How to Get Your Boss's Boss to Understand

The strongest presentations stick with the audience. In music, a final soaring note or dramatic chord cements the experience. Similarly, in business presentations, a powerful conclusion reinforces that the desired questions have been answered.

Effectively communicating better data means resisting the urge to overwhelm with detail and instead guiding others toward clarity and confidence.

I apply the 1200-word rule even when I have a 30-minute or 45-minute time slot. Keeping my formal remarks to 10 minutes allows more time for the slot to be more interactive and to focus on Q&A.

Instead of asking, “Will I get in trouble if I skip this?” try asking, “Who might I be excluding if I don’t include this?” That shift in mindset is what separates a bare-minimum communicator from a truly effective one.

Ultimately, the question is how you will be remembered. Was your presentation clear, concise, and impactful? Or was it overwhelming and forgettable? The choice is yours.

In the Communicating with FINESSE® framework, effective communication is for the receiver (the decision maker), not the message sender (you).

Enhancing communication skills can help engineers improve collaboration, increase influence within organizations, and advance careers.

Start with your next slide deck. Spend extra time focusing on symbols and shapes instead of colors.

There’s usually less pressure than we imagine, but it also means the real work happens long before the meeting begins.

When I frame uncertainty well, I’m not just saying “we don’t know”—I show what we know, what’s likely, and what to watch.

The soft skills—the people skills—matter most. Ask some of the best people you know for their advice. Great stuff bubbles up!

So how do you do that? Start with empathy. Understand your audience’s concerns, hopes, and values.

Senior management and boards of directors don’t need all the technical details.

Connecting the material to executives doesn’t mean dumbing down the work.

A well-prepared communicator demonstrates competence naturally through clarity, relevance, and precision.

Remember to use a guiding graphic on your next big project and with every big presentation!

A well-timed pause isn’t a break in your speech—it’s part of your message.

Focus first on the opening. Focus next on the closing. The blind spot is that they spend too much time on time on the main body.

When you communicate evenly, you foster collaboration and show respect for the collective wisdom in the room.