How to Enhance Executive Presentation Skills

I once asked my youngest daughter what she thought I did for work, and she said, "You sit on Zoom and give people your opinion all day." While there's more to my day than that, she's not entirely wrong! As you climb the career ladder, your schedule fills with presentations—some inspiring, others not so much. Here’s how to make sure yours stands out when presenting to senior leaders: 1. Be Specific, Not Overly Detailed: You've probably heard, "Keep it high-level for executives; avoid the weeds." True, but don't swing too far into the abstract. Ground your points with concrete facts and data. For instance, instead of saying, "Some code deployments aren't automated and there are opportunities for improvement," try, "Our analysis shows 25% of code deployments require manual effort, particularly in post-change validations and service restarts." 2. Harness the Power of Storytelling: Transform your presentation into a captivating narrative. Stories make data relatable and memorable. Start with a real-world example, like a customer struggling with your current system, highlight the problem and then move on to your solution. 3. Start with the 'Why': Dive into the heart of your proposal by explaining its significance. Why should your audience care? How does it align with their goals? For example, "By automating these processes, we not only boost efficiency but also advance our strategic goal of enhancing customer satisfaction." 4. Foster a Dialogue, Not a Monologue: Remember, communication is a two-way street. Anticipate your audience's reactions and be ready to engage. Hit your key points swiftly, avoid over-explaining, and focus on insights that empower decision-making. After presenting, ask questions to invite discussion. These strategies can help you tie together facts, emotions, and strategic insights, making your message not just heard, but remembered and acted upon. #presentationtips #careertips #careeradvice

Ever notice how some leaders seem to have a sixth sense for meeting dynamics while others plow through their agenda oblivious to glazed eyes, side conversations, or everyone needing several "bio breaks" over the course of an hour? Research tells us executives consider 67% of virtual meetings failures, and a staggering 92% of employees admit to multitasking during meetings. After facilitating hundreds of in-person, virtual, and hybrid sessions, I've developed my "6 E's Framework" to transform the abstract concept of "reading the room" into concrete skills anyone can master. (This is exactly what I teach leaders and teams who want to dramatically improve their meeting and presentation effectiveness.) Here's what to look for and what to do: 1. Eye Contact: Notice where people are looking (or not looking). Are they making eye contact with you or staring at their devices? Position yourself strategically, be inclusive with your gaze, and respectfully acknowledge what you observe: "I notice several people checking watches, so I'll pick up the pace." 2. Energy: Feel the vibe - is it friendly, tense, distracted? Conduct quick energy check-ins ("On a scale of 1-10, what's your energy right now?"), pivot to more engaging topics when needed, and don't hesitate to amplify your own energy through voice modulation and expressive gestures. 3. Expectations: Regularly check if you're delivering what people expected. Start with clear objectives, check in throughout ("Am I addressing what you hoped we'd cover?"), and make progress visible by acknowledging completed agenda items. 4. Extraneous Activities: What are people doing besides paying attention? Get curious about side conversations without defensiveness: "I see some of you discussing something - I'd love to address those thoughts." Break up presentations with interactive elements like polls or small group discussions. 5. Explicit Feedback: Listen when someone directly tells you "we're confused" or "this is exactly what we needed." Remember, one vocal participant often represents others' unspoken feelings. Thank people for honest feedback and actively solicit input from quieter participants. 6. Engagement: Monitor who's participating and how. Create varied opportunities for people to engage with you, the content, and each other. Proactively invite (but don't force) participation from those less likely to speak up. I've shared my complete framework in the article in the comments below. In my coaching and workshops with executives and teams worldwide, I've seen these skills transform even the most dysfunctional meeting cultures -- and I'd be thrilled to help your company's speakers and meeting leaders, too. What meeting dynamics challenge do you find most difficult to navigate? I'd love to hear your experiences in the comments! #presentationskills #virualmeetings #engagement

