How To Make A Presentation to Executives - 7 Tips

Does the idea of making a proposal to executives leave you tongue-tied?  Just thinking about it may make you nervous, however, it’s a great opportunity for you to increase visibility and get your ideas accepted.  Here are some tips to help you prepare the information executives need to say “yes” to your proposal.

1)      Connect To Business Strategy.  What is the key business strategy that this executive is concerned about?  Is it increasing sales, cutting costs, or bringing new products to market?  Find a way to connect your proposal to that business initiative.  If you can’t find a way to connect it to a key strategy for the company, then you may want to re-think your proposal until you can. 

2)      Know The Executive.  Ask other people about this executive to find out how he or she likes to get information.  Are charts and graphs best or would they just prefer a one page summary with bullet points?  Find out what time is best for presentations.  Are they morning people that love proposals at 7:30 AM or do they need a few cups of coffee before they’re in the right mood to hear what you have to say?

3)       Get Support Before You Make The Proposal.  Your project has a better chance of acceptance if you get other people to agree with you.  Have pre-meetings with key people before you put together the proposal.  Ask for feedback on what will work and what won’t and incorporate their suggestions into the proposal.  Make sure the executives know that you have gotten input and support from others.

4)      Make it quick.  Executives have very limited time so it’s important to get right to the point.  Make sure you have details ready if they want them, but wait for them to ask.

5)      Focus on the bottom line.  Explain what result they can expect to get from this proposal.  Show the benefits they and the company will get if they agree. 

6)      Practice.  One of the best ways to be relaxed when presenting a proposal is to be prepared.  Part of preparation is practicing what you are going to say and how you are going to say it.  If you’re especially nervous, you may want to do a practice session with some colleagues.

7)      Develop Answers To Tough Questions.  For many people, the most difficult part of a proposal is handling questions from executives.  Imagine the toughest questions that the executive might ask and prepare your best answers.  Ask other people to prepare questions for you also.  They may come up with some issues you haven’t considered.  Practice how you will handle any unexpected questions. 

By using these suggestions you’ll be much better prepared to give a proposal to the executives at your company.  Even if you don’t get a “yes”, you can still gain visibility and leave the executives with a positive impression of your abilities.

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