Kickass Presentations to Excite Your Executives
Lessons learned from startup pitches
Most corporate presentations are crap: a hodgepodge of slides filled with volumes of text, never ending bullet lists, and unintelligible charts/graphs. Corporations have trained employees to fill presentation slides with so much information in order to prove how much they know. Even though corporate culture promotes these bad habits, effective presenting is still one of the most valuable skills. Nowhere is this more apparent than when presenting to executives.
Executives are responsible for the overall corporate performance. They come up through the ranks of companies and typically have limited information about aspects of the business but deep experience with others. They are in high demand, with packed schedules, and therefore impatient. They make high–stakes decisions with limited time and limited knowledge.[i] You must use any time you get with them wisely.
So what can you do about all of the bad presentation skills and death by PowerPoint that persists in companies today? You can look to successful entrepreneurs on how to deliver a kickass presentation.
There is a lot to be learned from pitching to investors. Investors are a tough audience, like executives. Steve Bowman describes how investors use pitch meetings as screening events.[ii] They are looking to dismiss you as they are always in a hurry to find that ‘next big thing’. Also, investors have a range of mixed knowledge about what someone is pitching. They are quick to judgment and therefore may misconstrue your message. Alexandro Cremades says that investors have two main pain points; to not lose money and not made to look foolish.[iii]
The similarity between investors and C-suite leaders is clear. They both have to manage a lot of risk in order to find value. Therefore, corporate employees can learn a lot from the entrepreneurial community on how to create and deliver more impactful presentations. The next opportunity you get to present to your executive team, be sure to incorporate these lessons learned from successful start-up pitches.
Start with the core message
Executives, like investors, are pressed for time. To circumvent this constraint, Chris O’Leary suggests developing, rehearsing, and leading with an elevator pitch.[iv] This is a pitch that will deliver your core message in a succinct and clear manner. The message is similar to an executive summary but is more action oriented. It hooks the audience and delivers the core message of the presentation. It is a glimpse of what is to come and what is being asked of the audience. The initial elevator pitch leaves the details for later but answers the key questions of:
- What it is?
- What it is?
- Who needs it?
- Why do they need it?
- WhoRU to see the problem and build the solution?
- How can they help you achieve it?
These questions are easily adapted to any topic for your executive team. You have to rehearse this pitch over and over, being sure to find the core message. Having this pitch ingrained will help you at the beginning of your presentation to feel more confident. You can also share this short pitch with executives in a little amount of time. You will be prepared to present anywhere.
Design matters, more than you think
It's rather hard to imagine a world without Facebook today. But back in 2004, 21 year old Eduardo Saverin was just…pitchdeckexamples.com
We all like to look at pretty things. When you look at successful start-up pitches, you notice they all have an elegant, simple design like Facebook’s initial pitch deck. Garr Richards describes many techniques to rejuvenate your slides in his book Presentation Zen: Design.[v] Garr suggests that you focus on the core components of slide design: color, type, image, multi-media, and simplification of data. He suggests that you consciously examine the use of space on a slide (including negative space), create purpose and focus, and achieve harmony. Since poorly designed slides can detract from your message, focusing on building beautiful slides will empower your presentation to executives as it empowered investors to fund Facebook.
Slide decks, send-a-heads, and leave behinds
In corporations, employees feel pressured to put all the detail on a slide. This detailed document, which Garr Reynolds calls slideuments,[vi] does not serve you well. It would be easier to send this deck alone and forgo the presentation since you will spend the entire 30 minutes rehashing what is already written on the slide.
Slideuments are crutches presenters use. To circumvent this, investors have entrepreneurs provide send-a-head decks with some detailed information. This primes the investors before they meet. During the presentation, the slides are simplified in order to support the presenter and not distract the audience. Text is limited and graphs are clear of any chartjunk or non-value-added information, as suggested by Edward Tufte.[vii] David Rose suggests in his top five presentation tips for entrepreneurs, “the leave behinds are not your presentation. Your slides should have little text.[viii] The leave behind is the more detailed document. It includes all of the information you spoke to and more. It will be your voice to the executives when you are not there.
Remember you are the star
One of the key messages from startup pitches is that confidence sells. Paul Graham says, when presenting your idea to investors, that “Probably the single biggest piece of evidence, initially, will be your own confidence in [sic] it. You have to show you’re impressed with what you’ve made.”[ix] Your confidence is your best asset.
Remember, whether it is investors or executives, the audience is there to hear you. Investors use pitches to make sure that the entrepreneur has the ‘right stuff’. They treat the pitch as an audition for CEO. You should have that same mentality when you present to your executive team. Use every opportunity to shine as it could be that moment that propels your career.
The next time you have to go in front of your c-suite, use the lessons from successful startup pitches to be more persuasive and extraordinary when you present.
[i] Nancy Duarte (2012) How to Present to Senior Executives. HBR
[ii] Steve Bowman (2016) How to Talk to Money: Guidelines for the Venture Investment Presentation
[iii] Alexandro Cremades (2016) The Art of Startup Fundraising
[iv] Chris O’Leary (2008) Elevator Pitch Essentials: How to Create an Effective Elevator Pitch
[v] Garr Richards (2013) Presentation Zen Design: Simple Design Principles and Techniques to Enhance Your Presentations
[vi] Garr Reynolds (2007) Presentation Zen
[vii] Edward Tufte (2001) The Visual Display of Quantitative Information
[viii] Brian Cohen (2013) What Every Angel Investor Wants you to Know