𝗘𝘅𝗲𝗰𝘂𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗣𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 ≠ 𝗙𝗮𝗻𝗰𝘆 𝗖𝗹𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘀 If you ask 10 people to define 𝘌𝘹𝘦𝘤𝘶𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘗𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦... ... you’ll likely get 10 different answers. Or maybe… the sound of crickets. 🦗 It's a skill that’s often praised but rarely explained. I once had a client whose manager told them: “You need to develop executive presence.” That was it. No specific guidance or coaching. But here’s the truth: 𝗘𝘅𝗲𝗰𝘂𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗣𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗮 𝗺𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘆. It’s not just about expensive clothing, loud voices, or taking up space in a room. 𝗜𝘁’𝘀 𝗮 𝘀𝗲𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝘀𝗸𝗶𝗹𝗹𝘀—𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗶𝘁 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗯𝗲 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗲𝗱. I’ve seen leaders transform from hesitant, unsure, and overlooked... To commanding, clear, and compelling. Here are 𝟭𝟬 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗰𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗘𝘅𝗲𝗰𝘂𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗣𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲, and tips on how you can build them:  1. 𝗚𝗿𝗮𝘃𝗶𝘁𝗮𝘀     ➤ The ability to project confidence under pressure     ✔ Tip: Slow your speech, breathe deeply, and own your expertise.       2. 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗳𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 (𝗡𝗼𝘁 𝗔𝗿𝗿𝗼𝗴𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲)     ➤ Believing in your ability 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘵 diminishing others     ✔ Tip: Prepare thoroughly. Confidence comes from knowing your stuff.       3. 𝗖𝗹𝗮𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗼𝗳 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻     ➤ Getting to the point, clearly and persuasively     ✔ Tip: Use simple, compelling language. Cut the jargon.       4. 𝗗𝗲𝗰𝗶𝘀𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀     ➤ The courage to make tough calls—and own them     ✔ Tip: Make timely decisions with the best available info. Perfection is the enemy of progress.       5. 𝗔𝘂𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗶𝘁𝘆     ➤ Being real, not rehearsed     ✔ Tip: Align your words, values, and actions. People follow 𝘺𝘰𝘶, not your persona.       6. 𝗘𝗺𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲     ➤ Reading the room and adjusting accordingly     ✔ Tip: Observe before you speak. Listen deeply. Respond with care.       7. 𝗣𝗼𝗶𝘀𝗲 𝗨𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗣𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗲     ➤ Staying composed when things go sideways     ✔ Tip: Practice mental resets—pause, reframe, and choose your next move.       8. 𝗩𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻     ➤ Painting a compelling picture of the future     ✔ Tip: Share the "why" behind your decisions. Connect people to purpose.       9. 𝗖𝗿𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆     ➤ Earning trust over time through consistent action     ✔ Tip: Do what you say you’ll do.      10. 𝗣𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲     ➤ Showing up fully—physically, mentally, emotionally     ✔ Tip: Turn off distractions. Make others feel seen, heard, and valued. You don’t have to be born with these traits. You need 𝗱𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗿𝗲, 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀, and 𝗶𝗻𝘀𝗽𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻. Executive Presence is not about impressing others. It’s about 𝗶𝗻𝘀𝗽𝗶𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗳𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 in your leadership. What do you think Executive Leadership means? #ExecutivePresence #LeadershipDevelopment #LeadWithConfidence #PresenceOverPolish

Presenting to Executives can be nerve-wracking. Here's your 5-step process to nail your shot. I spent 20 years in corporate. 12 of those at Coca-Cola. I've presented in front of C-Suite executives countless times. I've also coached over 250 people 1:1 on high-stakes presentations. I know what works (and what bombs) to executives. Here's your proven framework to own your moment: 🎯 Step 1: Know Their World - Understand their current business challenges - Research their priorities and pain points - Connect your message to their goals 💼 Step 2: Structure for Busy Minds - Start with context/problem & your rec - Support with 2-3 key points - Keep slides minimal and data-focused ⏰ Step 3: Respect Their Time - Plan for 50% of allocated time - Have supporting slides ready - Leave room for questions 💡 Step 4: Anticipate Questions - Anticipate pushback - Know your numbers cold - Practice handling objections 🎬 Step 5: Deliver with Authority - Maintain eye contact - Open with confidence - Speak in clear, concise statements The key is to be thorough but concise. Executives want the headline first, then the supporting evidence if they ask for it. Remember: Your insights matter. Show them you value their time by being prepared, precise, and purposeful. If this helps you prep for your next executive presentation, hit that 👍 or 💡 If you want to help others, ♻️ repost it. - - - - - - - - - - - - If we haven't met, 👋 I'm Cooper Camak, and I help busy professionals grow their speaking confidence and credibility to they can keep advancing their careers.

