looking to make a meaningful impact in the corporate world.

Why is effectively presenting to senior executives important?

Why take the time to prepare specifically for executive presentations? When you're presenting to seniors, you're not just sharing information; you're potentially influencing the future of the entire company. These presentations are your opportunity to stand out and make your voice heard at the highest level.

Executive presentations are crucial because they allow you to directly communicate your ideas and insights to the people who have the power to make big decisions. Whether it’s getting approval for a new project, influencing company strategy, or securing funding, your presentation can directly impact these outcomes.

Moreover, these presentations help build your reputation within the company. A strong, well-delivered presentation can mark you as a thoughtful leader and a go-to person for solving important issues. This visibility can lead to more opportunities, greater responsibilities, and career advancement. In short, mastering the art of presenting to executives can open many doors.

What makes executive presentations so challenging?

When you present to senior executives, it's not just about giving information — it's about making a real impact. This situation can be very stressful and is full of challenges, even for people who are used to speaking in public. The first step to doing well is to understand these challenges. In this part, we will look at the main difficulties the presenters may face.

The leaders may have impatient mindset

Executives are incredibly busy, often managing vast areas of a business. Their time is their most valuable asset so they may be impatient. A survey by The Harvard Business Review highlighted that CEOs spend nearly 72% of their work time in meetings . This means when you present, you need to convey your message succinctly and effectively within a tight timeframe—often you'll have just minutes to make your case.

Frequent interruptions

Executives are not just passive listeners; they are active participants who may interrupt with questions or comments. As Jeff Bezos reportedly employs the "two-pizza rule" (meetings should be small enough that two pizzas can feed everyone), it underscores the need for small, interactive sessions where interruptions are likely. Being prepared to handle these smoothly, without losing your train of thought or control of the presentation, is vital.

Pre-existing strong opinions

It's common for executives to have well-established views, which they may vigorously defend during presentations. This was famously illustrated by Steve Jobs , who was known to rigorously challenge ideas to ensure only the most robust concepts were executed. When presenting, anticipate these strong opinions and prepare clear, evidence-based responses. This approach can transform potential confrontations into opportunities for meaningful dialogue and collaboration, ultimately enhancing the impact of your presentation.

High-stakes

The decisions these leaders or stakeholders make based on what you demonstrate can significantly influence the company's direction and success.

"You only have to do a very few things right in your life so long as you don’t do too many things wrong." -   Warren Buffet

Which means this pressure makes delivering a persuasive and factual presentation crucial because a single decision can result in millions of dollars gained or lost.

Overcome diverse preferences

Each executive has a unique style and mindset for receiving information. While one may prefer detailed financial breakdowns, another might favor strategic outlines with a strong narrative. Understanding and adapting to these preferences requires a presenter to be versatile and responsive. For instance , Steve Jobs was known for his dislike of lengthy presentations and preferred bold, visually impactful slides that complemented a narrative storytelling approach.

Keeping high engagement from start to finish

Capturing and holding the attention of busy executives throughout your presentation is a challenge in itself. They are frequently pulled in multiple directions and may be mentally preparing for other commitments even as they sit through your presentation. Ensuring your recommendation is engaging, relevant, and dynamically delivered is key to keeping their focus on your message.

10 tips to improve your presentation skills to engage senior leaders and executives?

Crafting an engaging presentation for senior leaders is an art that can significantly shape your career. Below are ten finely honed tips and strategies designed to improve your presentation skills to not only capture attention but also deeply resonate with top-position decision-makers.

1. Quickly frame the topic

In the first 30 seconds, clearly explain what you will discuss and how it aligns with other priorities that the leaders at top position may have. The executive suite is a busy place filled with many competing interests. By quickly framing the topic, you help executives transition into the right mindset, focusing their attention where you need it most.

As Jeff Weiner , former CEO of LinkedIn, advises, ' Clear, concise communication is a powerful leadership tool. ' Use your opening lines to provide a compelling overview that hooks your audience from the get-go.

2. Set expectations for the meeting

Begin by clearly outlining the presentation time and what topics will be covered during that time.

• Value their time: Always respect the executives' schedules. Avoid the common pitfall of extending the meeting beyond the expected timeframe. A meeting that runs longer than anticipated can disrupt their day and may lead to a negative reception of your message.
• Invite contributions: Early in the meeting, graciously ask if there are any topics the executives would like to add to the agenda. This not only shows respect for their expertise and role but also helps ensure that their current priorities are addressed.
• Address immediate concerns: If there are pressing issues that might overshadow your scheduled topics, tackle these first. This approach clears the way for focused attention on the main agenda and demonstrates your sensitivity to their immediate concerns.

3. Use an inductive approach

Start your presentation with the key findings or conclusions. This reverse structure grabs attention by addressing the 'why' before the 'how.'

• Lead with the end: By presenting conclusions at the beginning, you cater to the executive preference for efficiency and relevance, ensuring your key messages resonate from the start.
• Highlight relevance: Immediately get to the point and explain how your conclusions align with the company’s broader goals or challenges. This strategy helps maintain the interest of your audience by linking your points to their strategic interests.

Here's an example to understand better  

Inductive approach (How to start)

"Good morning, I’m pleased to report that implementing the proposed changes in our supply chain will increase our efficiency by 20% within the next fiscal year. This adjustment aligns directly with our strategic goal of reducing operational costs and improving product delivery times across all departments."

This opening immediately captures attention by stating the impact of the proposed changes and connects them to broader strategic objectives.

Traditional approach (How not to start)

"Today, I will discuss our current supply chain operations, review the challenges we face, detail the steps we’ve taken to address these issues, and finally, present our findings and recommendations for further improvements."

This approach delays the main point and requires listeners to wait through all the background information before reaching the crucial findings and recommendations, which can lead to a loss of interest or engagement, especially with time-constrained executives.

4. Allocate only 50% of the time for presenting

Plan to use only half of the allotted time for the formal presentation. The other half should be dedicated to discussion and interaction.

• Encourage dialogue: This balance allows time for questions, clarifications, and deeper exploration of the topics presented, which is often more valuable than the presentation itself.

• Build engagement: Interactive sessions tend to be more engaging and can lead to more thoughtful decision-making as they allow executives to contribute their thoughts and insights.

5. Be ready to zoom out

Be open to a discussion about topics related to but not limited to your presentation.

• Flexibility is key: Being able to 'zoom out' shows that you understand and can relate the specifics to the overall business strategy.
• Prepare for shifts: Have a clear understanding of how your detailed points connect to big-picture outcomes, ready to guide the discussion back to strategic implications whenever necessary.

6. Customize executive summary for the project stage

To ensure that your executive summary resonates with senior leadership, it's effective to adapt it to the different stages of the problem-solving journey. Each stage has distinct communication needs that align with the objectives and progress of the project. Here are the stages: ‍

7. Start with the title and then build the slide

Design each slide by first deciding on a compelling title that encapsulates the slide’s message.

• Title as a guide: Treat each slide title as a newspaper headline—concise and informative. This strategy ensures that even a glance provides value, a technique found effective in high-level briefings.
• Consistency and focus: This method helps maintain a coherent narrative throughout the presentation, making it easier for executives to follow and retain the key points.

8. Channel nervous energy correctly to improve communication skills

Transform any presentation jitters into dynamic delivery.

• Harness Enthusiasm:  Convert anxiety into enthusiasm. This transformation can significantly energize your presentation and make it more engaging. For example, imagine a speaker who starts their presentation with a slight tremble in their voice but uses that adrenaline to passionately emphasize the importance of their project, gradually speaking with more confidence and vigor. This shift can dramatically increase audience engagement.
• Stay Positive: A famous quote by Maya Angelou perfectly captures this: " People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel." By maintaining a positive demeanor, you can leave a lasting impact on your audience, encouraging them to respond more openly and positively to your message.

9. Rehearse to impress and avoid jargon

Practice your presentation multiple times and keep the language clear and jargon-free.

• Confidence Through Preparation: Rehearsal builds confidence, ensures smoother delivery, and helps you manage time effectively.
• Clear Communication: Avoid technical terms that might confuse the audience, opting for simple language that articulates your points clearly and concisely.

10. Conclude strong

End with a powerful conclusion that reinforces your main messages and proposes clear next steps or calls to action.

Summarizing key takeaways

• Presenting to senior executives is a high-stakes opportunity to influence decisions at the highest level of an organization.

• Understanding the challenges of executive presentations, such as time constraints, interruptions, pre-existing opinions, and high stakes, is essential for success.

• Implementing strategies like framing the topic quickly, setting expectations, using an inductive approach, and allocating time for discussion can enhance engagement and impact.

• Being flexible, adapting to executives' preferences, and customizing presentations for different project stages are crucial for resonance and effectiveness.

