Member Articles

Don’t limit research to your boss’s boss’s résumé or your top client’s bio. Also be up to date on the business. Presenting to top management is a prime opportunity to demonstrate your knowledge of the business’ key strategies. Review the corporate mandates for the fiscal year as you prepare your talk. Know the current corporate lingo and issues that are raising the hackles of the senior team. Is it recruiting and retention? Fiscal responsibility? Expanding into international markets? Managing the economic slowdown? Focus your research on the whole company, not just the segment you’re involved or interested in, to show that you’re not a one-dimensional employee with a narrow view of the business but one who knows the market, your competition and the crucial issues at hand.

3.) Know how top managers like to communicate. Most people like to get information in two basic ways. You either give the answer first, then explain it, or you thoroughly lay out the case and situation, then give the answer. Figure out if the higher-ups you communicate with are “bottom line” and “get to the point” kinds of folks, or do they like to hear all the details first? Ensure your presentation is not just relevant, but also structured so that it fits the communication culture.

Get comfortable with the words, phrases, and locale at the top, especially if it is different from what you are used to. Are employees called associates or partners? Are subordinates referred to as direct reports? Do they use the term customers or clients? Show your presentation to a co-worker or associate familiar with the group you’re presenting to. Review your presentation or key points with her, and ask her to help you think through the kinds of questions that might come up during the meeting.

4.) Anticipate questions. Ask yourself, if I were on the other side of this conversation, what questions might I have -- and make sure you have this information beforehand. Practice your speech with team members who’ve presented before this individual or group before, or those you’ve identified as key communicators, and ask to come up with questions for you. If you don’t know the answer to a question when the time comes, be honest and say so. Tell them you’ll get back to them by the end of the day or week with the requested information, and avoid the tendency to stutter, stammer, make something up, and apologize profusely. Create confidence in your audience that you will follow up and then move on.

5.) Ask for feedback. You may have walked out the door thinking you knew how it went, but ask for feedback, and get it straight from someone who was there. Not only does this help you prepare for future presentations or meetings, but it also shows your superiors that you’re interested in self-improvement.