The Big Dogs value content above all else in an executive presentation, and that means substantive, clear thinking; incisive analysis; and data that supports it.

Successful mid-level executives of large organizations are usually smart, type-A people aspiring to top company positions – but they aren’t there yet. These up-and-coming leaders are decisive, self-confident, quick-thinking and often excellent public speakers when addressing peers and subordinates. When asked to make presentations to the top brass, the C-level “Big Dogs” in the executive conference room, all that can change. First-time presenters are often both thrilled and terrified. They know the stakes are always high at the Big Dog level, and they want to do their very best.

What many of these invited presenters don’t know, however, is that profoundly different rules apply when one is speaking up the organization as opposed to down it. Techniques that are appropriate and effective when addressing one’s own troops can have disastrous results when briefing the Big Dogs.

This information comes from the best possible source: 17 C-level executives of major corporations who were interviewed, at length, to determine exactly what they want to hear and see in an executive briefing. Although there are no guarantees, your chances for success will dramatically increase if you utilize the information that follows. Not using it will almost certainly result in failure to win support from the Big Dogs.

Content Is Paramount
Senior executives are extremely intelligent, competitive and decisive. By their own admission, they’re natural multi-taskers, impatient and almost have ADD. But make no mistake: they are where they are because they’re the very best at what they do. The Big Dogs value content above all else in an executive presentation, and that means substantive, clear thinking; incisive analysis; and data that supports it. Surprisingly, they’re willing to overlook shortcomings in a presentation to focus on content that identifies the right opportunities. Moreover, they want material given to them quickly. Arm waving, charisma, stories and anecdotes won’t win points with this crowd. According to Felicia Marcus, COO of The Trust for Public Land, “The main point is, get to the point. It’s not a mystery story.”

Cindy Skrivanek is a human resource consultant at LSI Logic Corp., a leading information technology company based in Milpitas, Calif. She makes frequent presentations to the company’s executive staff and would agree with Marcus. “The senior executives are incredibly busy people,” Skrivanek says. “They’re always in a time crunch. We have to be concise and give them what they need so they can make their decisions and move on to the next item.”

Time is a precious commodity for senior executives. Their schedules are brutal; they work long hours and travel frequently. Harold Fethe, former executive vice president of Alza Corp., elaborates, “This group has to get tremendous decision volume through their meeting time together ... the luxury of being together for that short time is a daily, weekly, tense reality. You need to respect it and get up to that level of urgency.” This is the environment you, as a presenter, will be entering.

Do Your Homework
Strategy is a critical component of a successful presentation, and that requires lots of advance homework. Since top-level decisions always require buy-in and support from many corporate levels, it’s essential to interview every department potentially affected by your proposal.

“If you walk into the room and expect me to make a $10 million decision, but you haven’t even talked to the person who has to implement it, you can’t possibly expect me to make that decision,” says Ginger Graham, president and CEO of Amylin Pharmaceuticals. Seek out those people who will be implementing it. Invite their suggestions, criticism, candor and scrutiny. Answer all their questions and concerns.

“In Japanese business culture, this is called ‘nemawashi,’” says Skrivanek. Nemawashi is the foundation-laying process of gathering feedback, support and talking to people who will be affected by a proposed change. “Part of it is strategy, and part is just simple professional courtesy to one’s peers,” she adds. “It’s good to give other departments a preview of what may be coming. Nobody likes being surprised by a big decision.”

Good preparation also requires a broader understanding of company issues and knowing how a specific proposal fits into that picture. “If I’m not aware of the global company issues,” Skrivanek says, “it damages my credibility and completely wastes the executive team’s time.”

Find a mentor to assist you, preferably someone higher in the organization that supports your proposal. That person should have experience briefing the Big Dogs and can evaluate the presentation in its advance stages. A peer group of co-workers is equally important. Be sure to include some people who have done what you are doing. Ask them to check your analysis for factual errors and inconsistencies and to help you practice delivering your presentation and answering questions.

Find out who will be in the meeting. What are the boardroom alliances, rivalries and politics? Who is likely to support and/or oppose you? What other presentations are on the agenda that day? What issues or business decisions will precede your briefing? Where does your proposal fit in the overall picture? Walking into a Big Dog briefing without this knowledge can be a prescription for failure.

Each senior executive processes information in a slightly different way. Some like charts, while other prefer bar graphs, columns of numbers or visual images. Find out what the learning styles of each of the Big Dogs are. Then, “slice and dice” your data accordingly. Fethe stresses the importance of a presentation’s inner consistency and accuracy, especially in the data. “You are speaking to folks who can do math on the fly and, in fact, when they get bored, that’s what they do,” Fethe says. Making a numeric or an analytical error in one’s presentation isn’t like making a grammatical error – it’s far worse. How much worse? “It can be enough to undermine your entire analysis in the minds of the executives at the meeting,” adds Fethe.

One last point: The Big Dogs want to be prepared for your presentation, too. You’ve been invited to their meeting because they want to hear what you have to say. Be sure to send them a summary or a white paper of your presentation well in advance of the meeting. That allows them to give thoughtful consideration to it, prepare questions and be at their best during your presentation. It will make for a stronger presentation in every respect: for you, for the Big Dogs and for the company.

Tool of Management
“The most important thing for me to remember,” Skrivanek says, “is that I’m a tool of management. My job is to go in and give the senior executives information, lay out a set of options, or maybe to ask for a decision – and then leave. I’m not in the room to be their buddy or to get pats on the back. A presentation isn’t a personal development opportunity or a chance for increased visibility. I’m there to do a job, and that job is to help prepare the executives to make the best possible decisions for the company.”

While it’s true that content is more important than style in the boardroom, no CEO interviewed said they preferred a bad speaker. Given a choice, however, most choose content over style every time. They expect the invited presenter to be experienced, competent and, perhaps, even an excellent public speaker.

Rick Gilbert  is the founder and president of PowerSpeaking Inc., a company that helps clients become leaders in their field by improving their communication skills through a variety of training programs. PowerSpeaking Inc. is located in Redwood City, Calif. For more information, please call 800-828-1909, or visit www.powerspeaking.com.