• Transforming nervous energy into dynamic delivery, staying positive, avoiding jargon, and concluding with a strong call to action can leave a lasting impression on senior leaders

1. Why are tips for presenting to senior executives crucial?

Tips for presenting to senior executives are crucial because these presentations are high-stakes opportunities that can influence the trajectory of your career and the bottom-line impact of your projects. Implementing effective presenting skills can accelerate your ability to make decisions and gain credibility within your organization.

2. What are some ways to improve my presentation skills when presenting to the executive team?

There are several ways to improve your presentation skills for high-stakes presentations. Firstly, it's essential to present data succinctly and clearly, focusing on the big picture and bottom-line impact. Additionally, practicing eye contact, gestures, and clarity in speech can enhance your ability to engage with execs and get your message across effectively.

3. How can I prepare for a nerve-wracking executive presentation ahead of time?

To prepare for a nerve-wracking executive presentation, proactively refine your presentation content and delivery through presentation training or coaching. Practice aloud, consider the pros and cons of your key points, and ensure your timeline is actionable and aligned with the audience's attention span. This preparation also shows confidence like a VP or executive would possess.

4. What should I do if I don’t expect to get cut short during my presentation?

Even if you don't expect to get cut short during your presentation, it's crucial to be succinct and get to the bottom line impact quickly. Executives are busy and may need concise information to make decisions. Be prepared to present data, answer questions, and encourage dialogue during the Q&A session to maintain engagement and credibility.

5. How can I ensure my presentation resonates with Fortune 500 companies or other high-level audiences?

To ensure your presentation resonates with Fortune 500 companies or other high-level audiences, tailor your content to address their specific needs and competitive advantages. Highlight actionable insights and solutions that align with their goals and trajectory. This approach not only demonstrates your brilliance but also shows that you understand their bottom-line impact and can provide value.

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Moxie Institute

How To Prepare For a Presentation To Senior Leadership

You’ve probably heard the age-old joke where the tourists ask the New Yorker, ‘How do I get to Carnegie Hall?’

And the New Yorker answers: ‘Practice!’

Well, it is no different with senior leadership.

How do you get to senior leadership? Practice.

Stay tuned! today on the Moxie Talk blog, I  am going to unpack everything you need to know to prepare for a presentation to senior leadership.

Hi everyone, I’m Fia Fasbinder and welcome to the Moxie Talk blog, where we help you find your voice, share your message, and lead with confidence.

Before we get started, I would love for you to look me up on YouTube and hit that bell so you’ll get notified of any of the new videos I put out. If you enjoy the videos please make sure to share it with your colleagues’ friends and family and subscribe to our channel.

Before I dive into the ins and outs of preparing for a senior leadership presentation, I want to go back in time to over a decade ago when I first created a workshop on H ow To Prepare. 

Coming from an acting background, the preparation process that I was suggesting to these presenters was long. It included many steps. Rehearsals around your voice and your body; you name it—soup to nuts.

This was a 6-week rehearsal process that no executive I’ve ever met has time for. I learned very quickly that in the real world, presenters do not have time to prepare like Broadway actors.

There are so many things to think about—from your content to your delivery to the Q&A—you name it. So in the last decade, I have continued to hone the preparation process that I and my trainers suggest for presenters.

Now presenting to senior leadership is a beast unto itself and that is definitely something that I have learned in the trenches, working with so many teams that have to present to senior executives.

The tips that I’m going to share with you today are practical. They’re real world and they will help you prepare for a senior leadership presentation. The good thing about these tips that I’m going to give you now is that they can be fleshed out.

These techniques will help with both short-notice and advance-notice presentations.

You can use them to present for a presentation you just found out about this evening or tomorrow morning or you can use them to create a really beefed-out preparation process if this is a high-stakes executive briefing.

Additionally, I’ve done several videos before about preparation. If you are interested in some more high-level tips about preparation, please watch my video on how to practice even when you don’t want to. This one is really going to deep-dive into preparation for senior leadership.

I’m going to break down this preparation into 5 phases:

• Practice and

Table of Contents

Phase 1: Ideate  

Phase 1 is ideation. Now I am a huge proponent — and all of my Moxie speaker coaches — are huge proponents of not starting in PowerPoint.

Do not start in PowerPoint

When you are in the ideation phase of thinking and brainstorming the content for your presentation to senior leadership, I don’t care if it’s a 3-minute presentation or preparing an entire 45-minute presentation. I always recommend that you go analog.

Start by either using go to old-fashioned pen to paper, fingers to keyboard, use a google doc or a word doc but do not start in PowerPoint.

If you are thinking, ‘ I am so visual. I actually imagine my entire presentation in my powerpoint,’ then I would recommend you use sticky notes. Go old school like the Hollywood movie directors do and you can storyboard out your presentation before you go to PowerPoint but it’s really important that you do not start in PowerPoint.

Starting in PPT is a distraction that wastes your time in the long run.

I know this is a really difficult habit to break but I can tell you right now, I can always tell when a presenter has started in PowerPoint because their presentations lack narrative arc, they lack flow, and sometimes they’re stuck in the weeds in areas. It’s really important that before you go to your PowerPoint, take a step back and let’s plan out the narrative arc of this presentation.

• What should you be ideating?
• What should you be thinking about when you go analog?

The first step of any presentation to senior leadership is ‘Who is your audience?’

Audience Analysis — Who is your audience?

Audience analysis is such a powerful tool and most of us don’t do it. We create presentations that are one-size-fits-all. I always say that a one-size-fits-all presentation is like a one-size-fits-all suit: it fits nobody well.

Thus, it’s really important that the first step of your brainstorming is to think about who will be in that audience and it’s not good enough to just say, ‘ Oh! the senior leaders.’  There are specific questions you need to ask yourself about these people and we call this the:

‘Know, feel, do, remember’ Audience analysis.

This is really bare-bones. If you think about nothing else, ask yourself these 4 questions before you begin to write your presentation. Even though we say “Know, feel, do, remember,” that is actually not the order that we are going to think about the questions.

The first question you have to ask yourself is

What do I want my audience to feel when this presentation is over?

and I know most of us don’t think about what we want our audience to feel but this is a really important first step.

• Do we want them to feel trust in us that we have the solution and we are going to take this solution and execute it so senior leadership can feel safe and relaxed and trusting in our solution?
• Do we want them possibly to feel a little bit of anger? Maybe there is a problem and we want them really to feel the pain of this problem so that when we present our solution, it’s really going to create some buy-in. Or…
• Do we want them to feel light-hearted and energetic and maybe inspired?

So what do you want your audience to feel at the end of this presentation?

The next question to ask yourself is ‘What do you want them to do at the end of this presentation?’

What action do you want your audience to take?

Senior leadership wants you to make suggestions. You are presenting to them because you are a subject matter expert and they are looking to you to make recommendations and suggestions.

So what do you want them to do at the end of this presentation? If you do not have a do, if you do not have a call to action, you’re really missing an amazing opportunity that will make you look so shiny and so great when you present that call to action at the end.

So what do you want your audience to feel? What do you want them to do? and, the next question is what do you want them to know?

What should your audience know to follow your call to action?

But by this, I don’t mean what information do they need to know. What I’m really saying is what information do they need to know in order to do what you need them to do?

This is hard for some of us that want to throw everything but the kitchen sink into our presentations. No! They don’t need everything but the kitchen sink. They need to know about the faucet so that they can act on the solution to the faucet at the end of the presentation. So what do you need them to know to do what you need them to do?

The last question, and this is borrowed from my time as a TEDx speaker coach, is

What do you want them to remember?

Now we would love to say that people remember everything in our presentations, but let’s face it: They’re not going to, especially senior leaders that hear a ton of presentations on the regular. So if they are only going to take away one thing from your presentation, what is that one thing that you need them to remember?

Those are the 4 questions that you need to ask yourself before you do anything else and we call this “beginning with the end in mind,” because you’re really thinking about the end result. This will dictate everything that goes into your presentation. Everything in your presentation should feed directly into your answers to “What do I want them to Feel, Know, Do  and Remember? “

If it doesn’t feed directly in, if it’s, you know, maybe extra information or the wrong call to action or giving them information that’s going to set the wrong tone, we call this ‘ murdering our darlings’. It’s really difficult to do—all of us want to put so much into our presentation but we have to keep in mind that it’s really important with senior leadership especially to not only end on time but end early.

Respecting the time of your audience will help them remember you

These people are so busy. Time is money! Let them know what you need them to feel, do, know, and remember in the least amount of time possible. This is only possible if you do some audience analysis before you even start ideating and you begin with the end in mind.

Phase 2: Execute

Phase 2: execute.  So now you’ve ideated, you’ve brainstormed, you’ve come up with your audience analysis, and you are ready to execute.

