Without a trace of irony, the CEO looks straight at the young Ph.D. analyst and says, "Speak as you might to a young child, or a golden retriever. It wasn’t brains that got me here, I assure you."
That memorable line is from the movie Margin Call, the fictionalized story of the collapse of a Wall Street investment company. The CEO (played by Jeremy Irons) is not being facetious; his tone and manner (seen here on YouTube) reflects exactly what many senior executives want: simple explanations, not in the weeds details. Sadly too many rising executives fail to understand their bosses’ desire quick explanations. And so when they present to their higher ups they believe it is their duty or even their obligation to go on long, too long.
This disconnect arises for one or more of the following reasons: one, they believe they need to show what they know and prove it to everyone; two, they fail to realize that senior managers do not want to know how the sausage is made only that is available; and three, they believe in the law of plenty – if one fact is good; three are better.
You can sum up these failings with a simple statement: when presenting to a senior executive your job is to inform not educate. Executives want information so they can make up their own minds; they don’t need explanations that will be perceived as extraneous and irrelevant. And, very important, they do not want interpretation.
Rising managers should abide by the mantra from TV’s venerable cop Joe Friday: Just the facts, ma’am. In the show Dragnet, Detective Friday in would always bore into a witness with that line to get the person to focus on specifics not the backstory.
Might this be too simple for today’s 24/7 global workplace? No way! Simplicity in an era of complexity is virtue not vice. As the adage goes, anyone can make things complicated; it takes smarts to make things simple.
The presenter who makes a case simply and directly stands out from the pack. A presenter who can make himself understood by being brief is someone worth paying attention to. The presenter who is longwinded comes across as less polished and perhaps out of touch. What’s more, a presenter who is direct and to the point invites further discussion. The senior people want to hear more from someone who is on top of their game rather than one who is long-winded. Time is precious; executive time is doubly precious.
The presenter who can inform is also capable of educating but that education only occurs upon invitation, such as when the senior person says, “Tell me more…” That statement becomes the door opener to dialogue and discussion.
Photographer Edward Weston once said, “I see no reason for recording the obvious.” That’s good advice for any presenter. Never dwell on points that the listener can conclude for him or herself. Invite the listener to share your thinking, and in the process maybe think along with you so they arrive at their own conclusions. And that applies especially to people in high positions.
A good presentation may change minds but it will only do so if presented with a sense of directness rooted in facts that are speak for themselves and do not require extended explanations. Learning comes when people think about what you say; not when you do the thinking for them.
