How to: Present to Senior Managers

What does this look like?

Someone who’s comfortable presenting to more senior managers:

• presents confidently
• understands how senior managers think and work
• speaks the language of senior managers and responds to their needs
• crafts their ideas in such a way that they’re seen as positive and appropriate.

How can I do this?

1.    Manage your nerves

• Be well-prepared.
• List your worst fears. Imagine yourself in those situations and mentally rehearse how you would recover.
• Take note of physical reactions such as sweating, stuttering, mispronounced words, a flushed face, a growling stomach and running out of breath when you talk.
• If you’re feeling nervous, pause and take a deep breath. Silence is OK. Refer to your notes.
• Remember that you have reason to be confident—you probably know more about the topic you’re presenting than your audience does. They’ve all been in your position at one time too. All you can do is your best.

2.    Practice, practice, practice

• Keep rehearsing your presentation until it’s as natural as possible.
• Vary your tone and volume. Don’t speak in monotone.
• Spend no more than 5 – 10 minutes on each major point.
• Be sure to make your key points clear and memorable.
• Allow time for questions and unexpected reactions.

3.    Visit the venue beforehand

• If you can, visit the venue beforehand and practice your presentation there.
• Tailor your presentation to suit the set up. Think about:
• how easily you’ll be heard and whether you’ll need to speak up
• where to stand so everyone can see you
• whether your presentation can be seen from the back of the room. If not, increase the font size on slides and reduce the amount of content per slide.

4.    Be succinct

• Keep your presentation time to a minimum. Try to take less time than you’ve been allocated.
• Avoid unnecessary detail. People can ask for more information if they want it.
• Prepare summary slides with key points.
• Carefully plan what you need to say.

5.    Be prepared to answer questions

• Think ahead about questions you might be asked and rehearse your answers.
• Ask someone else to read your presentation and think of questions they’d ask.
• If you don’t know the answer to a question, don’t make one up. Most high-level managers don’t mind if you say, ‘I don’t know but I’ll get back to you on that.’
• If someone doesn’t agree with your view, check they’ve understood it property and clarify if you need to. If they have understood and still disagree, then accept that you have different views. Listen carefully to their objections and respond logically in 30 seconds or less per point.
• Give succinct answers. Don’t repeat your entire argument.
• Try not to appear defensive.

6.    Find a confidant

• Ask someone in top management who you know and trust for advice on how you could improve the way you interact with them and the rest of the team.
• If you’re feeling anxious, talk to a trusted colleague and ask for feedback on your presentation.
• Talk to someone who’s comfortable presenting to more senior managers and ask for some tips.

7.    Identify what makes you uncomfortable

• It’s normal to feel more comfortable with some senior managers than others. If there are managers who make you feel uncomfortable, try to identify what it is specifically that you don’t respond well to. Think about how you could respond differently.
• Try not to take responses from senior managers personally. Focus on the problem to be solved.

8.    Get to know senior managers

• Take opportunities to get to know more senior managers, especially in different settings like morning teas or open forums. This can help you to feel more comfortable interacting with them at work.
• Find out how top managers think:
• consider who their stakeholders are
• look at the competencies expected of senior managers and think about what you can do differently to better align with those competencies
• think about the strategic objectives they have to meet. They tend to be less tactical or operational in their thinking.

You may find this challenging if you…

• lack self-confidence in front of more senior people
• appear nervous and tense when presenting
• lose your composure when questioned by executives
• find it hard to adapt to your audience
• don’t understand what top executives are looking for.

You’re not managing relationships with senior managers effectively if you are…

• managing up too much
• seen as overly ambitious and political
• spending too much time with senior managers and overestimate the usefulness of the relationships
• too free with confidential information