Execute, or commence crafting your presentation

This basically means crafting your presentation. The way I teach clients and train all of my coaches to teach clients to craft their presentations is creating what we call an audience journey map.

The audience journey map structure is so flexible that once you internalize it, you can use it for an entire presentation, you can use it to structure a whole meeting, you can use it to answer Q&A, you can even use it to just stand up in a meeting and give a 5-minute presentation. Let us unpack what is involved in an audience journey map.

An audience journey map is similar to an outline

An audience journey map is really a glorified outline. However, the reason I don’t use the word ‘Outline’ is that an outline is usually when we think about in our high school or college English classes where we had to outline our essays. The difference between that and a presentation is usually essays are for the purpose of informing.

In my opinion, your audience journey map isn’t just to inform, it’s not just to give them information. It’s to take them on a journey — from what they were thinking when you started your presentation to what they’re thinking, feeling, and doing differently at the end. That’s why we do all that great audience analysis.

This is really an outline, but the difference is your mindset. You’re thinking about how you are taking those senior leaders’ hands and taking them on a journey so that the information you provide to them is provided in a way that will cause them to take action.

Introduction

The first step on that audience journey map is your introduction. Most people’s introductions during a presentation, even to senior leadership, are boring.

Create an interest-arousing introduction by using a HOOK

I know it’s really asking you to go out on a limb to create a hook that would be somewhat different than other senior leader presentations, but I guarantee you it will not be a waste of your time.

I am a firm believer that all audiences, senior leaders included, want 3 things.

They want to learn, be engaged, and they want you to do well

They want to learn something and they want to learn it from you because you’re the one presenting. They want to be engaged. Nobody, not even senior leaders, wants this snoozefest, and they want the presenter to do well.

Thus, if you can think of a way to hook those senior leaders with an engaging quote, a statistic, a provocative question, an intellectual challenge, even a little bit of humor with a story—something that’s short and sweet but will get them to lean in, that is the way to start your presentation.

Think of a way to hook that audience and think of a way to do it in under 2-minutes. I know it’s a big challenge, but it is well worth taking the time to think about an engaging hook.

After your hook, you need what we call your

Call-to-adventure

Now call-to-adventure is really a glorified agenda, but there’s nothing more boring than somebody standing up and putting up the slide of the agenda of their presentation—equally as boring as an outline.

Why does this presentation matters?

Instead of having an agenda, think about your agenda in terms of

• Why does this matter?
• Why does this presentation matter to both the senior leaders and to you?
• What is important about this?

So in as few sentences as possible, if you can give them an agenda but then piggyback this on why this is important , why this matters , and you’re going to pour jet fuel on that typical agenda.

If these senior leaders don’t know, you might want to have a greeting in there too: your name, your title, what you’re speaking about. If they do know you then you can skip that so you just need your introduction, your hook, and your call-to-adventure.

Moving on to the body of your presentation, I like to think of the body of your presentation in terms of step stones. You are again taking those senior leaders’ hands and you are walking them across that river step by step and those step stones. There’s 3 of them.

This is really how you are going to organize the content in your presentation and there are so many different stuff stones you can use. In our workshops, I talk about 11 different stepstone templates that you can use in your presentation I’m just going to call out a few of them. A few of my favorites that work for senior leadership presentations.

‘What, Why, How’ Stepping Stones

You can use the ‘What, Why, How’ step stone templates. So one is ‘What’, two is ‘Why’ and three is ‘How’ .

‘What? So what? Now what?’ Stepping Stones

You can use the ‘What? So what? Now what?’. So step-stone one is ‘What?’ Step-stone two is ‘So what?’ and step-stone three is ‘Now what?’

‘Problem, Context of Problem, Solution’ Stepping Stones

Another great one that works for a lot of people is ‘Problem, context to problem and solution’. Therefore, there are these 3 step stone templates that are pretty versatile which you can use for senior leadership presentations.

There’s simply a way of organizing the information in your presentation so that you can get that audience to do what you want them to do at the end of the presentation. This is the know part of your audience analysis.

Now to the outro.

In your outro, you need to bring it back to the beginning right so quickly.

Remind them of why this is important Recap your main points Give a call to action

Then you need to have a call-to-action.  This is the do, What do you want those senior leaders to do at the end of this presentation? It could be a “ think about” — that’s also a do.  But more than likely, it’s to take action on something you’ve presented.

Bridge to the big picture

And then many presentations need also a bridge. This could be a bridge to other presenters, other teams, the campaigns you have going on, bigger programs or projects. How are you going to bridge your presentation to the bigger picture of what’s going on at the company?

There you go—those are the steps in your audience journey map. You can scroll up and read them again if you didn’t get it down, but the great thing about this audience journey map is you can hit each point on this journey map quickly.

This could be a 3-minute presentation or you could flesh out each of those steps of the audience journey map and create a 45-minute presentation. This journey map doesn’t dictate the length of your presentation. All it is doing is providing a structure that will move these senior leaders to action.

I would say with senior leaders, and I’m gonna keep hitting on this point—keep it short and sweet. These are busy people and they will turn off if you start to ramble on.

If you ramble on, they will turn off

Try to get to the end of that audience journey map as quickly as possible while still providing great content and as much content as they need.

Before I go on to phase 3, which is Edit, you might be thinking Well, where does my PowerPoint come in if I have a PowerPoint?’ Remember—I said don’t start in PowerPoint.

If you’ve now done your ideating and you’ve done your executing and you’ve created your audience journey map either in a Google Doc or a Word Doc or in sticky notes and storyboard, now you can move all of those great stops on your audience journey map to PowerPoint or to keynote or whatever slide deck platform you use—but you need to start without that slide deck and then transfer it in.

Phase 3: Edit

Phase 3 is Edit. Now editing can be as minimal or as extensive as you need. It depends on, again,  How important is this presentation? How much time do you have to prepare for this presentation? and How new is this presentation to you?

Edit from a macro view and a micro view.

I always recommend that you edit through binoculars and a magnifying lens. This means that you are going to edit from a macro level—big picture, and then from a micro-level—which is getting into the weeds.

What would be macro editing?

This is looking at the structure and the flow of your presentation.

• Are you spending about an equal amount of time on each of these stops on the journey map?
• Are you getting too-into the weeds?
• Are you missing stops?
• Are you missing transitions so that it seems clunky?
• Are you running overtime and you need to find a place to pare down?

that is all macro editing.

What would be micro editing?

Micro editing would get into our word choice.

• Are you using too much jargon that these senior executives may not understand?
• Are you sounding more like a college essay than your own authentic speaker persona or the way you would speak?

We want our presentations—even to senior leadership—to sound conversational. So if you find yourself using words that you wouldn’t usually say, take it out—murder those darlings and replace it with a more conversational tone. Word choice is really the micro editing.

I will say if time is of the essence then skip the micro, just go to the macro. The most important part of editing is what I call ‘ editing on your feet ‘. What does that mean?

Well, presentations are meant to be heard, not read. Hence, if you edit in your head and you are reading your presentation to yourself, you have no idea of how it sounds—it’s almost impossible to edit it this way.

You must edit on your feet which really means editing aloud: Reading or saying your presentation aloud if it’s not written out verbatim, then saying it aloud and editing what you’re hearing.

Now if you want to say it aloud and record yourself and then go back and edit, that’s great too. Some people can’t hear themselves speaking and do the editing in real-time. Either way works but the most important takeaway here is you must say it aloud in order to edit.

Phase 4: Practice

Phase 4 is practice. Now I get it that you don’t have time to practice like a Broadway actor. I told you the story of the slide getting iterated over time as I was training executives and presenters, but there is a down-and-dirty practice method.

I will say it over and over again that practice is the one way to feel confident with your presentation because when you actually get up to give it to those senior leaders, it doesn’t feel like the first time you’ve done it—it feels like the fifth-sixth-seventh-eighth time. It’s just the first time in front of those leaders, so practice is so important.

However, I get it that, a lot of times, we don’t have time to practice or we think we don’t have time to practice, so what is the down-and-dirty practice method that you can use?

Simulate the experience of giving the presentation

The first thing to know is that you need to simulate the real condition.

This means setting up chairs (if it’s an in-person presentation) in the same form that these senior leaders are going to be in. I know that sounds silly! If it’s a virtual meeting, start a Zoom meeting and use all the tech—use your slides, use your mic, use the camera, do the breakout sessions.

Try to do it as close to the real thing as possible so that there are no surprises you’ve worked out all the kinks before you get up there. If this means only one time through, like this is better than nothing—I’m telling you. One practice is better than no practices by far—it’s 100% more than zero so it couldn’t hurt.

