Our last series of communication briefings dealt with the relatively philosophical topic of mindset. This briefing will be more concrete: Communicating to senior leadership.
For many of you, January is when your annual meeting or company kick-off occurs. You'll learn of new strategy rollout and may have to present your own updates. As always, you will be judged by your audience. If that audience includes senior leadership, The Speaker's Choice offers 5 recommendations for you:
- Go in prepared - specifically, with a solutions-based mindset.
Be ready to offer recommendations. Many folks approach senior leadership looking for solutions; you can set yourself apart by offering a few of your own. - Be focused and concise - provide context and get to the point quickly.
A one or two sentence opener should be long enough to provide the context your audience needs. In this way, good speaking is like good writing: Make every word count. - Give them only as much detail as they need to hear - include evidence if you have it.
This does not all need to be spoken. If you have data to back your ideas, print it out and hand it to your audience. The person you are addressing will track your conversation more strongly if they have evidence on paper. - Be passionate - show them you care about your ideas.
Obviously, melodrama is a card best left in your hand, but a delivery devoid of emotion will most probably only earn a lukewarm reception. - Be flexible - you planned on talking about X, be ready to talk about Y.
One predictor of future success is anticipation. By anticipating the directions the conversation might take, you can bolster your credibility.
In brief: Especially if your interactions with senior leadership are seldom, it is imperative that you leverage those interactions to build your credibility. Wasting a conversation can cause you to slip into a sea of average. By preparing with these 5 recommendations, you build your chances of differentiating yourself from your colleagues.
If you will be involved with your company's meetings, and want support talking through your content, conducting a dry run, or just want to have an extra set of eyes look at your materials, please call us. Together, we can create senior leadership-level quality presentations that you'll feel confident delivering. During the first 6 weeks of 2010, we are offering discounted pricing for 1:1 or group phone coaching or video-conferencing via Skype.
