When communicating with other people, especially more senior people, less information is always best.
I sit in on many client presentations where the presenter has obviously stayed up very late the previous night with the unintended aim of putting their audience to sleep the next day!
When managing upwards we need to make it easy for our boss to take the required information that we have given them so that they can make the best use of it.
Six golden rules for presenting to more senior people:
1. Be short and to the point – remember they are very busy people and they tend to have short attention spans.
2. Open strongly – it is vital to start strongly. Senior managers need the pertinent information straight away, no gentle introduction, and minimum context setting.
3. Put yourself in their shoes – the basic rule for preparing for all presentations is to put yourself in your audience’s shoes. If you were sitting in their chairs what information do you need to see and hear?
4. Simple slides – without sounding patronizing your slides for a senior management group should be simple and visual. Use graphs and diagrams where you can.
5. Practice – practice – practice – for important presentations, you need to rehearse them out loud and in full to ensure your delivery flows and that your timing is right.
6. Perhaps ask a colleague or two to serve as a sounding board or to play the role of devil’s advocate. You want feedback in advance to ensure your message is clear, that you are addressing all the relevant issues and that you have responses for any questions that might arise.
Key point: Presenting to more senior people can be intimidating but it is also an opportunity for you to raise your profile and aid your career development.
Remember too that the higher you climb on the career ladder, the more important effective communication and presentation skills become.
Be careful you are not trying to build a clock when all they asked for was the time of day!
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