1% of practice is better than zero

While you’re practicing, here are a few things to think about. First of all, your confidence level. You might feel super nervous inside, your heart’s racing, you’re sweating, but remember that people don’t know you’re nervous unless you show them you’re nervous.

If, from the outside, you appear calm and confident, that is going to do so much for your message to senior leadership. They want to see that you are calm, that you are confident, that you are an authority, that they can trust you. You do not want their mirror neurons firing off that they’re feeling squirmy and nervous for you.

What specifically should you look for? What are the clues you can look for that you are appearing confident?

Your voice . How is your voice? Are you speaking at a great pace? Are you pausing? Is your voice quivering? If so, can you stop it from quivering? Are you able to emphasize certain words to break up the mono-tone of your presentation?

I could ask the same thing about your body . Are there any clues that your body is nervous? Are you shaking? Are your eyes downcast? Are you getting small with your body language?

All of these are major clues to those senior leaders in the room that you’re nervous. I know all of us get nervous but there is nothing worse than your message to these senior leaders being undermined before you even start because you’re nervous.

I’m telling you right now—if you are that nervous in front of these senior leaders, they will either feel sorry for you or start to discredit you. What a shame that is, especially because I know you all have amazing messages to present.

You might be thinking, ‘ I have no idea how to correct my quivering voice or to correct my body language.   I watched myself back and I now know I’m doing these things and I have no idea how to correct them.’

I have videos, I’ve got your back. I have many videos on how to display confidence when you’re presenting in your voice and your body. Please take a look and watch those so that you can find ways to coach yourself through those nerves.

Speaking of coaching yourself through those nerves, a lot of the work I do with presenters is not about adding tools to their speaker toolbox in terms of delivery. It’s about just taking or eliminating any kind of speaking habits that would undermine your message of authority, w hether that’s speaking too quickly or using too many filler words or wishy-washy body language or lack of eye contact. 

These are all speaking habits that are easily correctable so that what people are focusing on is your amazing presentation and not your nervous speaking habits.

Phase 5: Feedback

Phase 5, last but not least is feedback.  I say feedback is phase 5 with the caveat that this is if time permits.

I know sometimes there is no time for feedback. However, if you can get feedback, again this is dictated just like everything else by:

• How new is this presentation?
• How long is this presentation?
• How much time do you have to prepare for this presentation?
• How high stakes is this presentation?

Obviously, if the answer to those questions is “It’s very high stakes and I have a lot of time to prepare and it’s brand new,” I would think that your feedback and your preparation process should be a lot more comprehensive and robust than this is a presentation you just found out about and you have to give it an hour.

That being said, What kind of feedback should you get?

First and foremost, feedback from yourself. If you only get feedback from one source, get it from yourself. I spoke earlier about when you are practicing looking for clues that you’re nervous in your body and your voice, well, you’ll only see those clues and hear those clues if you watch yourself back.

I know you’re thinking, ‘ Oh! this is such an awful idea.’

No! it actually is one of the best things you can do for yourself as a presenter. The awful idea is actually to watch yourself in a mirror. That is awful! You’re not able to stay present. You’re going to spend your entire time thinking about ‘ Wow! My mouth looks weird. I didn’t know I had a crooked face. ‘ Do not watch yourself in a mirror.

If you want feedback on your own presentation, I highly recommend you record yourself and then watch it back. Whether that’s on your phone, or start a Zoom Meeting, or a Teams meeting, or a Google Meet meeting, and watch it back.

That is the best way to get feedback on your own presentation skills. I can guarantee you from years of experience doing this so much for myself and for clients and for my trainers it gets easier. I promise you your eyes will not melt out of your head and you will not go down a rabbit hole of despair and misery watching yourself.

Instead, set yourself up for success by asking yourself, ‘ What am I looking for in my presentation?’

Eye contact, vocal variety, speaking at a good pace; set some standards for yourself and some metrics so that those are the things you’re specifically looking for in the feedback from yourself.

If you have time for any other feedback, I would highly recommend that you get feedback from a trusted advisor . Whether that’s somebody on your team who’s a great presenter or has presented to senior leadership before—you know somebody whose advice you trust.

Then if there’s even more time for feedback and this is insanely high stakes, try to get feedback from somebody who is going to be like-kind to your audience . Maybe you could request a rehearsal session or a feedback session from a senior leader who’s not going to be in that meeting but would be somebody akin to the audience in that meeting. They will give you such great insight and feedback on that presentation that nobody else would be able to give you because they’re not in the heads of your audience.

So that’s it. Those are the 5 phases for preparation to any presentation to senior leadership. From a 3-minute to a 45-minute, from one the next morning to one a month away.

The only caveat I would add to this is: if this presentation is more than a day out, schedule it into your calendar. Make time for it. Make it important. Do yourself that favor and confirm those presentation rehearsals and preparation meetings and do not waver from them.

Do that for yourself and I promise you, once you get the hang of this 5-phase preparation project, you’ll be sailing through your senior leadership presentations like it’s nobody’s business.

Thank you so much for reading. I hope this blog was valuable for you. If it was, please make sure to share it with friends and colleagues. Once again, subscribe to our  YouTube channel  so you get all of our great content.

If you want to know more about the work we do here at Moxie, if you’re interested in maybe some coaching around your preparation process or if you’re a senior leader and you’d like some coaching around your executive presentations check out moxieinstitute.com

Until next time make sure to live brilliantly lead boldly and Speak with Moxie.

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10 Tips for Presenting to Senior management

Apr 13, 2019 by maurice decastro in communication skills , leadership , mindfulness , presentation skills , presentation tips.

Presenting to senior management can feel like a challenge for many presenters in organisations today; even the most experienced.

It’s one thing having to speak up in a team meeting to update your colleagues on a project you have been working on but having to convince or co-opt the executive is something else. We all value our reputation and credibility immensely, which means that the stakes feel very high the moment you begin to speak.

There are a number of forces at play and understanding them provides the platform to success, especially when presenting to senior management. Here are 3 of the common ones.

Imposter syndrome  

It’s a term that’s becoming all too familiar among many professionals who are climbing their career ladders. Psychology Today describes the affliction as, ‘A psychological term referring to a pattern of behaviour where people doubt their accomplishments and have a persistent, often internalized fear of being exposed as a fraud.’

When it comes to presenting to senior management, whilst you may be extremely good at your job, its that feeling that you are about to be found out for being an imposter.

Symptoms – Speaking too fast, rambling or waffling, excessive ‘umming’, ‘erring’. Poor posture, lack of vocal energy and passion; poor eye contact.

Dunning-Kruger Effect 

This is the opposite of the Imposter syndrome. It’s the delusion that you are, ‘Smarter and more capable than you really are’

It’s not as common as the Imposter Syndrome but can be just as damaging from a different perspective. If you’ve ever listened to a presenter go on and on about a topic where it is quite evident to everyone in the room that they don’t know what they are talking about, you would have witnessed the Dunning-Kruger Effect.

Symptoms – Self- importance, lack of empathy for audience, irrelevant content, repetition, arrogance.

Mindlessness  

Is another trait of the ego. When your primary aim is to impress your audience by showing them how clever you are, how much you know and how hard you work, you are suffering from mindlessness .

Symptoms – Lack or preparation, little or no practice, disregard for audience’s needs or feelings. Sets an objective of impressing rather than connecting.

It’s worth recognising these cognitive biases because inattention to them when presenting to the executive will tarnish your credibility and reputation.

Presenting to senior management – 10 priorities

-Tell them immediately what you can help them to accomplish, fix or avoid. Don’t save the punchline for the end.

– If you can say it in 5 minutes don’t take 20.

– If the solution or opportunity is going to take 5 months to complete, have an answer to how you can achieve it much quicker.

– Present your idea with laser like clarity; don’t deluge them with data or blind them with science.

– Tell them what is so important, why it’s so important and why they should care; show them the size of the prize or size of the pain.

– Tell them exactly what you need from them; don’t leave them guessing.

3. Humility

–  Set out to connect with them and show them how you can make a difference; don’t set out to impress them.

– Be your best self; show them your belief, energy and passion. Leave the corporate spokesperson at your desk.

– Tell and show them how you feel? 

–  Breathe life into your idea by painting pictures in their mind, tell them stories, use anecdotes, metaphors and descriptive language

–  If you’re using slides use powerful and compelling images.

–  Build in contrast, lighten up and be expressive.

 – How does your idea align itself to and support the organisations values and strategic objectives?

 – What’s the impact, benefit and return on investment?

– What’s the big picture; what does the future look like?

–  What could go wrong and how do we avoid it?

–  Be honest and explicit, don’t sugar coat the challenges.

– Have an answer to the question ‘what if?

7. Remember

 – The only difference between you and your senior management is your salary and their title. Even if they have a car parking space and you don’t, the fact is you have far more in common that you may appreciate.

