Executive level presentations can entail all the challenges of scaling Mount Everest: the footing is slippery, balance is critical and the drop is a long way down.
This series of tips will help you make a few tweaks to your presentation practices so you can perform successfully at the altitude of the C-Suite.
TIP #5: ANALYZE YOUR AUDIENCE
This is a fundamental best practice for all presentations, but nowhere is it more critical than with a C-Level audience.
Do your homework before the presentation to discover how the executives in your audience like to receive information. Does the CFO, for example, need time to analyze the financial implications of what you’ve presented before being asked to make a decision? Does the CEO prefer to see an agenda before the presentation? Does the CIO want charts and graphs rather than bullet points?
Uncover this information by analyzing previous presentations you’ve made to this audience or asking colleagues who have presented to them. Understanding C-Level needs helps you structure your presentation to address them. It also minimizes the likelihood of losing your footing and other unpleasant surprises.
C-Level Presentation Tip #4: Beware of Too Much Detail
C-Level Presentation Tip #3: Expect and Be Happy About Interruptions
C-Level Presentation Tip #2: Link to Business Issues
C-Level Presentation Tip #1: Start with Conclusions
Photo Credit:
flickr/Deetrak C.C. 2.0


Remembering the Presentation Brilliance of Steve Jobs
Jobs' ability to captivate an audience, the elegance of his "one big idea", his passion, his focus on the visual and his rehearsal ethic are all worthy of imitation.
Over the next days, weeks and perhaps months, the media will offer an abundance of clips and excerpts from Jobs' many presentations.
Listen. Watch. Learn.
Steve Jobs R.I.P.
"Good-night, sweet prince. And flights of angels sing thee to thy rest." *
* Hamlet, Act V, Scene II
Photo Credit:
flickr/COG LOG LAB C.C. 2.0
Posted by Kathy Reiffenstein on October 06, 2011 in Commentary, Presentation Style | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
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