How to Win Over the Executive Team with Your First Presentation: Essential Tips and Techniques

I don’t know about you, but I grew up in company cultures with a “no spectators” policy when it came to senior leadership meetings. So, when an up-and-coming junior leader had his or her first opportunity to present to the senior leadership team, they had no personal experience from which to draw. One school of thought was to send them in to sink or swim… it “builds character” right? Not really, and especially not with this new generation of leaders. I much prefer a “building confidence” approach. 

I considered it an important part of my job, as a “leader of leaders” to make sure my team members were well prepared (with their pitch as well as their mindset) to have a good first experience presenting at this level. While much of the advice I gave was pitch-specific, below are seven of the most important tips I gave to every first-timer to help prepare them for the occasion.

1.      Be “Carnac the Magnificent”. Anticipate, to the extent possible, the topics you might get parked on. This one is important, so don’t be shy about getting help from your boss, a peer who has been there before, or your mentor. Some of these topics might not be terribly important in the context of your pitch. You need to be ready to respectfully prod the conversation along. Some might be very relevant and important… for those, make sure to have your backup data handy. (For you youngsters, here’s some background on Carnac…. https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/tribute-carnac-magnificent-bryan-flanagan/)

2.      Know when to hold ‘em, know when to fold ‘em. Read the room. Know when it is time to move on, even if you haven’t finished your voice-over on a slide. Some common signs from your audience include nodding heads, turning to the next page, etc. It might be that you already have agreement on the issue, or simply that you have made your point and need to pick up your pace. 

3.      FYI, you’re a donut. It’s the leadership team’s job to probe about things you might not have considered. I’ve heard it described as “finding the hole in the donut”. It’s really nothing to be afraid or ashamed of. In fact, embrace it. It means they are interested in and engaged with your subject matter.

4.      “Just the facts, ma’am.” You will undoubtedly get questions. You're a donut, remember?? However, ANSWER ONLY THE QUESTION YOU WERE ASKED. Resist the urge to add additional information or color commentary. They already know you are smart by virtue of you being there. No need to try and prove it… and potentially start a conversation thread you didn’t want to have at the moment.  If asked, “Do you know what time it is?”, your answer should be, “Yes, I do.” Obviously a bit of an exaggeration for effect, but the point is... if they want more detail, they will ask for it.

5.      You’re not ChatGPT. It is fine to NOT have an answer for every question. No one can be that thoroughly prepared, so don’t improvise or offer up conjecture. A perfectly acceptable reply might be, “I don’t know, but I will follow up and get you the answer”. You might even get a pass if it was just curiosity.

6.      Recruit a scribe. If possible, have someone else take notes for you, with particular emphasis on documenting open issues, information requests, and other follow-up items. Your natural tendency, if you're doing this yourself, will be to quickly scratch out something short and vague to get back to the pitch, and your memory might not be able to fill in the gaps. Trust me, you will want detail and context when it’s time to follow up.

7.      No, wait! Don’t leave! When you have completed your presentation (don't forget to review the meeting notes), and there are no more substantive issues left open, GO FOR THE CLOSE. Something like, “If there are no more questions or concerns, I would like to get started on this next week.” This is your opportunity to document consensus with all the stakeholders sitting in the same room. You might not get that chance again. Worst case, you will uncover any unspoken concerns and have the opportunity to address them. There is nothing more frustrating for both you and the leadership team than leaving the meeting without agreement on next steps.

New leaders will have plenty of opportunities for learning things the hard way. Being confident in front of and communicating effectively with their own senior leadership, in my opinion, should not be one of them. This is certainly a departure from the “tough love” philosophy those in my generation (and before) were raised in professionally. But this is a new generation of leaders in our care, with different needs and expectations. Those companies who are willing to adapt to meet them will find themselves with a deep bench of capable successors.