– They’ve been in your shoes and its more than likely they know exactly how you feel.

– They want you to do well and to help them do well.

8. Re-frame

 – Instead of seeing the presentation as a performance see it as an opportunity to share your voice, express yourself and make a difference.

– You may be feeling symptoms you associate with anxiety but in reality, we feel the same when we are excited. See this as your body and mind being excited rather than fearful.

– You wouldn’t even be allowed to speak if your audience didn’t believe you knew what you were talking about. Remind yourself how far you have come and believe in yourself.

 – Dare to be different.The world is full of people playing it safe; telling management teams what they already know or could easily find out for themselves.

– Tell them something they don’t know, ask them thought provoking questions, be bold and challenge their thinking.

– Be prepared for questions. Give yourself time to breathe and think about the answers and if you don’t know the answer don’t be afraid to say so.

– Tell them what you want, need or expect from them.

– If you want them to sign off a budget then ask for it.

– If you want their support or approval then ask for it.

Presenting isn’t easy, it takes time, energy, creativity and considerable mindfulness to craft and deliver a high impact presentation. Presenting to senior management is often perceived as a much greater challenge; that’s probably because it is.

The reason is they often know what they want, they have little time to receive it and are very discerning. If you follow these 10 tips you will give them what they want and greatly increase your chances of success.

If you’d like to some help presenting to senior management:

– Book yourself onto a powerful  public speaking course .

– Invest in some really good one to one  public speaking coaching .

– Get yourself some excellent  presentation training

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6 Must-know tips for presenting to senior executives

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As you grow in your project management career, you’ll be called upon to make various presentations. However not all presentations are the same. Presentations to senior executives can be very different than presenting project information to peers.

I’ve presented in front of many senior leaders, and it’s always a little daunting. After all, they aren’t my peers. I don’t know how they’re going to react or what their feedback will be.

The level of formality might vary depending on your organization, but usually the focus and needs of those at the C-suite level are the same, and are very different than those at the individual contributor or manager level.

What does C-suite mean?

By C-suite we’re talking about people who have job titles starting with ‘C’ like CEO, Chief Operating Officer, CFO or similar. The top people in your company; your Board.

These are senior managers in the organization: the people who are executive leaders. Think: they have the corner office! And often offices on the top floor. With windows and a view… at least that’s how things used to be.

Today’s senior leaders are just as likely to hot desk with the rest of us.

However, regardless of where they sit, you still need to understand their views and what they need from a presentation.

Understanding the different needs for the executive audience will help you prepare and give presentations about your projects with confidence and grace.

Let’s look first at the differences between what an executive leadership audience wants from a presentation and what will go down best with your colleagues.

Tips for starting executive presentations

You will likely not have as much time if you’ve been fit into the agenda of an executive session. You need to get to the point as quickly as possible.

You’ll probably have to submit slides or a paper in advance. Assume they have read it (some of them won’t have). Don’t spend the time reading out your slides.

Your start should focus on the main points you want them to take away, or the decision you want them to take.

Don’t start with stories, but rather get to the point. Lead with what you need from them. Use a summary slide (as per this advice from HBR ) to summarize everything in your presentation, and then use the rest of your presentation to support that.

Tip: You need to have the data available in case it is requested. This is different to how you would present to your peers.

If you are presenting to a peer group, it’s different.

You want to engage your peers with the “Why” of the project. Help them understand the benefits so that you can get their buy-in and support. Speak from a perspective that they can relate to. By connecting with a story, you can capture their interest and draw them in more.

6 Tips for strong executive presentations

Here are my top 6 tips for managing the middle part of your senior leadership presentation. You’ve been called to a C-level meeting to show your stuff, let’s not waste the opportunity!

1. Provide the background

Once you’ve explained your position or what you need, give a brief explanation of why this is important to the company. Give it context.

2. Evidence your points

Provide evidence that your position is important. Do this with high level data, and use graphs or charts if possible. Present outcomes and what the data supports.

3. Have more information ready but don’t share it unless requested

Stay top level but be ready with the drill-down data if it is requested. Some execs like the numbers and you need to have them available.

4. Go with the flow if the direction of the discussion changes

If the executives stray from what you’ve rehearsed, be ready to go with it. You have to let the conversation flow in the direction they take it. Because they’re in charge.

Use your facilitation techniques to try to keep the topic on track, but if it wanders, let it wander. It’s their time and their goals, and there is probably a purpose for the change of topic.

They may need to have peripheral discussions in order to come to agreement or decisions on your topic.

5. Have a shorter version of your presentation ready to go

I’ve been in presentations where I’ve arrived at the Boardroom and been told: we’re running late, we can only give you 10 minutes.

No problem… because I kind of expected that would happen.

It’s possible you won’t have as much time as expected. Be ready to make your presentation in a shorter time-frame if needed. Being prepared with options is critical:

• Be clear on your goals and bottom line
• Be ready to provide a much shorter version of your presentation
• Be ready to discuss even if you must stray from your rehearsed presentation
• Go immediately to your bottom line.

6. Read the room!

Read the room and make changes to accommodate what is going on in the moment – be flexible and ready for the direction the discussion goes.

This article has more tips for presenting at work if you feel like you want to dig into these strategies a bit further.

How senior management presentations differ from other presentations

When you are talking to your peers about your work, you can take a different approach.

The main part of your presentation can be shaped in a different way, because they need to take away different information so they can make decisions or do their job, or understand what is coming.

Here are some tips for managing that kind of presentation.

• Using silences in your stories and presentations can be powerful.
• Your audience wants to be both informed and entertained. Telling stories and explaining your points in ways that resonate with your audience is going to impact them more. Use stories that grab their attention ( find out how to do that here ).
• Your presentation should flow in a logical order. If you are presenting about a new software product, set the context for the audience and build on the information. If you are presenting new process changes that must be adopted by others, you might give a story about the challenges currently faced and how you approached the process development to get the right inputs for the changes. Then you might tell about the changes and how they will benefit others. You might follow with the rollout/ adoption plans. Ensure that your presentation flows well.
• If your audience veers off topic, bring them back on point to keep the presentation focused.

Stay on the stage! Read about the time Elizabeth fell off the stage .

The Presentation Book is a good reference on how to make stand-out presentations that people will remember.

How to close a presentation to senior executives

For the best presentation to your senior leadership team, you’ll want to be clear on what is needed from them (or overall), and on the next steps.

If someone has an action item or follow-up activities, be clear on who that is and what action is to be taken.

Final tips for creating successful executive presentations (that also work for all presentations)

There are similarities that will support a successful presentation for both types of audiences: both your executive audience and your peers or other people. You should:

• Know your audience
• Be aware of the various concerns in the room before you present
• Anticipate the questions that will be asked so that you’re ready to answer or provide the detail they will be requested
• Do not read from PowerPoint slides
• Practice, practice, practice!

By knowing what is needed for both briefing senior leaders and your colleagues, you’ll be ready to present to both peers and executives successfully.

Your team and management will trust you to represent the project or your department with grace and confidence in a variety of situations, and you’ll step in front of each knowing you’re well-prepared.

Want more tips? Here’s a quick video on how to deliver a great presentation about your project.

Leigh Espy has 18 years of project management experience, with a primary focus on IT project management. She’s worked in the public and private sectors, and domestically and internationally. She loves helping newer PMs and those hoping to make the switch to project management.

October Special: Business Transformation PPT Templates

Level Up Your Executive Presentations with 7 PowerPoint Templates

• August 1, 2022
• Management , PowerPoint templates for download

Visualizing various management topics and concepts such as strategies, analyses, plans, business models, objectives, etc. can be challenging because such slides usually incorporate a lot of information. To succinctly convey these ideas during company meetings, we suggest strengthening your executive presentations with graphics and relevant visuals.

Here you’ll find our recommendations for PowerPoint slide decks that can be a source of graphical inspiration for you.

Running behind on your presentation schedule, or just looking forward to making sure your presentations are top-notch? Use the power of visuals to communicate your insight and key points efficiently, save time with your management tasks, and finally deliver that presentation without worrying about creative presentation ideas!

You can get any slide deck presented here as an editable PPT file. Click on the slide pictures to see and download the source illustration. Check the full collection of Operational Management and Planning Presentation Templates here .

Here is a suggestion of several templates that will help you save time and effort in creating your executive presentations. You can use them as a whole presentation or just copy specific slides and graphics: 

• OKR Framework: Objectives Key Results

Responsibility Assignment RACI Matrix

• SWOT Analysis
• Product and Strategy Roadmap Tables
• Status Review Meeting

30-60-90 Day Action Plan

• SMART Goal Planning

Objectives and Key Results (OKR) Infographics

OKR is a goal-setting methodology to set challenging, ambitious goals with measurable results. Even if you don’t utilize the OKR methodology within your company, you might still need to talk about tracking and measuring objectives, progress over time, or monthly/quarterly achievements and failures. See Objectives and Key Results Performance Review deck with slides to illustrate OKR concepts, goal setting processes, progress tracking, and performance reports.

