C-Level Presentation Tip #6: Beware of Too Many Slides

Presentations to senior executives can seem a lot like ice climbing -- the terrain is slippery, it's hard to get a solid grip and the drop is a long way down.

This series of tips will help you make a few tweaks to your presentation practices so you won't slide sideways in those executive presentations.

TIP #6: BEWARE OF TOO MANY SLIDES

Just like sliding down a wall of ice can result in physcial disaster, hiding behind a big deck of slides in the C-Suite can result in career disaster.

Slides can seem like a safe haven in an anxiety-laden senior level presentation -- helpful for jogging your memory and good for taking the focus off you. But having the audience focused on you instead of on the screen is exactly what will make the presentation most impactful. The executives want to hear your opinions, analyses and recommendations, not read them on a slide. Only you can communicate your expertise and your passion.

Keep slides to a minimum so the audience can absorb and process your message. Don't overwhelm them with data especially when you want them to make a decision. You can engage an audience more effectively with dialogue than with slides.

Keep slides clean and simple. Use them only where they can add value or further explain what you're saying. Favor charts, graphs and pictures over bullet points.

 

 

C-Level Presentation Tip #5: Analyze Your Audience
C-Level Presentation Tip #4: Beware of Too Much Detail
C-Level Presentation Tip #3: Expect and Be Happy About Interruptions
C-Level Presentation Tip #2: Link to Business Issues
C-Level Presentation Tip #1: Start with Conclusions

Photo Credit:
flickr/Visit Anchorage PR  C.C. 2.0

 

Comments

[Plumber Aurora CO]

This is a very big help, especially for a teacher like me. Thanks.