Peak Performers by Tiffany Uman

How to present to executives with confidence

September 4, 2023

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Effective communication is the most important skill to elevate your career as a peak performer.

Knowing how and when to adapt your communication style is an art that propels you far when done right.

Presenting to executives are moments-of-truth that test your confidence and authority in your role. These are opportunities to elevate yourself and gain their alignment to support you best. Executive presentations aren't just about sharing information; they're about influencing decisions, inspiring action, and showcasing your leadership abilities.

"Only the prepared speaker deserves to be confident" - Dale Carnegie

As a former Senior Director at L'Oréal, I've had to deliver countless presentations to both my local leadership team as well as to our North American presidents.

These meetings at first made me feel extremely stressed. The pressure to deliver and excel were overwhelmingly real. Along the way, I shifted my perspective:

I stopped thinking of these moments as me vs. my leadership team
I started viewing these moments as us vs. the opportunity / problem / challenge.

Doing so helped me realize that my leadership was seeking, or more importantly, needed my insights to move forward. In other words, I played a pivotal role in the decision-making process.

You see, peak performers recognize that executives are not out to get them but, rather, depend on their teams to properly inform them to make optimal decisions for the business.

Mastering your communication skills when face-to-face with executives doesn't need to be complicated.

Here's how.

Overcome your nerves

The most common hurdle when presenting to executives is one's nerves.

Indeed, speaking to executives can be intimidating; the stakes are high and the importance of making a lasting impression are tangible. You must actively work on keeping your anxiety at bay in these pivotal moments.

After all, confidence is not only a desirable quality; it's a critical component of effective communication with leadership.

Here are 4 ways to confidently overcome the apprehension you experience when engaging with executives:

1/ Preparation as a confidence catalyst

Peak performers view profound preparation as the antidote to the nervousness that accompanies any high-stakes presentation.

→ Research extensively to gain a deep understanding of the topic, audience, and objectives of the conversation. The more you know going into your presentation, the more you can pinpoint where to focus your speech.

→ Rehearse rigorously by practicing key points, responses to potential questions, and the flow of your conversation. I highly recommend rehearsing your presentation out loud to pinpoint elements you can improve upon, or adjust in your delivery, beforehand.

→ Visualize yourself speaking with confidence and topic mastery. Imagine yourself engaging with executives as they listen to you share insights intently. Doing so will help reduce any unnecessary pressure you place upon yourself and rather bring your best self forward.

2/ Focus on value, not perfection

Set realistic expectations by recognizing that executives value substance over flawless delivery.

→ Embrace authenticity to allow your passion for the topic to shine through. Connect with your audience on a human level. How you make someone feel when you present holds even more weight than the words you say. Do not discount the importance of this. Prioritize key messages by identifying the core points you want to convey and ensure they are clear and impactful.

"...people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel." - Maya Angelou

3/ Deep breathing

Before and during your presentation, take slow, deep breaths to calm your nervous system. Stay focused on the present moment rather than worry what's to follow after the meeting.

Remember, your executive team is there to support and challenge you, to ensure you work together in determining the right path forward for the organization. This is inherently their job.

4/ Reframe nervousness as excitement

Cognitive reframing is essential to remain in control of your emotions and nerves.

Instead of thinking “I’m so nervous”, tell yourself “I’m so excited to share my insights”.

It's important to view speaking to executives as an opportunity for growth and to showcase your expertise. After all, you are closest to the area of the business / subject matter for which you are presenting about; the leadership team is counting on you to share updates and insights that they themselves need thanks to you.

3 strategies to adopt when presenting to executives

There are 3 core strategies that peak performers implement to maximize their impact and delivery for executive presentations. Let's break them down together.

1/ Take an audience-centric approach

Executives are busy and results-driven. They're also extremely sharp, thinking ten steps ahead.

Peak performers put themselves in the shoes of their audience to understand their priorities, pain points and goals on a deeper level. This ensures that the flow of speech, visual supports and targeted outcomes are well thought through in advance.

Peak performers never wing an executive presentation. Instead, they're clear on the outcome they seek and use this to reverse-engineer what needs to be shared.

Here's 3 action steps to support you best in this:

→ Adapt your tone

Executives are not only concerned with the content of the message but also the manner in which it's conveyed. A well-calibrated tone underpins flexibility, allowing you to mirror the energy of the room or inject enthusiasm when discussing strategic initiatives.

By skillfully modulating tone, you can strike the right chord, paving the way for receptive ears, fostering a culture of open dialogue, and forging connections that drive impactful decisions.

For example, deliver your information in a more direct fashion and one that brings a strong level of professionalism. Avoid filler words like "um" or "like" which diminish the confidence you portray. Be sure to end your statements on a downwards tone to reinforce certainty in your voice.

→ Actively listen

The ability to truly hear and understand the concerns, perspectives, and underlying needs of executives demonstrates a profound level of respect and engagement.

Active listening goes beyond simply hearing their words; it involves understanding the true nature of their questions, grasping the nuances of their thoughts and responding thoughtfully.

Active listening will allow you to foster meaningful connections, build rapport, and tailor your messages to precisely address the priorities of your executive audience. This approach not only ensures that presentations are relevant and impactful, but also reflects a commitment to collaboration and partnership – qualities that resonate deeply with leadership teams.