You can also explore our ideas on showing improvement or failure concepts with icons, which often appear in presentations related to goal reviews.

The RACI matrix is used for assigning job tasks and defining work breakdowns. It’s a valuable project management tool that will help you identify roles assigned to each duty: Responsible, Accountable, Consulted, and Informed. Such a table can help give you an overview of who’s in charge of what between team members.

Creating your own matrix can be pretty time-consuming – have a look at our pre-designed RACI matrix diagrams that will help you create clear slides faster.

Examples of using RACI matrix graphics:

• Illustrating higher-level project milestone responsibilities
• Drawing a map of personnel occupation status and evaluating your group’s capacity for the next assignment(s)
• Explaining people and work management theories

SWOT Analysis Presentation Diagrams

The SWOT analysis is a well-known strategic planning and management technique, which is very often included in executive presentations or marketing reports. SWOT can be used to influence stakeholders’ decisions, so it’s important to illustrate it effectively to make an impact on your audience. Check our SWOT analysis diagrams collection for inspiration.

See more ideas on how to display SWOT analysis findings here . Also, explore our icon ideas to illustrate strength and weakness concepts. Even 1 small image can make a difference to your presentation.

Product and Strategy Roadmap Presentation Tables

Whether you need to present a company strategy, show the history of your business projects, or plan product/software development and launches, roadmap graphics and tables are great visuals for visualizing these concepts. This Product and Strategy Roadmap Presentation Tables deck is designed to help you get rid of text and make the content more visual.

These roadmaps tables can be used in a broad spectrum of contexts:

• Illustrating a long-term strategy of a company
• Showing a history of your business activities
• Planning a product development and launch journey
• Reviewing the current status of completed parts of a project

Review Meeting Template

For your team to work together, you need to communicate clearly about the goals you have and make sure they know where things stand with their projects. However, one pitfall is that review meetings and brainstorming sessions take too much time – especially if they are unorganized and not structured properly.

To facilitate team meetings effectively and find the best solutions, you can use a Status Review Meeting set of slides that will help you present various meeting topics.

You can use these presentations graphics to:

• Keep track of your business’s next steps
• Outline what topics will be discussed
• Show clearly meeting agenda, structure, and outcomes
• Create lists, agendas, timelines, and further steps diagrams
• Evaluate the current market and company situation, present key market data and KPI numbers
• Adjust strategy to this situation, set new objectives
• Distribute new tasks over a timed schedule and hold people accountable

Explore more ideas on how to manage an effective review meeting and visual examples of various meeting sections here . If you’re holding an annual review or strategy planning meeting, have a look at the following deck collection.

If you’re interviewing for a management position or need to present a plan for accomplishing a big goal, 30-60-90 Day Action Plan graphics can help you visualize your proposals.

You can also use these graphics while creating an actionable project template to divide big goals into manageable tasks or show end goals during the performance review. You can also use these infographics to:

• Show a detailed plan for every 30 days using minimalistic diagram graphics
• Visualize a development plan using growing plant graphics to show improvements
• Design a roadmap to show every milestone
• Create timing and budget plans with timing deadlines and cost estimations

SMART Goals and Objectives Planning Template

SMART goal methodology helps to bring structure and trackability to your goals. Setting SMART goals means you can clarify your ideas, focus your efforts, and use your time and resources productively. Check this SMART Goal Diagram collection in an outline style, that will help you present your objectives and how you plan to reach them.

We hope you got inspired by these visual examples, feel free to explore and reuse those ideas for executive presentations and management meetings.

When preparing a business presentation, finding the perfect balance between text and graphics is important. One way you could try is by substituting your default bulleted lists and SmartArt tables with diagrams.

With the help of these PowerPoint decks full of various diagrams and icons, you can save time spent on design and create an appealing set of slides. If you are often presenting during company meetings, it’s handy to have a collection of pre-designed diagrams and icons at hand.

If you are adding slides to your existing PowerPoint file from another deck, see how to keep the whole presentation consistent by following simple steps.

Elevate your business performance presentations with our curated resources – visit our financial performance PPT reports webpage.

For more inspiration, subscribe to our YouTube channel:

Resources: Diagrams and PPT Templates  for  Executive Presentations

If you like any of the examples above, explore all the source illustrations for commercial use and free modifications. All slide decks in this blog, and many more, are available in the infoDiagram collection:

Further design inspiration for executive presentations

Here are more resources to find the right infographics and visuals for presenting your ideas:

• Presenting Change Management Models
• Illustrating the Executive Summary concept in a Presentation
• Present Your Company’s Progress on One Slide
• How to Show Leadership in a Presentation by One Icon See more visual ideas and examples of illustrating management topics on our blog .

Get a free  sample of PowerPoint diagrams and icons  to try out how our diagrams work.

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How to Brief a Senior Executive

by Grant T. Harris

Summary .   

Briefing a senior executive is an art and adept White House staffers do it every day under the most stressful of circumstances. They’re masters of compressing the right information into the right amount of time, no matter how complex the topic or short the briefing. The skills needed to brief the chief executive in the Oval Office are directly applicable to briefing  any  executive in the C-suite.

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How To Present To Senior Executives & The Board

Posted by Belinda Huckle  |  On September 7, 2021  |  In Presentation Training, Tips & Advice

In this Article...quick links

Tip 1: Know your audience.

Tip 2: what else is on the agenda of the meeting, tip 3: answer the brief., tip 4: rehearse., tip 5: don’t use jargon., tip 6: structure your presentation to reflect their needs., tip 7: start with the bottom line., tip 8: manage their expectations., tip 9: be flexible., tip 10: expect to be interrupted., tip 11: anticipate questions in advance., learning to present to senior management, senior executives, the c-suite and to boards is a career-critical skill., follow us on social media for more great presentation tips:.

It can be nerve-wracking the first time you have to present to senior management, a group of senior executives or the Board . You want to be able to walk out of the room with more credibility than you came in with.

It’s an opportunity to demonstrate that you are knowledgeable about your subject, and that you understand the impact that your recommendations have on the organisation and to the bottom line.

You need to remember that senior executives are time poor, impatient and used to making difficult decisions by quickly weighing up the pros and cons of any situation.

They absolutely do not want to be presented with all your data (but they want to know that you have it and are totally across it).

They will be looking for a summary or your solution within the first few minutes, otherwise they’ll dive in with difficult, very pointed questions that might well put you off your stride and impact your confidence.

The way you research, prepare and structure your presentation beforehand is key to success.

Here are our top tips for presenting to senior executives, senior management, the C-Suite or a Board of Directors.

You should already know the executive team or Board by reputation if not directly. If you don’t, find out about their preferences in terms of presentation style, use of visual aids, graphics and pet hates from the people who know them best.

Preparing to present to senior management and executives should include an assessment of:

• How much each of them knows about the subject matter you’re presenting on
• Whether there are differing views within the group
• What their expectations are of the presentation and the potential decisions they will have to make as a result.

Talk to people who have presented to them before, you might pick up some valuable tips.

This is important so that you understand the context of your presentation and where your presentation fits within the meeting. Are you presenting after a break or following a ‘numbers heavy’ agenda item? This might influence your presentation style or use of visual aids.

Sounds simple, doesn’t it? But you’d be surprised how many senior executives complain that they have to sit through a whole lot of ‘useless information’ before getting to the key point. It’s their agenda, not yours, so be succinct and make sure your recommendations are upfront and clear.

Get honest feedback from trusted colleagues who have experience of presenting to senior executives . Are your findings and recommendations clear? Is anything missing? For specific tips on how to pitch a new idea to senior leaders check out our recent blog.

A Board is typically made up of senior executives with a broad range of skill sets and experiences; finance, sales, technical, organisational etc. So don’t expect them all to have the same knowledge base on the subject that you are addressing. You’ll lose their attention if they aren’t familiar with the language.

It’s unlikely that your presentation slot will be more than 30 minutes and you should expect this to get cut short if the agenda is running late. So, be prepared and make sure you get the key points across; top-line findings, conclusions, recommendations and actions, in the first few minutes.

Create summary slides using the 10% rule (if you have 30 slides, usually as a pre-read, try to summarise your key points in 3 slides), the rest of your presentation can focus on supporting material and more detailed discussion points.

It’s how senior executives make decisions and it’s the language of communication between them. It may not be what you are used to but it’s what they will need. How does your idea impact the bottom line?

