Chelsi Nakano
May 02, 2016
When presenting to senior management, it’s easy to forget that the DNA of an internal audience matters just as much as that of an external one. After all, a crowd of strangers is tough, but a room full of higher-ups is tough and responsible for the success of your company. With their extra-critical eye in mind, here are a few tips for creating presentations specifically for leadership.
- Time is of the essence. Senior management generally has a massive daily agenda, so present the value of your idea first, rather than build up to an AHA! moment.
- This team of people is responsible for making huge, high-stake decisions in a timely manner. Make sure whatever idea you’re presenting includes the data to back it up, whether or not you’re actually covering that data in your talk.
- It might seem like you’re in a room full of sharks, but your success means leadership’s success. Make helping you achieve their goals easier by presenting how your idea fits in with the current budget and strategy.
- Reserve plenty of time for Q&A, and expect some tough questions. Make sure your presentation is designed in a way that makes it easy to go back and delve deeper into different subject matter–like non-linearly instead of with slides.
In fact, in our recent webinar with Spencer Waldron, Regional Marketing Manager of Prezi Western Europe, he recommended giving more time to Q&A (70%!) than anything else. For any audience, Q&A is when they get to ask what they really want to know, not what you chose to present to them.
Check the video below for more details on these tips, plus a similar dive into tips on how to present (whether in person or remote), and balancing data and story for your execs.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z00j14q_U0A
