Knowing your audience: What to know when presenting to senior management

You are about to present to a room of executives. 

You have been preparing for hours, if not days. 

There is so much you want to say and you don’t want to leave out any details. So you come into an executive meeting with your 30 page deck, your scripts of notes and ready to go. However part way through you look throughout the room and see a bunch of disengaged faces. Attention is lost and you come out of the meeting wondering if you accomplished what you wanted to. 

The problem… you said too much. 

This is my experience through countless presentations. I was so focused on sharing every detail to convince my audience, when I didn’t focus on the information my audience wanted and how they wanted it, in turn I lost attention and didn’t accomplish what I wanted to.

What I have learned:

✔️ Set the stage

• Start with an agenda that is an overview of what you are going to talk about and how the presentation will work. I will often start by saying “today, you will see X, we will not be going through Y today”. This sets expectations right from the beginning and helps with the flow of your presentation.
  

✔️ Channel your confidence 

• Practice speaking with presence. Try not to be nervous, speak articulately, clearly, with good pacing and confidence. You want to channel your leadership presence. If this is difficult for you, practice well in advance. Several times if needed.
  

✔️ Send in advance 

• When possible, I send a pre-read. This shows you are prepared and lets your audience skim through the material if they want to. This also minimizes you needing to go over every detail and can instead focus on providing real-time insight and facilitating informed discussion.
  

✔️ Use the appendix

• Unless you are presenting to data focused teams, put your background research and raw data in an appendix and use your presentation to summarize. You want to focus outcomes from the data, not granular details. This shows your understanding of the subject matter and you can send the presentation after if they want a deep dive.
  

✔️ Speak to your audience

• If you are presenting to a high level executive, present what they need to know and be clear on outcomes and next steps. How you present to technology teams may be different then how you present to sales. Know what their drivers are and tailor your presentation accordingly.
  

✔️ Stick to time

• If you have any hour meeting booked, plan to present for no more than more than 40 mins. The remaining time should allow for questions and discussion.

Follow these tips and you will start to notice a difference in your audience engagement, while improving your presentation skills. 📈

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Hi, I’m Christine 👋. With 15+ years leading growth, digital, and brand strategy across B2B and B2C organizations, I partner with companies to build smarter marketing functions, align strategy to business goals, and drive measurable impact. I have experience presenting to key stakeholders and executives in ways that drive collaboration and results. If you’re looking for a fractional or full-time marketing leader who brings both strategy and execution to the table, let’s connect.