Tips for Creating Successful Executive Presentations

Tips for Creating Successful Executive PresentationsTips for Creating Successful Executive PresentationsAn invitation to present your ideas or your proposal to the executive management team is a great opportunity to make a positive impression on the people who have a voice in your future. If this is your first time presenting to this group, it pays to know your audience and set yourself up for success with proper planning. 6 Things You Should Know About Executives They appreciate well-prepared presentations Executives appreciate discovering anspruchsvoll new voices in the business and they will be paying close attention to you. Come prepared to deliver.Youre always on the clock when you are in front of executives While theyre interested in what you have to say, their attention spans are short. Use your allotted time carefully.Dont assume youre pitching to a team We tend to think of them as the executive team however, they are better described as a collection of smart, successful functional experts who come together from time-to-time to engage on the big issues facing the business. Roughly translated, if youre selling them on a new proposal, you will have to sell them one at a time. Know their hot-buttons Executives focus on costs, returns, and trade-offs. While you might be excited about the incredible benefits your new program offers for customers, theyre thinking How much will this cost? Or, What will I have to give up to support this initiative?Executives love data-driven discussions and recommendations Theyll descend upon your numbers outlining costs and returns like a pack of hungry wolves. However, if you bring questionable or confusing data to the meeting, it is possible you will lose an extremity. Executives are always hunting for great talent Emphasis on always. Work hard to make a great impression. Tips to Making a Great First Impression Put these tips to work to improve your odds of making a good impression Carefully construct, support, and p ractice your katecheseA simple exercise for distilling your message down to its component parts is called message mapping. Heres how you do it Draw a circle in the center of a sheet of paper. This is your core message. It should be no longer than one or two sentences. Yes, its difficult to distill your message down to a few brief sentences, but you must. The time invested now will pay dividends in your live presentation.Surround your core message with three or, at most, four additional circles. Fill these in with the primary data points that support your core message. This might be market research, customer feedback, competitor data, or your own projections. If needed, go just one layer deeper and attach supporting data for the supporting data.Learn to use this message map in both directions. Describe your core message and supporting points, or describe a supporting point and connect it to your core message. The map works in both directions. Practice it like a politician preparing f or a debate. Ensure your message focuses on opportunity development or burden relief Executives are interested in strengthening their ability to compete for and retain customers and reduce costs. Make certain your value proposition is tight.Do leid sugarcoat risks in your presentation On the contrary, a well-developed list of potential risks and a risk mitigation strategy show the executives that you are thinking about everything.Carefully prepare meaningful, simple visualsHave several people- including your boss- review them for quality, clarity, and completeness. Now is not the time for animation magic. Make certain that the visuals use text sparingly and numbers carefully. Mentally divide your time allotment in half Know how much time you have been allocated and plan to use only half of it.Bring itExecutives look for confidence, clarity, and completeness of thought when listening to the ideas and proposals from employees. Your message and your body language must support the notio n that you are confident about your ideas.The harder you work, the more relaxed you will be Practice your presentation until it is natural. Your confidence will be contagious.If you are uncomfortable presenting, fix-it in a hurry Chances are its too late to seek formal training or coaching, so recruit a buddy you trust to offer critical feedback and run through the presentation with him/her. Avoid this in the future by signing up for speaking training or joining a local Toastmasters group. Leverage a subtle power move If possible, grab a marker and get to the whiteboard. This is a presentation power-tip. By doing this, you involve and engage the audience and showcase your confidence and expertise.When it comes to questions, remember the message map If you put the time into crafting a thorough message map, it is the go-to source for answering questions. Reiterate supporting data and always tie the data to the core message.If you do not know an answer to a question, do not make the an swer up. I dont know, is perfectly acceptable, especially when it is followed by, But I will find out and loop back with the team immediately. Passion for your topic is positiveExecutives love to hear and feel the passion in your presentation. If you believe in something, make certain you use all of your faculties to communicate your commitment. Your passion for your project is impressive and contagious.No surprises pleaseIf your request involves resources or budgets from multiple groups within the firm, the executive presentation is not the time to spring this as a surprise. Work ahead of your presentation to line-up support from your counterparts in other departments. The Bottom Line We all know you only get one chance to make a first impression. When it comes to your first invitation to present to the executives, it pays to work overtime to prepare.