About Speaking to the Big Dogs^®

At the big oval table in the meeting room on Mahogany Row, the Executive Staff (the 'C Level') is politely listening. The lower level manager is knowledgeable, but nervous. A career hangs in the balance. This can be a terrifying image to many presenters in corporate America today.

For mid-level and senior managers, communicating to "C-level" executives under this kind of pressure is not only daunting, it can mean the difference between a promotion and a new job search. With the stakes so high, feeding the right information in the proper manner to the company Big Dogs is imperative. Learning how to do that is what this program is all about.

The People

• Do your homework. Learn about the group you will be addressing and how they like to process information. Be ready to change your style if necessary.

• Learn how to get on the Big Dogs' agenda.

• Deal with power: the reality of boardroom politics.

The Presentation

• Create an interactive presentation and why that matters.

• Make your first line your bottom line.

• Use the 10/30 rule. Prepare ten minutes of material to fill a 30-minute presentation, and take questions along the way.

• Use the "Big Dog Filter": Hold back the technical support and just "net it out."

• Present bad news and problems.

• Prepare to have time cut. Use the PREP (Position; Reason; Evidence; Position) model for impromptu speaking.

• Reduce the number of PowerPoint slides. Have back up if they want to drill down.

The Process

• Use process skills to survive in the boardroom.

• Shift between content and process if the Big Dogs do some of the following:

  • Get bored;

  • Hijack the agenda;

  • Go deep into the detail;

  • Decision maker leaves;

  • Use laptops to check email during your talk.

• Use "Graceful Disengagement" to reschedule.

Real World

This agenda has been developed from a number of sources: interviews with some of Silicon Valley's top executives; years of our experience coaching senior executives; and questions posed by over 270 mid-level managers about what Big Dogs want. The content is based on real world application.

Who should attend

• Anyone who makes presentations to high-level executives.

Format

• One-day program

• Small group size (8) with two coaches

• Role playing with video tape coaching

• Behavioral modeling format to produce long-term behavior change