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Focus on big
picture. Let the CEO take you into the weeds.
That’s the
philosophy of a strong executive briefing. A tight, high-level
message inspires confidence. “If you can’t tell it to me quick,”
one manufacturing executive told us recently, “you probably don’t
have a strong understanding of the issues.”
Long rambling
remarks sound uncertain. With that in mind, prepare relatively
short messages that focus on just the most important issues. Deliver
the update quickly.
“But our CEO wants
to know all the details,” one of our clients told us.
We’re not saying
that you shouldn’t be ready with the details when asked. But don’t
serve up those details until you are asked. A good waiter
recites the specials and takes his cues on further suggestions from
the restaurant patron. He doesn’t read out the entire menu.
Similarly, a good briefer gives the high points and then responds to
the issues raised by the CEO rather than wading into a lot of
potentially unwanted detail.
Let the CEO ask for
the detail she wants. When you start at a high level, you can
always go deeper.
Use A Three Point
Briefing Method
We recommend a
three point strategy:
-
Current Status
-
Key Challenges
-
Proposed
Solutions
We worked with a
telecom executive in charge of improving customer service. His task
force had done several things to improve service and he had to
report out to the CEO. He outlined his message as follows:
-
Current status:
Our key customer service metrics are finally starting to move in
the right direction.
-
Key Challenges:
We’re still getting way too many customers calling us trying to
figure out how to
operate the new handsets.
-
Proposed
Solutions: To solve the problem we’re going to get more involved
in early development of the handsets.
When it was his
turn during the meeting to speak, he quickly outlined the three key
points, giving an overview in 15 seconds. An overview helps the
listener get the big picture. Then he went back over the three key
points, giving a couple of sentences of detail and explanation.
Then he stopped and took questions.
“Actually it was a
very orderly and productive discussion that everyone was happy
with,” he told us later. “We stayed on track and didn’t get too lost
in unnecessary detail.”
Keeping your
message high level tends to keep the discussion properly focused,
leaving plenty of room for detail if needed.
At
Speechworks we help our clients learn how to communicate in a way
that connects and persuades. If you’re interested in becoming a
great communicator give us a call at 404-266-0888 or check out our
website at
www.speechworks.net |
