Master a 5-Minute Executive Update

It’s Friday afternoon, you’re racing toward the weekend, and as you close out your inbox, you see the following email from your boss’ boss. 

“The executive team needs an update on the customer segmentation project. We’re going to squeeze you into Monday's agenda. Think ‘5 minutes.’ Thanks!”

After a momentary panic (and a touch of annoyance at the late notice), you begin planning for this important presentation. 

Knowledge of the project isn’t an issue. You’ve been working on this task for the better part of 6 months and you’ve collected data every step of the way. You could practically write a dissertation on the subject. But what should you say in 5 minutes?

Herein lies the conundrum that every professional inevitably faces–how to provide the most useful and efficient project update possible in a fraction of the time you want.

Our advice…

1. Honor Your Audience

Ask yourself, “What information does the executive team need?” Do they need an introduction to the project? A big-picture overview? Detailed program data? Are they on the verge of an important decision or are they simply seeking to stay informed as the project unfolds?

Knowing what the executive team is looking for is the first step in narrowing down the content you’ll cover in your 5 minute update.

Of course, your first inclination may be to respond, “Everything! The executive team needs to know it all,” but that’s probably untrue and it’s certainly impossible to do in 5 minutes. Instead, deliver what the executive team needs most.
 

2. Plan Your Takeaways

One approach to the update is to run through as much data and detail as possible and leave it to the executives to determine what information is important. This is suboptimal for a few reasons.

First, firehosing the executive team with information undermines effective communication. You are prone to going too quickly and even the most important information can get buried in your avalanche of detail.

Second, you relegate yourself to a mouthpiece. You give up a wonderful opportunity to showcase your strategic thinking. In a nutshell, you’ve been asked to provide an update because you know the subject better than most. Capitalize on your expertise, illustrate your insight, and add value to the meeting beyond the simple act of delivering data.

Instead of racing through a litany of information, identify the KEY ideas you need the executives to understand about the project and then construct your update around those central ideas.
 

3. Construct Slides To Convey Your Takeaways

There is a tendency to overload slides with detail in part because you want to illustrate your thoroughness and in part because you want to be prepared for any worm hole the executive team decides to explore. Unfortunately, packing everything onto your slides dilutes your message. Instead, create easy-to-digest slides that reinforce your takeaway message(s). Remember that ‘less is more,’ and relegate all other information to an appendix or the “Notes Page” of your slide deck.

4. Prepare the ‘2-Minute Version’

Meetings inevitably run long, and you should plan to have your time cut in half. The worst adaptation you can make is to race through all your content at 2X speed. Your presentation is not a pre-recorded talk track–adapt! 

Use your takeaways as your foundation and provide just enough information to effectively deliver your key ideas. Think ‘big picture’ and appreciate that if the executive team wants more information, they will ask for it. 

Whether you’re given 2 hours or 2 days to prepare, delivering an executive update is a critical business skill. Use the above advice to ensure you don’t just plow through every bit of detail, but instead deliver an effective, efficient, and engaging executive update. The leadership team will appreciate it (and your career will benefit).