I'm moving into a new mid-level management position that will require me to deliver presentations to the organization's senior management team. Speaking to peers has never been a problem, but I have always been very anxious in front of executive teams. I need help quickly. My new job is one I have worked very hard to get and I don't want to fail.

Congratulations on your new position. Every increase in responsibility involves challenges and stressful situations. In your case, I believe that with the right techniques and preparation, you can master your fears. In fact, if you work hard enough at presenting to executive groups, this could actually become a strength for you. Try the following recommendations and let me know how you do in your next presentation.

• Adopt a Winning Attitude

  Last spring I spoke with Dr. Andy Wiesenthal prior to his delivering a presentation at the Harvard Club in Boston. Andy is an executive with The Permanente Foundation in Oakland, California and has delivered hundreds of presentations to senior executives.

  I asked Andy if there was anything he did to stay calm and focused before important presentations. He told me of an important discovery that he made as an adolescent preparing for his Bar Mitzvah. The prospect of singing very long and complicated scripture readings in Hebrew, in front of a large congregation, was at first daunting to Andy. However, after many practice sessions, he had an important revelation. No one in the congregation would be as informed as he was about the particular scriptures. He would truly be an expert on his material on that important day. As soon as Andy reached this conclusion something magical happened, he began to relax. When the big day arrived, he remained calm and performed admirably. The lesson from that experience remain with Andy to this day. He takes strength in knowing that, in most cases, he is going to know more than his audience about the presentation topic.

  Andy's experience can be a great lesson to you as you speak to senior teams. You are an expert. You know significantly more that the people sitting before you on your topic - take a deep breath, relax and knock their socks off.

• Conduct Due Diligence

  Confidence in delivering presentations to senior staff is based, in large part, on preparation. With this knowledge in mind, understand that the boardroom environment is different from what you experience in presenting to your colleagues. You will increase your comfort level by identifying what these differences are and how to include them in your preparation. Find out who in your organization has a reputation for getting high marks on presentations to the executive team. Set up a meeting with this individual and learn the strategies and techniques that work in the boardroom. Don't take anything for granted. Become an absolute perfectionist when it comes to preparation.

• Arrange Pre-Presentation Meetings

  I learned early in my career the importance of pre-selling committee members prior to important meetings. My boss, a VP of Human Resources, was the chair of a high-level policy committee. He always met with individual committee members in advance of the big meeting to get their inputs. This advance work paid dividends on the day of the actual committee meeting. My boss was able to identify his adversaries and supporters. He also uncovered information that kept him from being blind-sided in the meetings.

  Take the time to meet with a few of the senior team members before your presentation. In particular, meet with the individual you think will be most opposed to your ideas. Ask him or her for their perspective on your topic. Listen, don't debate, you may get some insights that help you broaden your point of view. When the day of the meeting arrives, you will be very confident as a result of the information gained from these meetings. In addition, you will have started the process of building relationships with individual team members.

If you follow these recommendations I believe that you will soon develop a high degree of comfort in speaking before executive teams. Keep in mind the words of the great tennis pro Arthur Ashe, "One important key to success is self-confidence. An important key to self- confidence is preparation."

Copyright 2006, Mark J. Campbell. All rights reserved.
Permission to reprint the "Delivering Presentations to Senior Executives" article is granted, provided you let me know where it is being printed, the copyright is not removed, and the following text accompanies each article:

"Mark Campbell partners with organizations for leadership development. For a complimentary subscription to his newsletter, "Management Challenges," go to www.mjcampbellassoc.com."

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