A CEO values their time so be respectful by being concise, specific, concrete, emotional, and organized in your talk. Consider organizing your message in the following way.
The firsts:
- Direct & purposeful opening. Lead with what your audience cares about blended with your purpose. If you were asked to present on a specific topic, cover that first.
- Shorter is better. Summary first. Have appendix slides ready to answer the ‘how’ questions.
- Practice to polish your delivery.
1. Connect to the company strategy immediately. Said another way, first connect to your audience and what he/she cares about. Let him/her/them know you are heart, head and hands are aligned with the organization. For example, if you are presenting a marketing strategy, start with the target market. As Dr. Lew Brown, Bryan School Professor at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, says “All flows from the target market.”
- What is the scope of activity?
- Why are we doing it or considering it?
- What are the advantages? What are the disadvantages? It’s okay to add a little bit of negativity. It adds a feeling of honesty and credibility.
- What are the value linkages? To vision? To mission?
2. Present your decisions and your strategy. This is the section for showcasing your creativity, and informing the listener on the process and the supportive evidence in how you arrived at your decisions.
- What’s it going to cost?
- How did you come up with your recommendation? Be careful not to mire too deep in the details. If you have lots of detailed information to deliver, consider offering this information in a handout. (Some details will be delivered during Q&A.)
- What makes you think it will work?
- What alternatives are there?
3. Offer information on the HOW and next steps. Answer the questions of what resources are needed, the milestones and how it will be measured.
- What does this group need to decide?
- How will we measure success?
- What’s the next step?
Close with a question and answer segment.
Successful Business Communication 