Course: Building Skills for Executive Presentations

Executive Presentation Skills, Practical Course Outline for Senior Leaders

Start with this truth: the boardroom doesn't reward complexity, it rewards clarity delivered with conviction. If you're an executive, your presentation is rarely about information. It's about decisions. It's about alignment. And yes, sometimes it's about persuasion. This outline is built for leaders who want to do all three, without wasting anybody's time.

Course overview
- Target audience: Emerging and mid level executives in finance, operations and strategy, those who present to boards, investors and cross functional leadership teams. (Randomised to front line managers in a later version.)
- Delivery mode: Hybrid, one full face to face day in Sydney (or your preferred Australian city) followed by two 90 minute virtual coaching clinics.
- Duration & format: Full day workshop (7.5 hours contact time) + 2×90 minute virtual follow ups over four weeks. Includes pre work, real case assessments, peer feedback and a recorded capstone presentation.
- Class size & constraint: Max 18 participants; $1,495 inc. GST per person (sample constraint). We can scale for multiple cohorts across Melbourne, Brisbane or Perth.
- Pre work: 10 to 15 minute self assessment, submission of an upcoming presentation brief and two sample slides.
- Assessment/measurement: Pre /post surveys, rubric scored roleplays, manager observation checklist at 30 and 90 day marks.

Key statistic to frame urgency
- According to the Project Management Institute (Pulse of the Profession, 2013), ineffective communications contribute to project failure in a majority of failing initiatives, a reminder that presentation failures are rarely theatrical; they're expensive.

Learning outcomes (behavioural + measurable)
Participants will, by course end, be able to:
1. Craft a single, stake holder specific core message and state it in a single sentence, measurable via a blind peer review.
2. Structure a 10 to 15 minute executive brief that leads to a clear decision (approve, revise, reject), measured by decision clarity in capstone roleplays.
3. Design no more than 10 slides that support, not replace, spoken narrative, assessed with slide design rubric.
4. Deliver with controlled vocal projection and purposeful body language to increase perceived credibility by 20% in observer scoring.
5. Handle objections and tricky Q&A with a calm, evidence based framework, scored by accuracy and composure in simulated Q&A.
6. Implement a 90 day plan to measure presentation effectiveness (decision velocity, stakeholder alignment), with agreed KPIs.

High level course schedule (full day + follow ups)
- 08:30 to 09:00 Arrival, coffee, pre work recap and setting intentions
- 09:00 to 10:00 Module 1: Audience Intelligence, stakeholder mapping & expectation setting
- 10:00 to 10:30 Module 2: Message Distillation, one sentence thesis and supporting pillars
- 10:30 to 10:45 Break
- 10:45 to 12:00 Module 3: Narrative Architecture, framing, tension, evidence, resolution
- 12:00 to 13:00 Lunch + live slide clinic (bring one slide)
- 13:00 to 14:00 Module 4: Visual Design & Data Storytelling, charts that persuade, not confuse
- 14:00 to 15:00 Module 5: Delivery Labs, vocal techniques, posture, gestures
- 15:00 to 15:15 Break
- 15:15 to 16:30 Module 6: Tough Q&A & Objection Handling, frameworks and live simulation
- 16:30 to 17:00 Module 7: Capstone Brief, 6 minute practice presentations in triads
- Post work: Two virtual coaching clinics (weeks 2 and 4). Each clinic includes recorded presentation review and a practical checklist for managers.

Module breakdown with objectives, activities and materials

Module 1, Audience Intelligence (60 to 90 mins)
- Objective: Identify primary and secondary stakeholders and map their decision drivers.
- Activities: Stakeholder mapping exercise; personality style quick scan (analytical v narrative); empathy mapping for two stakeholder personas.
- Deliverables: Stakeholder one pager for each participant; tailored objective statement for their upcoming presentation.
- Trainer note: Push participants to be ruthless, fewer stakeholders, clearer asks.

Module 2, Message Distillation (45 mins)
- Objective: Create a single, unambiguous core message and three supporting lines of evidence.
- Activities: Rapid iteration: write, defend aloud, compress. Peer pressure: colleagues challenge the one liner.
- Deliverables: One line thesis + three evidence pillars, formatted for an executive memo.
- Strong opinion: Executives should aim to frontload the decision. Controversial, yes. Effective, absolutely.

Module 3, Narrative Architecture (75 mins)
- Objective: Turn facts into a persuasive, logical story with a beginning (context), middle (evidence/analysis) and end (ask).
- Activities: Storyboarding (visual), case studies (short), mapping objections and preemptive responses.
- Deliverables: Slide blueprint, title for each slide and the core sentence that must be spoken when that slide appears.
- Trainer tip: Use tension, show the consequence of inaction. People decide emotionally, then justify rationally.