When presenting to the Board, explain that you will spend the first five minutes summarising the key points, detailing your recommendation/s and outlining what you need from them (remember they are there to make decisions, not just listen to information). The rest of your allotted time can then be allocated to presenting and discussing your supporting material. This approach will help ensure you’re less likely to get interrupted before getting the main points across.

Make sure you can navigate easily between slides in case the audience wants to focus on one particular point or deal with the supporting material in a different order to the one you have created.

Senior executives are unlikely to wait for you to announce that you are ready for a Q&A. They will likely interrupt frequently and ask questions or may need clarification. Be prepared and don’t let it put you off. If you feel you need to refocus, just take a breath, adjust your position and move on. No one will notice.

When presenting to senior management, make sure you think about ‘big picture’ questions as well as routine, data-based questions, with the company goals top of mind.

Your presentation to senior executives may only address one specific area of the organisation but the impact of any board decision is always felt company wide. So, make sure you understand how your role fits within the big picture and practise your answers in advance.

Questions to consider when presenting to senior executives, the Board or the C-Suite are:

• What happens if we do nothing? This is a common question and will test your understanding of the bottom-line impact of your recommendations. If you’ve over exaggerated the benefits this will become clear.
• What do you need from us? Have a clear understanding of what needs to happen next if your recommendations are approved. The end of the presentation is potentially the start of a new project so you need to be clear about every aspect going forward.
• Who else do you need on board? Success should be a team effort, it’s not about you looking good by trying to drive an idea forward alone, it’s about the entire company. If there are vital stakeholders that need to be convinced make sure you get them on side in advance. It’s not the role of the board to do the selling for you.
• How do you think this will impact the company as a whole? This will test your understanding of how your role and recommendations will help to drive the organisation forward.
• How would you prioritise your recommendation in relation to projects x, y and z? Budgets are tight. Is your recommendation more important than other projects within the organisation. If so, why?
• What is your suggestion/answer? Make sure you have one! You’re not there to present the facts and let them decide. Don’t worry about your opinion being the wrong one. If you can back up your recommendation with clear facts then your view will be listened to and respected. It also shows you have the ability to make decisions and are confident in your understanding of the project.

Presenting to senior executives or the Board needn’t be stressful , but there is more to a great presentation than just ‘knowing your stuff’. Check out our recent blog and discover 16 ways to improve your presentation skills .

If you want to take your presenting skills (or your people’s) to the next level, we can help. We take people further TM because our programmes are 100% tailored for your business and fully personalised for you/your people.

For nearly 20 years we have been the Business Presentation Skills Experts , training & coaching thousands of people in an A-Z of global blue-chip organisations – check out what they say about our programmes .

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Written By Belinda Huckle

Co-Founder & Managing Director

Belinda is the Co-Founder and Managing Director of SecondNature International. With a determination to drive a paradigm shift in the delivery of presentation skills training both In-Person and Online, she is a strong advocate of a more personal and sustainable presentation skills training methodology.

Belinda believes that people don’t have to change who they are to be the presenter they want to be. So she developed a coaching approach that harnesses people’s unique personality to build their own authentic presentation style and personal brand.

She has helped to transform the presentation skills of people around the world in an A-Z of organisations including Amazon, BBC, Brother, BT, CocaCola, DHL, EE, ESRI, IpsosMORI, Heineken, MARS Inc., Moody’s, Moonpig, Nationwide, Pfizer, Publicis Groupe, Roche, Savills, Triumph and Walmart – to name just a few.

A total commitment to quality, service, your people and you.

How to Prepare Financial Presentations for Senior Management in PowerPoint

Presenting financial information to senior management can be a daunting task. However, it is essential to have effective financial presentations to aid decision-making. With the help of PowerPoint, you can compile and present data in a way that senior management can easily understand. This article outlines the steps you need to take to create a compelling financial presentation that delivers results.

Table of Contents

Why Effective Financial Presentations are Essential for Senior Management

Senior management plays a critical role in a company’s success. Decisions they make can significantly impact the organization, and it is therefore essential that they have the necessary information to make informed decisions. Effective financial presentations provide senior management with the financial data they need to stay informed on the organization’s financial health. It is, therefore, crucial to prepare financial presentations that are clear, concise, and user-friendly. Fortunately, with the right tools and knowledge, creating these presentations can be easy.

Moreover, effective financial presentations can also help senior management identify potential risks and opportunities for growth. By analyzing financial data presented in a clear and concise manner, senior management can make informed decisions on investments, cost-cutting measures, and other financial strategies that can impact the organization’s bottom line. Additionally, financial presentations can also help senior management communicate financial information to other stakeholders, such as investors and board members, in a way that is easy to understand and transparent.

Understanding the Needs and Preferences of Senior Management

The first step in creating an effective financial presentation is understanding the needs and preferences of senior management. This helps you tailor your presentation to their needs, making it more engaging. Some of the preferences you need to consider include the level of detail they prefer, their preferred visual aids, and the data they require. Additionally, it is crucial to understand the technical acumen of the individuals that you will be presenting to. Keeping these factors in mind will ensure that your presentation is engaging and provides relevant information.

Another important factor to consider when presenting to senior management is their time constraints. Senior executives are often busy and have limited time to review presentations. Therefore, it is essential to keep your presentation concise and to the point. You should focus on the most critical information and avoid including unnecessary details. Additionally, it is helpful to provide a summary or executive summary at the beginning of your presentation, highlighting the key points and takeaways. This will help senior management quickly understand the main points of your presentation and make informed decisions.

Setting Goals and Objectives for Your Financial Presentation

Once you understand the preferences of senior management, the next step is setting goals and objectives for your financial presentation. You need to identify the information you need to present and the message you want to convey. Your goals and objectives should be specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and timely. When you have a clear idea of what you want to achieve, you can organize and structure your presentation efficiently.

It is important to keep in mind that your goals and objectives should align with the overall goals and objectives of the company. This will ensure that your financial presentation is not only informative but also contributes to the success of the organization. Additionally, consider the audience you will be presenting to and tailor your goals and objectives to their needs and interests. By doing so, you can increase engagement and ensure that your presentation is well-received.

Gathering and Analyzing Financial Data for Your Presentation

When creating a financial presentation, you need to use reliable financial data that supports the message you want to convey. You must understand where the data came from, its completeness, and how accurate it is. Data integrity is paramount. Additionally, you should consider the time period you want to present in the presentation. Data that is outdated or incomplete can lead to inaccurate conclusions and ultimately result in bad decisions by senior management.

One way to ensure the accuracy of financial data is to use multiple sources. By cross-referencing data from different sources, you can identify any discrepancies and ensure that the information you present is as accurate as possible. It’s also important to consider the context in which the data was collected. For example, if you’re presenting financial data for a specific industry, you should ensure that the data is relevant to that industry and not just general financial data.

Another important consideration when analyzing financial data is to look beyond the numbers. While the numbers are important, they don’t always tell the whole story. You should also consider the underlying trends and factors that are driving the numbers. This can help you identify potential risks and opportunities that may not be immediately apparent from the data alone.

Organizing and Structuring Your Financial Presentation

Once you have gathered and analyzed the necessary financial data, the next step is organizing and structuring your presentation. Start by creating an outline that includes all the elements you want to present, such as financial statements and supporting data. You should also design your presentation in a way that is visually appealing, without cluttering slides with too much data. Use placeholders for text and images, and limit each slide to one key idea to avoid confusing your audience.

Another important aspect of organizing and structuring your financial presentation is to consider your audience. Think about who will be attending your presentation and what their level of financial knowledge is. If you are presenting to a group of investors, for example, you may want to include more detailed financial data and analysis. On the other hand, if you are presenting to a group of employees, you may want to focus more on the impact of the financial data on the company as a whole. By tailoring your presentation to your audience, you can ensure that your message is effectively communicated and understood.

Choosing the Right Visual Aids for Your Presentation

Visual aids such as charts, graphs, and tables can help to convey complicated financial information in an easy-to-understand way. You should choose visual aids that complement the information you are presenting and align with the preferences of senior management. Ensure the size of your visuals is appropriate and that the colors used are legible and make it easy to distinguish data points.

Another important consideration when choosing visual aids is the audience you will be presenting to. If you are presenting to a group of experts in your field, you may want to use more complex visual aids such as heat maps or scatter plots. However, if you are presenting to a general audience, it may be more effective to use simpler visual aids such as bar charts or pie charts.

It is also important to keep in mind that visual aids should enhance your presentation, not distract from it. Avoid using too many visual aids or using ones that are overly complicated. Remember, the focus should be on your message, not the visual aids themselves.

Creating Effective Tables, Charts, and Graphs in PowerPoint

Creating effective tables, charts, and graphs in PowerPoint can be a complex process, but it is essential to make sure the information you present is accurate and easy to understand. When creating these visuals, you should consider the type of data and insights you want to present, the data points you want to highlight, and the message you want to convey. Ensure that the visuals have a clear title and labels on the axis for easy comprehension.