Stop babbling! Struggling to ask a clear, concise question is a very common thing that I see damage executive presence. If you want to be an executive, you must speak like one. Here is how to make a better impression: In all my classes, we always do a live Q&A. Everyone has experienced someone who gets up to the microphone and rambles without arriving at a clear question, leaving others wondering what they are talking about. Surprisingly, this even happens in my executive class, “Cracking the C-Suite,” where people are hoping to get Chief Officer jobs. Before the Q&A, I always tell the class that this is a chance to practice and demonstrate their Executive Presence by asking a concise, clear question. I then give them time to prepare. While a few succeed, most do not. The main reasons that some struggle are these: 1) They do not write out their question. It is one thing to struggle when you are put on the spot, but all of these people have time to prepare. However, they simply decide what they want to ask in their minds and do no further preparation. This is a mistake. Write your question down in its clearest and most concise version. 2) They do not practice the question. After writing the question down, it would take less than a minute to speak your question out loud a couple of times to get used to stating it quickly and clearly. You should practice your question as though it were a short public speaking opportunity. In essence, it is. 3) They over-contextualize and qualify We all think our own lives are fascinating and that the context of our situation really matters. But, in most cases, it doesn't. The core questions that people ask are very simple, such as "my boss micromanages me - how can I change that?" The exact type of micromanagement makes almost no difference. Cut out all but the most necessary context, and realize that if the person answering your question needs more context they can simply ask. 4) Verbal Fidgeting We often say too much because we are nervous and uncertain, and saying too much makes us look and sound exactly that way. I call this verbal fidgeting because it is touching and playing with words to ease our nerves, just as we sometimes do with physical objects. Executive presence is amplified by short, powerful, direct, declarative sentences. Recognize if you have the tendency to “fidget,” and combat it by preparing and practicing your question until you no longer need to. Readers—who in your life could benefit from stronger speaking skills? Send them this post. And, share any other tips for improved speaking/question-asking.

I spent 2 years fixing my executive presence. Then, I finally got it right. Here’s how you can too: Executive Presence is SO important for getting promoted or securing a new management job. According to the Center of Talent Innovation, it accounts for 26% of what gets you promoted! It is a vague term but it really comes down to these 5 qualities: 1/ Credibility 2/ Confidence 3/ Emotional Intelligence 4/ Communication 5/ Appearance In my case, I needed to improve my emotional regulation and communication skills to get to the next level. Before working on your executive presence, I suggest doing a self-assessment by: 1) Reflect and write ↳ Think of specific examples of when you’ve shown these qualities and when you haven’t. 2) Get Feedback ↳ Ask colleagues what you can improve. Get specific examples. 3) Giving yourself a score ↳ out of 5 for each of the 5 areas Use that to determine what you need to work on. Then, here are my 8 tips to develop it: 1/ Work on your Charisma ↳ Communicate with energy. Show a genuine interest in your colleagues’ work and well-being. Share relevant personal stories to build relationships. 2/ Project Confidence with Your Voice ↳ Before important events, warm up your voice by humming so you sound confident. Don’t forget to breathe and avoid speaking too fast. 3/ Use Strategic Storytelling ↳ People connect with emotion. Prepare a personal story that makes a key point you want to get across in your next meeting/presentation. 4/ Stay Composed Under Pressure ↳ When you get stressed, use 4-7-8 breathing or physiological sighs to calm yourself. 5/ Improve Your Body Language ↳ Stand with an open stance and sit upright during meetings. Maintain eye contact during conversations (don’t be creepy though). 6/ Up Your Appearance ↳ Dress like your boss. Set out your clothes the night before. Choose outfits that fit with your industry. 7/ Learn from Leaders You Admire ↳ Choose a leader you admire and research their leadership style. Identify specific behaviors you can try out. 8/ Be Decisive ↳ Make small but immediate decisions at work without seeking excessive input, like setting a meeting agenda. Level up your executive presence in 2024 and become the leader of your dreams! —- ♻️ Repost this to help your network become top performers. 📌 Want a high-resolution PDF of this? 1. Just follow me Will McTighe 2. Sign up for my free Level Up Community at lnkd.in/gKzZUq-b

