What If Your Presentation Confuses Senior Management?

As the presenter, you must have a Plan B when senior management or the board does not understand.

What happens when you present to senior management or the board of directors and they don’t get it? If you are a seasoned professional and pretty good at communicating with senior management, the potential confusion is probably not that you have the facts wrong. It's probably you, and you must own it!

Senior management and boards of directors don’t need all the technical details. What they do need is to understand the outcomes. Even the best technical professionals can get wrapped in how things work. Senior management and boards are most concerned about outcomes related to aspects such as financial impact, customer service, community benefits, and regulatory risk.

The key to re-focusing on the fly is doing so in a non-threatening way. Leadership doesn't need for you to tell them political realities like, "if you don't rewire the electrical panel, we can have a fire and people may die." They simply need a good understanding of the chances of having a fire (a safety issue). They can connect the political dots of resulting injury and death.

As always, follow up after the meeting. A short one-on-one with the board chair or general manager can go a long way. Ask, “Was that level of detail helpful? Would a summary or chart be more useful next time?”

As a technical professional, it’s tough to adjust spontaneously to confused looks from senior leaders. After all, you are experienced, and your presentation has been well developed. It’s your responsibility to have a Plan B. Make sure to explain the outcomes if you get those awkward, blank looks.

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