→ Maintain good body language

Your choice of non-verbal cues play a big role in the impression you leave on your audience. Strong, positive body language becomes an essential tool in helping you build credibility, express your emotions, and connect with your executive team. It also helps them to focus more intently on you and what you're saying.

Avoid distracting hand movements or gestures that get in the way of your delivery. Maintain good eye contact. Gauge your audience's body language as this grants you insight into how your executive team is receiving your message (i.e. do they look confused, are they nodding along, do they look bored?...). From here, decide whether you need to switch things up from your initial plan or stay the course.

2/ Be concise and impactful in your messaging

Executives value their time more than anything. As a result, delivering succinct and powerful messages that convey information clearly and efficiently is a must.

This is not the time to share every detail under the sun, or go into great depth that steers you away from the primary goal of your presentation.

Here's 5 key factors to ensure your message isn't just communicated well, but also lands with your audience in the way it was intended:

→ Bring forward the most relevant details to facilitate your goal of the presentation

Less is always more when presenting to executives. You're far better off sharing less and then gauging if more detail is desired vs. oversharing and opening up a can of worms that becomes hard to backpedal from. For example, if you require approval on an aspect of your project, build a business case consisting of only the most pertinent information to help them make a decision faster. Weave out unnecessary fluff and stay focused on what truly matters to get from your point A to point B.

→ Be data-driven and fact-based

Integrate statistics, quantitative backing or qualitative insights that help the leadership team connect the dots. You want your executives to see easily that you've covered your bases and have thought critically about what you're presenting to them.

→ Leverage storytelling

Build a story that provides initial context of the situation, opportunity or problem. You can integrate a strong hook, surprising fact, provocative question or bold statement to open up your presentation. From here, layer on considerations or reflections of your ideas to facilitate your decision making model. Finally, conclude with your ideal recommendation and reasoning as to why you want to move forward in this way.

→ Integrate visuals wisely

Incorporate charts, graphs or visuals only if they add value to your presentation and reinforce your message. Be cautious and avoid incorporating too much information on slides that may lead your executives to jump ahead, giving them control of your flow and presentation.

→ Simple words > fancy words

Despite executives being more seasoned in some ways, there's no need to use fancy or elaborate words to deliver your message. Simple is always better. It allows for a clear and direct delivery. Do not add complexity to your message to "sound smart" - they will see through it and this will backfire on you.

3/ Anticipate and address questions smoothly

Most professionals focus 90% of their time on the presentation itself and 10 % on anticipating questions. Pro tip - the split should be 50/50.

Why?

The real showcase of your character, authority and leadership in your role shines through during the questions and answers period. This is where you need to think on your feet and keep your composure. It's not the time to get flustered and disoriented.

Peak performers prepare for all possible questions, objections or rebuttals. They are not only ready to answer effectively but also bring additional insights to support their desired outcome from the presentation.

→ Play devil's advocate

Intentionally find holes in your presentation. Ask yourself "what might I have missed?", "is there anything I overlooked?", "what should I still consider?". Guaranteed, you will find additional considerations to incorporate either in your presentation or in preparation for questions you may receive. Be ready.

→ Pre-vet your ideas with other internal leaders

Identify your internal champions and relevant leaders who can provide you with objective feedback on your presentation and recommendations. Share with them what you plan to present and gauge any challenges or objections they raise. Integrate their input to have their full support and backing when the real moment - the executive presentation - takes place.

→ Prepare your answers

Proactively craft concise and confident responses that address concerns you may receive from your executive team. Decide who on your team will take on which types of questions. For example, determine between you and your boss who will answer what to avoid speaking over, or contradicting, one another.

How will you choose to show up?

Mastering executive presentations is an art that requires practice, preparation, empathy and confidence. Peak performers stand out by crafting audience-centric messages, delivering impactful content concisely, leveraging data effectively, and expertly addressing questions.

By incorporating these strategies into your presentation toolkit, you’ll be well positioned to captivate and influence executive audiences time and time again.

You've got this!

This week’s mission comes in three actionable steps. Set aside some time with a notepad and recording app, take a few minutes to dive in, and use this work to help you prepare to leave a lasting impression during your next executive presentation.

1/ Think about an executive meeting you regularly attend within your organization and jot down the following key observations:

What is the frequency of this meeting (i.e. weekly, monthly, quarterly, annually)?
Who typically attends this meeting and what are specific traits about each of the attendees and executives? Be specific!
Who typically leads the meeting, when am I expected to contribute and what specifically are the executives interested in hearing, knowing and learning from what I have to say?
What are recurring questions that arise for this specific meeting?
What key metrics are discussed time-and-again during these meetings?

2/ Carefully consider your past performances during this meeting. Honestly assess your strengths and weaknesses as you ask yourself the following:

What do I excel at prior to, and during, the meeting? (e.g. slides, composure, tone of voice)?
Where do I fall short frequently? (e.g. opening hooks are weak, I freeze up during the Q&A, executive A in particular intimidates me the most, etc.)
What is the one topic that worries me the most? (e.g. project updates, P&L or budget reviews, gaining approvals, what questions I'll be asked, etc.)

3/ Now, combine your answers from questions 1/ and 2/ to bridge your gaps and opportunity areas.

Believe it or not, you'll likely need to repeat step 3 more than once. The process of doing so - iterating and reiterating your above reflections - will solidify how you should best approach your observations from 1/ and shortcomings from 2/. This will, in turn, allow you to show up as your best self when presenting to executives and elevate your needed confidence level.

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