High-Stakes Executive Presentation: How to Prepare

An important presentation may help someone decide whether to approve your plan, buy from you, promote you, or invest in your business. Start preparing well before you stand up to speak.

Executive preparing a presentation on a laptop before a boardroom meeting

Decide what you want people to understand, remember, or do. Build your presentation around that.

Decide what people should understand or do

Before you open PowerPoint, ask a more important question: What do I want this audience to understand or do when I’m finished?

Use that answer to choose your stories, facts, charts, and examples. Check what this audience can actually decide or do. They may be able to recommend a purchase while someone else must approve it. If a detail doesn’t help them understand your recommendation or consider the decision, leave it out.

Know what matters to your audience

Busy executives want to know why your subject matters to them. In practical terms, they are tuned into radio station WIIFM: What’s in it for me?

Find out what they’re trying to accomplish, what they’re worried about, and what they need to know before deciding. Explain how your recommendation helps with those concerns.

Build a simple structure people can follow

A high-stakes presentation should feel easy to follow even when the subject is complex. Organize your presentation into an opening, middle, and close. As a general planning guide, reserve roughly 10 percent of the time for the opening, 80 percent for the middle, and 10 percent for the close.

Opening: give people a reason to listen, explain why the subject matters to them, and tell them what you’ll cover.
Body: state each main point, then give the facts and examples people need to understand it. Put the points in an order that makes sense, and explain how each section relates to the next.
Close: remind people of the main point and tell them what you want them to do next.

Rehearse aloud, not silently

Thinking through a presentation is not the same as practicing it. A sentence can sound clear in your head and feel awkward when you say it aloud.

Practice in the position you’ll use, standing or sitting. Speak clearly enough for people to hear you without forcing your voice. Use the clicker if you will have one. Rehearse transitions. Practice the first minute and the final minute until they feel familiar without sounding memorized.

Record at least one practice session and watch it. Check whether your points are clear, your pace is easy to follow, and your voice and movements help people understand.

Prepare for the questions, not just the presentation

The way you answer questions shows how well you’ve prepared. Practice the questions you expect, the ones you hope nobody asks, and the ones you can’t fully answer yet.

Listen to the whole question. If you’re unsure what the person means, ask. Then answer, add the facts or example they need, and stop.

Be ready for interruptions and less time

A boardroom, investor meeting, senior leadership review, or major client pitch usually has different expectations than a general audience. Time is tighter. Questions may come sooner. People may interrupt. The audience may already know the background and want the decision, risk, recommendation, or next step quickly.

Keep extra details on slides you can use if someone asks. Practice explaining your recommendation in one or two sentences. Be ready to answer questions that come earlier than you expected. The better you know your material, the easier it is to answer without going through the slides in order.

Use an executive presentation checklist

Can I say what I want people to do or understand in one sentence?
Do I know what matters most to this specific audience?
Can I explain the recommendation before showing supporting detail?
Are my key points easy to follow without reading the slides?
Have I rehearsed the opening, close, and major transitions aloud?
Have I practiced the difficult questions?
Do I have a shorter version if my time is reduced?
Can I continue if the technology fails?
Have I made the next step clear?

Settle yourself before you begin

You can give a good presentation while you still feel nervous. Practice breathing, beginning at a steady pace, and keeping your attention on the people listening.

Before a high-stakes presentation, use a repeatable reset: Breathe. Plant. Lead. Serve. Breathe out slowly. Stand or sit steadily. Guide the presentation from the start and make your purpose clear. Focus on what they need from you.

Avoid major changes just before you speak

Someone may offer advice just before you speak. Consider whether it solves a real problem before changing what you’ve practiced. Make necessary corrections, but give yourself time to rehearse any major change.

Get feedback before the presentation

Ask for feedback before an important presentation. A coach can help you spot points that are hard to follow, rushed delivery, distracting movement, or an ending that leaves people unsure what to do next.

If you are preparing for an important board presentation, keynote, investor pitch, leadership meeting, media interview, or other high-stakes moment, explore Executive Presentation Coaching. For help with speaking skills you can use in meetings and presentations, see Public Speaking & Presentation Coaching. If you already have a presentation recorded, a professional presentation review can show you what to improve before your next presentation.