Recent work and world events have convinced me that practically everything you say and do as a leader must be thought of as a "media" appearance. It's likely that your video meeting is being recorded for playback. You're in a small box, competing with multi-taskers and so you must heighten your voice, expressions, and body language to convey energy and hold interest. And if you're speaking while sharing your screen, you're in an even smaller box! Think about it: Every audience member is in possession of a video and audio recording device. Almost every meeting is recorded and transcribed. Even if you can't see the device, you should proceed as if you are being audio recorded. So, speak as you were trained to do in media appearances: 👄 Use vocal variety: Vary pace (fast & slow), pitch (high & low), pause, power (volume), placement (where in the body) 👋 Use your hands so they are visible on the screen. Put down your pen and your notes! 👀 Use your eyes and eyebrows to convey emotion. 💬 Speak in short sentences that are easily editable on the periods. 🌍 To the extent possible, provide context in each sentence. 🌉 When answering questions, don't repeat negatives. i.e., Not, "No, we're not disappointed" but rather, "We're very happy that..." And, use bridging language to return to the message you want to deliver. i.e., "Let's go directly to our solution..." 🌟 Use highlighting language, such as, "The most important thing to know is..." and "The real issue is..." 👓 If you are going to read your notes, print on only the top 2/3rds of the page so you are not looking down and losing eye contact with the audience. #leadershipcommunication #presentationskills #mediaskills

I am revisiting some of my playbooks to get them ready for my new team and thought I'd share out some tips on how to make your EBRs more impactful. This is a VERY small part of a 10 page playbook that has successfully been used at multiple organizations now (of course adjust for each org accordingly). An Executive Business Review (EBR) is a high-level strategy meeting that highlights the major accomplishments, project updates, and ROI since the relationship start or since the previous EBR. This is not about you (company), it's all about your customer. A lot of folks forget this and use the EBR to resell their services. To quote Julie Roberts “Big mistake. Big. Huge.”  You've been gifted this time with your customer, don't make this mistake. A typical flow I've followed is: Introductions: 5-10 min. How you partner with us today: 5-10 min. Successes to date: 10 min. (this is ROI - not usage) Untapped value: 5 min. (more value you can achieve with zero additional investment) Continued partnership goals: 15 min. What’s next / roadmap: 10 min. Next Steps: 5 min. Tips to make your EBR more impactful! - Know your audience and what they care about! Remember, while you are delivering the presentation, this is about making them look like rockstars and celebrating our mutual wins. - Present information that helps the folks in the room with their decision-making. Example: if they are considering whether or not your partnership is mission-critical, this meeting should help them arrive at clarity. - Have clear objectives and takeaways that you want the attendees to leave with. What key messages do you want the executives to take away from the review? Align these objectives with the overall strategic goals of the organization. - Make sure you are speaking the language of the attendees. Only use acronyms that you know that they will understand. Actually, to be safe, don’t use acronyms! - Make sure your presentation flows and tells a story. Instead of data, more data, more data, weave in their whys and the story. This will not only make your presentation more interesting, it’ll also help it be more memorable. - Mind your speak to listen ratio!! This one is important. While you are delivering this EBR, you should not be the only one speaking. Encourage open dialogue during the review. Create opportunities for executives and other participants to ask questions and provide feedback. This fosters a collaborative atmosphere and ensures alignment. - Manage your time. Be mindful of time constraints. Keep the presentation focused on key points and allow sufficient time for discussion and questions. Keep your content simple, straightforward, and easy to understand. Use visuals and examples to make the presentation engaging and relatable. - Be genuine and authentic in your delivery. Customers appreciate honesty and sincerity. Avoid over-promising and ensure that you can deliver on what you commit. There's more to say here but alas I am out of space.

