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Are you working in the tech industry?
Have to deliver an important presentation to the C-Suite team?
Then, I have an excellent advice for you!
"Customise your presentation to fit the perspective of your C-Suite audience."
What do I mean by that?
Here is what - As a techie, you might be inclined to provide a detailed explanation of your work. This could include discussing the database optimization, algorithms used, and machine learning models you have implemented.
I understand that your passion might override such topics sometimes, and rightly so!
But your CEO, CMO, COO, and rest of the C-Suite (except maybe the CTO) have different priorities.
They are accountable to investors and shareholders. What they will care most about is if your work HELPS them
1. Achieve the immediate revenue targets of the quarter.
2. Reduce operating or marketing costs - hence helping in improving the balance sheet.
3. Sell the big vision for the company's future to the investors and shareholders.
Notice the keyword "Help". Your job is to help your bosses and make their lives easier.
You might be tempted to believe that YOUR PASSION will impress your C-suite team. But it really won't.
They care most about how to solve their problems (and they have many problems).
So while they might humor you out of politeness, you will never make a great impression for you unless you are helping them solve their problems.
So what can you do to personalise your presentation to your C-suite team. Here are 5 tips you can incorporate:
✍🏼Plan ahead - Inquire your immediate manager or people who interact with the C-suite team about their most pressing concerns.
✍🏼Strip details - C-suite team often doesn’t have time or energy to know all the details. They trust you with your job; what they want to know is how your work is helping them achieve big-picture goals.
✍🏼Use relevant examples - Look at the internal and external communication sent out by your C-suite team, especially your CEO. Pay attention to the language used, examples cited, and tone that is set. Incorporate all of these in your presentation to sound more personal to them.
✍🏼Use infographics, charts, and graphs - Too many words can be distracting. Only write the main actionable insights and let charts, graphs, and infographics show most of the evidence.
✍🏼Take immediate feedback - You have limited time with your C-suite team. Once you finish with your presentation, seek their immediate feedback. Everyone loves people with a growth mindset.
Their feedback will help you align with their goals and motivations, which will help you do better next time.
This single mindset shift from “to impress” to “help” will make a difference in your relationship C-suite team and the many doors it can open for you.
#tech #csuite #techadvice #feedbackmatters #effectivecommunication #englishcommunication #blackboardradio #bbrenglish