Module 4, Visual Design & Data Storytelling (60 mins)
- Objective: Translate complex data into clear, decision focused visuals.
- Activities: Before/after slide redrafts; chart choice workshop; colour and typography quick rules.
- Deliverables: Up to 10 redesigned slides per participant, with speaker notes that reference the narrative.
- Strong opinion: Most PowerPoints are too wordy. Reduce bullets. Replace with a single sentence and a targeted visual.

Module 5, Delivery Labs: Voice & Presence (75 mins)
- Objective: Improve projection, pacing and persuasive intonation; manage nervous energy.
- Activities: Breathing and projection drills; microphone technique for room and remote; recorded practice with playback.
- Deliverables: Personal delivery checklist (tempo, key phrases, pause points).
- Trainer note: Small improvements in vocal control increase perceived competence, measurable in observer scoring.

Module 6, Body Language & Credibility (45 mins)
- Objective: Use posture, eye contact and gesture to reinforce message authenticity.
- Activities: Video playback with annotated cues; walk and talk practice; staging for hybrid settings.
- Deliverables: Staging plan for room layout and camera placement.
- Practical tip: If you are standing, move with purpose, not pacing. Micro gestures beat grand arm flailing.

Module 7, Handling Q&A & Objections (45 to 60 mins)
- Objective: Use a repeat confirm answer framework to control the agenda and signal competence.
- Activities: Live Q&A simulations, hostile question drills, bridging techniques.
- Deliverables: Q&A cheat sheet (common tough questions mapped to evidence).
- Trainer note: Silence is a tool. Pause before answering, it looks like thought, not fear.

Module 8, Capstone & Peer Review (45 mins)
- Objective: Present a 6 to 10 minute brief that illustrates applied narrative, visuals and delivery skills.
- Activities: Triad presentations with role specific feedback; rubric scoring across message clarity, structure, visuals, delivery and Q&A responses.
- Deliverables: Recorded capstone for asynchronous review and coach feedback.

Follow up clinics (2×90 mins, virtual)
- Clinic 1: Slide forensic (group clinic + 1:1 quick fixes) and rehearsal.
- Clinic 2: Recorded presentation review with action plan and manager coaching guide.

Assessment & measurement plan
- Pre work survey: baseline confidence and typical presentation length/frequency.
- Rubric scoring at capstone: aggregated to give a presentation effectiveness index (0 to 100).
- Manager checklist: managers complete observation form after participant delivers a real world brief within 30 days.
- Behavioural KPIs (sample): Decision clarity rate (did the presentation produce a clear decision?) target 80%; Time to decision target reduced by 25% vs. baseline.
- Longitudinal follow up: 90 day survey to measure stakeholder alignment and perceived credibility lift.

Practical materials included
- Participant workbook with templates: stakeholder map, one liner template, slide blueprint, Q&A cheat sheet.
- Slide design asset pack: pre built, brand neutral chart templates optimised for quick data swaps.
- Short microlearning videos: 5 to 7 minute modules on vocal technique, slide hygiene, and hybrid practice.
- Manager guide for post session coaching and measurement.

Scenarios & roleplays (sample)
- Board briefing seeking strategic approval for a capital project.
- Investor update where performance is below forecast and you need to restore confidence.
- Cross functional ask: secure funding for a shared initiative where stakeholders have competing priorities.

Trainer guidance & facilitation notes
- Keep the tempo brisk. Executives appreciate brevity and practicality.
- Use real presentations supplied in advance, "live" material increases transfer.
- Be candid: call out jargon and diagnosis the silent slide sins.
- Record. Everyone benefits from watching themselves once, it's brutal and transformative.

Implementation considerations for Organisations
- Cohort approach for faster cultural change: run three cohorts over 12 weeks to embed new behaviours.
- Blend with coaching: pairing each participant with a 1:1 coach increases retention and application.
- Align KPIs with HR: tie presentation effectiveness measures into leadership development plans.

Two controversial but useful positions (you'll either nod or roll your eyes)
- Position A: Executive briefs should rarely exceed 10 to 15 minutes. If you need longer, you are doing prep work poorly.
- Position B: Use fewer slides. A slide should only ever do one job, if it does two, it's doing neither well.

Wrap up: what success looks like
- Faster, clearer decisions.
- Greater alignment across stakeholders.
- Executives who present with authority, not theatre.
- Tangible metrics: increased decision velocity, higher manager ratings on credibility, improved clarity in stakeholder surveys.

For more insights on presenting in front of your co workers, consider how these techniques apply to internal presentations as well as external ones.