Page 49 - The New Articulate Executive_ Look, Act and Sound Like a Leader

40 CREATING THE PERFECT PRESENTATION

then discuss our contractual obligations with our union, and . . .”
(Yawn.)
Why not say: “Our choice is clear. Either we make big changes
starting today and dominate the industry once again—or we
keep on doing what we’re doing and run the risk of going out of
business in two years.”
Too strong? Inappropriate? Maybe—depending on the circum-
stances. But in my view it is a far, far better thing to get right to the

point and run the risk of being identified as a high-potential indi-
vidual than stay forever a slave to convention and a source of bore-
dom to busy people.
If you are reporting up within your organization and your pre-
sentations are viewed as anything other than good, you are doing a
disservice to the senior people you are reporting to. You are probably
also doing yourself a disservice, which could eventually be refl ected
in your job status or compensation. If you are reporting down, a
mushy message could be seen as an inability to lead. So to avoid any
chance of being accused of obfuscation, begin with a real bang.
The chair of one of the giant companies I work with has the
reputation of being extremely impatient, especially when he sets
time aside to hear business reviews and presentations. His senior
offi cers have learned through bitter experience to get right to the
point.
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The rule is, tell the big picture in the fi rst forty-five seconds; then

spend the rest of the time explaining how you came to that
conclusion—what I call “reversing the wave” (more on that later).
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In one particular case, a corporate vice president who ran a $3
billion operating company was scheduled to make his fi rst quarterly
review. He spent days agonizing over the piles of data, preparing an