Using PowerPoint Features to Enhance Your Financial Presentation

PowerPoint offers many features that can enhance your financial presentation, such as animations, transitions, and multimedia. However, it is important to use these features sparingly and thoughtfully. You should only introduce multimedia elements that complement your financial data and reinforce your message. Animations and transitions can help to guide senior management’s attention to critical information and make the presentation more engaging.

Tips for Delivering a Successful Financial Presentation to Senior Management

Delivering a financial presentation to senior management can be a stressful experience. However, with proper preparation, you can deliver a successful presentation that leads to informed decisions. Ensure that you are confident and knowledgeable about your presentation. Practice your presentation, seek feedback, and rehearse with your team. Finally, be prepared to answer questions and clarify any issues that may arise.

Common Mistakes to Avoid When Creating Financial Presentations in PowerPoint

Creating financial presentations in PowerPoint is a complex process that can lead to several mistakes if not done correctly. Common mistakes include using too much data, using irrelevant visuals, or presenting inaccurate data. To avoid these mistakes, stick to your objectives, choose visuals that complement your message, and ensure that all data presented is accurate and relevant.

Best Practices for Designing Compelling Slides in PowerPoint

Designing compelling slides involves several best practices. You should ensure that all slides have a consistent design, use colors that complement each other, and have legible fonts. Additionally, you should limit the text on each slide and complement the text with the appropriate visuals. You can also use strategic headings and subheadings to guide the viewer’s focus to the most critical information.

Creating a Cohesive Narrative Using Storytelling Techniques

Storytelling is an effective technique that can help you present financial data in a way that senior management can relate to. It can create an emotional connection between senior management and the financial information, making it easier to understand. When using storytelling, use real-world examples, metaphors, and analogies to capture senior management’s attention and help them visualize the data.

Engaging Senior Management with Interactive Presentations

Interactive presentations can help senior management engage with the financial data and become more involved in the decision-making process. Interactive presentations can incorporate quizzes, surveys, and other interactive features that serve to increase engagement. Ensure that interactive presentations align with your objectives and complement your message.

Ensuring Clarity and Conciseness in Your Financial Presentations

When presenting financial information to senior management, it is essential to ensure clarity and conciseness in your presentation. Use simple, jargon-free language, and limit the amount of data you present per slide. Ensure that you present an overall clear narrative that aligns with your objectives, and that the presentation is easy to understand. Keep in mind that clarity and simplicity will aid senior management’s comprehension and lead to better decisions.

Creating financial presentations for senior management can be a daunting task. However, with the right tools and knowledge, you can create presentations that deliver results. By understanding the preferences and needs of senior management, setting clear goals and objectives, and using appropriate visual aids, you can create presentations that are clear, concise, and engaging. Remember to practice and rehearse your presentation, and be prepared to answer questions and clarify any issues that may arise. With these steps, you can create successful financial presentations that deliver value.

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10 Presentation Slides for More Effective HR Management

Imagine seamlessly incorporating data, charts, and key points into your HR management discussions, making your message not only informative but visually compelling.

In this article, we will delve into the power of these Smart Slides, which are designed to elevate your presentations and leave a lasting impact.

Get ready to explore a new way of presenting HR information that will impress and engage your colleagues and new hires.

Unleashing HR potential with Beautiful.ai

By leveraging Beautiful.ai's capabilities, human resource teams or people leaders can elevate their communication, ensuring it resonates with every stakeholder and employee. Smart Slides make it possible to visualize complex employee data in a digestible format, from diversity and inclusion statistics to performance reviews. 

This clarity in communication fosters better understanding and engagement from your team. When employees see their work and progress reflected in sleek, modern slides, it can boost morale and drive home the impact of their contributions.

Traditional slides often fail to engage, burdened with bulleted lists and dense paragraphs. However, with Beautiful.ai, you can turn these mundane moments into compelling stories. Imagine slides that dynamically adapt as you input key HR metrics, where charts animate to illustrate talent acquisition trends and company policies are outlined with clear, impactful visuals. This transformation is not just a visual upgrade—it's about making processes engaging. 

With pre-designed templates, you can quickly build presentations without starting from scratch every time. This means that whether you're reporting on recruitment metrics or updating training materials, you can do so with efficiency and consistency. By incorporating Smart Slide templates into their workflow, HR departments can streamline processes, reduce administrative burdens, and deliver high-quality presentations that drive results.

10 Presentation slides for more effective HR management

1. timeline.

Give your onboarding process a boost with our powerful Timeline slide template . This tool is designed to help you articulate your business plans, status updates, and next steps in an orderly and visual manner. It's an efficient way to keep your team up-to-date with project deadlines and to illustrate your company's past, present, and future events.

• Visual representation of major events over a period of time
• Helps conceptualize past, present, and future events
• Easy addition and rearrangement of milestones
• Library of free icons for customization

2. Org chart

Streamline your company's operations with our Org Chart slide . This Smart Slide is designed to help you keep track of changing roles or employees and share employee contact information company-wide. It’s beneficial not only for management—who need insights into hours per department, promotions, and team resources—but also for employees who need important information.

• Multiple chart styles to suit your organization's size and needs
• Regular updates to ensure accurate information
• Easy-to-read fonts, colors, and sizes for enhanced readability

3. Gantt chart

This Smart Slide design intuitively represents the onboarding journey, helping you communicate effectively with your new hires. It's smart, simple, and designed for you.

• Interactive Gantt chart for task tracking
• Color-coding for easy task categorization
• Pre-designed templates to jumpstart your onboarding process

4. Full video 

With Beautiful.ai's Full Video template, you can simplify the process of communicating HR policies and procedures and immerse your new hires in the company culture right from day one. Our template is an excellent tool for HR teams looking to incorporate video into their onboarding process.

• Seamlessly introduce your company's story, values, and team
• Streamline complicated onboarding information into digestible video content
• Keep the attention of your new hires with engaging visual narratives

5. Word cloud

Word Cloud Smart Slide template is an innovative tool designed to visually represent your company's mission, values, and other key elements. It is an effective way of highlighting the most crucial aspects of your organization for new hires. The bigger and bolder the word, the more important it is to your company. 

• An engaging and interactive way to showcase your company's mission and values
• Easily customizable with your desired words and phrases
• Create stunning visualizations of important textual data
• Ideal for HR presentations, sales proposals, and marketing reports

6. Calendar

Redefine your planning and scheduling with our customizable Calendar slides , which provide a unique way to share important onboarding dates or hiring milestones with your team. A calendar slide makes more of an impact than a long list of dates in bullet points and can be easier to read at a glance.

• Share important dates or milestones with ease
• Organize your schedule into a calendar format
• Avoid overcrowding with event descriptions with our customizable tools
• Ideal for all team sizes: Individual power users, small/medium businesses, and large organizations 

Put faces to names with our Team slide , whether introducing a new hire to the team or introducing a team to an interview candidate. A team slide is a visual depiction of your company's members and is a resource that constantly needs updating. 

• Special callouts for new hires
• Onboard new employees
• Introduce team members to each other and showcase what they do

Photos add a look into culture, values, and brand. Having a dedicated photo slide breaks up the cadence of information, and can be a welcomed break from slides filled with words or metrics. From an HR perspective, including photo slides in decks like new hire onboarding, staffing updates, and quarterly policy updates can inject personality and fun. 

• Give a look into company culture with team photos
• Add visual interest
• Introduce new hires to the team

9. Pictograph

A pictograph template uses repeating rows or a grid of icons to represent data. Also called an icon chart, picture chart, or pictogram, pictographs display data in a simple, compelling way. It also introduces a new way to visualize HR reporting . 

• Add variety and visual interest to your presentation
• Make statistics memorable and impactful
• Show the status of onboarding a new hire 

10. Process diagram

Process diagrams are used to document, improve, or model a new process–especially helpful when employees are learning processes for the first time. 

• Standardize a process for optimal efficiency and repeatability
• Document a process for better understanding, quality control, and training of employees
• Model a new process for employees and teams

Incorporating these Smart Slides into your HR management arsenal can transform mundane moments into compelling stories and ensure that your message resonates with every stakeholder and employee. Whether you're reporting on recruitment metrics, updating training materials, or introducing new hires to the team, these templates offer efficiency, consistency, and a visually engaging experience.

As you prepare your next HR presentation, consider the impact that Smart Slides can have on your communication effectiveness. Elevate your presentations with Beautiful.ai and unleash the full potential of your HR department's communication strategy.

Isabelle Nicole

Isabelle is a freelance content writer and filmmaker based in Los Angeles.

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