As an executive coach, I've had the privilege of guiding senior leaders through the complexities of their roles. One critical skill I developed as Chief of Staff at AT&T is how to effectively brief a leader in 30 minutes or less. By the way, these work for any level of leader no matter who you are prepping to meet with. Here are 6 strategies that work: 1. 𝗕𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗻 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗲𝗻𝗱 𝗶𝗻 𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗱 (from Stephen M. R. Covey’s 𝘛𝘩𝘦 7 𝘏𝘢𝘣𝘪𝘵𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘏𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘭𝘺 𝘌𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘗𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦): Start your briefing by clearly defining the desired outcome. This sets the direction for the conversation, helping the leader to quickly grasp the purpose and make informed decisions. 2. 𝗞𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗼𝗯𝗷𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲: Ensure the leader gets the essential info to make a decision. 3. 𝗣𝗿𝗶𝗼𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗶𝘇𝗲 𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗮𝗹𝘀: Focus on what truly matters. Leave out the unnecessary unless asked. 4. 𝗔𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗽𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗾𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀: Prepare for insightful questions and be ready with solid responses. 5. 𝗘𝗻𝗴𝗮𝗴𝗲: Make it a two-way dialogue for richer, more impactful discussions. 6. 𝗦𝘂𝗺𝗺𝗮𝗿𝗶𝘇𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀: End with clear actions, so the leader knows what’s next. In today’s fast-paced world, concise communication is key. How do you prepare for crisp updates? Share your thoughts below! #ExecutiveCoaching #LeadershipDevelopment #EffectiveCommunication

One of my clients is brilliant but he’s also laid back. As a result sometimes he is perceived as being a “low energy” speaker. Recently he asked me how he could bring more energy to the stage. Since I don’t struggle with this I was stumped and gave him a half-baked answer about vocal variety. I was annoyed I didn’t have a better answer so have since given this a lot of thought. I now think bringing more energy to the stage gets down to 7 things: 1️⃣ Layer energy into your content. Share stories. Share humor. Add in audience participation. Make sure that you’ve run your content through my free resource: 12 Questions You Must Ask for a Killer Speech. 2️⃣ Layer energy into your visuals. I told my client he should have a designer redo his deck. It lacked energy. Make sure that your visuals are bringing the energy up, not down in your presentation. Add more color in the deck, break things up with a funny photo, etc. 3️⃣ Pregame physically and mentally While higher energy personalities might need to calm themselves down by taking slow breaths, you might need to pump yourself up with a quick walk, jumping jacks, or another physical energy booster like an upbeat playlist you listen to before you take the stage. Mentally: Focus on your passion for the topic and let that energy flow out. Talk to yourself in the third person–“(Your name) you’re going to rock this speech and have lots of energy!” 4️⃣ Demonstrate energetic and confident body language 55% of communication is nonverbal, so level up your body language. For you this might mean quickly walking or even running onto the stage to start. During your presentation it might look like making your gestures bigger to meet the size of the room, holding eye-contact longer, physically moving and working the stage more, smiling, and animating your facial expressions to match the words that you’re saying. 5️⃣ Add vocal variety. Speed up, slow down, get loud, or get quiet. One way to do this is to look for the big statements or ideas in your speech and ask yourself, “How can I add vocal variety around this part?” Need some examples on how to do this? Watch TED talks. Virtually every TED talk speaker begins with a slower rate of speech and then gradually speeds up, only to slow back down at the end. 6️⃣ Use confident language and end your phrases strong and loud. Many speakers who lack energy get quieter at the end of each sentence or end every sentence like it has a question mark. Right?! Instead use confident phrases like “I know you can do this.” “I believe in your ability.” 7️⃣ Wear color. I’m no fashionista but I told my client to avoid black, gray, or white (his go-to) and instead consider a brighter blue shirt. What other ideas do you have on how my client can bring more energy to the stage? If you’ve ever struggled with this, what have you done? ----- Hi, I'm Eva. I help professional speakers develop and deliver compelling speeches. Need help? Send me a DM. Back