
In today’s business world, presentations and public speaking are required in many trades. In a managerial position, you need to perform task delegated by your senior management executives.
They look for those they can trust. Suppose you are entrusted to do a task. When you have worked hard on your entrusted task, your presentation becomes your showcase of your ability and public speaking skill.
When it comes to presenting, knowing how to present to senior management executives within your own company or in another company is going to have an impact on your career. Here are six tips that will be useful the next time you are going to present to a CEO, Senior VP, VP, etc. The tips are given based on the assumption that the presentation is held in a boardroom or meeting room where the size of the audience is small and there are interactions.
1. Preparations Your senior management executives are busy people. They may be so busy that they do not have the time to read the information given to them prior to the meeting. So you do not waste their time. Be well prepared with all your information and data. Anticipate likely questions and be prepared for them. Prepare additional materials to support your answers. Your extra effort will impress the seniors as they know you are well prepared thus gaining their trust in your proposal or analysis. Rehearse your presentation as many times as you can as practice makes perfect. Get a peer to be your audience. You gain confidence as you rehearse. You will be seen as knowledgeable and confident. This helps in your career advancement.
2. Know your audience Know your audience in terms of their knowledge of your topic. This helps you to decide how much time you need to spend on background information.
3. Speech and Manner Speak naturally, varying your pitch to emphasize important points. Do not use monotone as it is a lullaby. Try to sound conversational. Pause between sentences. Look at your audience. Answer questions truthfully. If you don not have the answer, say so and promise to give the answer later. Do not feel intimidated when you face a barrage of questions. Just take it that the executives are very interested in your content. Take it that they need to fully understand your plan before giving their approval.
4. Usage of time Start the presentation by informing what is the agenda and the objective of the meeting. Senior management executivesí time is valuable. Deliver your content within the scheduled time. Get to the main points before the presentation is derailed. Allot ample time for discussion or questions. This allows the senior executives to plan the next step of action.
5. Slides If you are using slides, be flexible in the order of the slides sequence. Do not use too many slides. Slides should contain key points in a short and clear manner. Do not just read your slides and avoid using jargons. Ensure all visual and audio equipment which you are going to use are functioning and you know how to operate them.
6. Keep it simple Make your presentation short and lively. Focus on your main points. Describe the benefits of your recommendations when adopted. Present the benefits clearly. This enable your senior management executive audience to understand and decide on your proposals or recommendations.