Any tips on better PowerPoints and wordsmithing communications for senior management?

vox87

So... I'm being nudged into a security architect role. These days, I spend most of my times talking and presenting to upper/senior management, tons of project meetings, and providing communications to a number of parties.

It seems at this stage of the game the PowerPoints and communications need to be on another level. Less in the weeds, filled with buzz words, flowing sides, particular verbiage, etc. etc. etc. ...all for the upper management

While I do decent presentations and communications, I'm trying to become more proficient at the art. My style can be a little too blunt at times and lacking that "business bs" flare that people want.

Looking for any suggested reading, youtube videos, or training on developing better presentations and communications for senior management and other parties.

Thanks!!

NotHackingYou

I read this book and it helped: The Elements of Style (As recommended by someone here)

EANx

The thing that helped me most was to focus on the tangible results first:

By doing X, we expect the following business benefits
- Reduce licensing costs by $
- Reduce labor costs by $
- Increase up-time by %

Then have an overview of the plan

Then a slight dive into the plan, linking the tangible results to the overview

By buying software maintenance in three-year blocks, we save % over the cost of buying it annually. We also avoid gaps in service which resulted in % downtime last year because we didn't get the new patches on-time.

Be sure to anticipate objections
While the first year will require a small increase to our budget to cover the startup, we plan to stagger the roll-out in order to minimize the financial impact. We anticipate this will save Acme Inc $ over # years.

Work to eliminate words like "honestly" and "actually" from your vocabulary when making presentations. Be sure to practice the presentation several times until you're totally comfortable with it as well. Executives are far more likely to believe someone that doesn't act anxious.

DatabaseHead

NotHackingYou wrote: »

I read this book and it helped: The Elements of Style (As recommended by someone here)

+1 Great book

More visual aids less words. Seriously