Early in my career, I made every mistake possible when presenting to executives. Here is what I learned the hard way.
Mistake 1: Starting with Methodology
I used to open presentations with detailed explanations of data sources, model specifications, and validation approaches.
Executives do not care (at first). They want to know: What should we do and why?
Fix: Lead with recommendations. Save methodology for the appendix or follow-up questions.
Mistake 2: Too Much Precision
“Revenue will increase by 3.7% with a 95% confidence interval of [2.1%, 5.3%].”
Executives hear: “Probably somewhere between 2% and 5%.”
Fix: Round aggressively. Use ranges when uncertain. Focus on the decision, not the decimals.
Mistake 3: Answering Questions Too Literally
VP: “What caused the drop in Q3?”
Me (before): 20-minute deep dive into every contributing factor
Me (now): “Three main factors: seasonality, a product issue we fixed in October, and increased competition. The product issue was 60% of the impact.”
Fix: Give the headline first. Offer to go deeper if they want.
Mistake 4: Not Knowing the Business Context
I once presented an analysis that was technically perfect but recommended something the CEO had publicly rejected two months earlier. That was an embarrassing meeting.
Fix: Before any exec presentation, talk to their team. Understand what they are focused on, worried about, and have already decided.
What Actually Works
The Pyramid Principle
Structure your message as:
- Situation: One sentence on context
- Complication: The problem or question
- Resolution: Your recommendation
- Support: 2-3 key supporting points
Everything else is backup.
Anticipate Questions
Executives will ask:
- “What is the business impact?”
- “How confident are you?”
- “What could go wrong?”
- “What do we do next?”
Have crisp answers ready. If you cannot answer these, you are not ready to present.
Make Decisions Easy
Do not present five options and ask them to choose. Present a recommendation with clear rationale. They can push back if they disagree.
Respect Time
If you are given 30 minutes, plan for 15 minutes of presentation and 15 minutes of discussion. Executives often want to engage, not just listen.
The Meta-Lesson
Technical excellence is table stakes. At senior levels, your value comes from:
- Asking the right questions
- Communicating clearly
- Building trust over time
The best analysts I know spend as much time on communication as on analysis. I wish someone had told me this earlier.