The goal of executive communication isn't to get through your slides – it's to get through to your audience.
You've been here before. You built a killer deck. Every slide has purpose, every word rehearsed. You're ready to deliver your presentation how you designed it.
Then a few minutes in the executive interrupts you:
"Can you skip ahead and tell me xyz..."
In that moment, you are split. On one hand, you want to adapt, and on the other, you want to defend the work you put in. Too often, the second one wins. And you say the fatal words:
"Let me just get through a few more slides."
It’s easy to misread an executive’s behavior and assume they’re disengaged when what they really want is clarity
Reminder: executive alignment is built through understanding, not assumption.
We like to tell ourselves executives don't have time, but that's not true.
Executives prioritize their time for what matters. They choose what gets their attention and what doesn't. If your proposal is important to them, they'll make room for it, even if it means cutting time for something else.
So when you lose the room, it's not about their schedule, it's about priority.
They are telling you in real time, that what you are showing them doesn't connect with what they value most.
It's a hard truth but once you see it this way, you can start doing something about it. Try to stay grounded in your executive perspective rather than reacting from frustration.
Many people mistake agility for improvisation. It's not. True agility comes from depth. From understanding your story so well that you can summarize it clearly, skip sections, and still deliver the message.
That's the real purpose of preparation. Not to script every word, but to truly understand your message in a way that allows for pivoting without losing impact.
A senior leader once told us she spent an entire weekend preparing a 20-slide deck for her board. When she finally presented, they asked one question. Just one.
I could have been frustrated that they stole my weekend, "she said," or I could realize the 8 hours I put in gave me the clarity I needed to answer that one question."
That's what preparation is for– it gives you the confidence to adapt when the moment shifts.
They don’t need to know how you built the deck — they need to know why it matters and what they should do because of it.
If your point of view isn’t clear, you’ll lose their time. If it’s compelling, they’ll make time.
That’s the exchange.
So before every meeting, ask yourself:
What is the one outcome I need from this conversation?
What is the action I want them to take?
How can I say it in one sentence?
If that feels difficult, it’s worth practicing. Building confidence in executive interactions doesn’t happen overnight — but it’s the foundation for making your message stick.
Do you grip the slides tighter, or let go and meet the conversation where it’s headed?
Holding your preparation loosely doesn’t mean being unprepared. It means being ready to pivot—to summarize, to connect, to adapt without losing the thread.
If you can do that, you stand out.
Executives remember the people who can read the room, get to the point, and still bring depth when asked.
Those are the people who move up.
And often, they’re the ones executives take with them as they rise.
If you want to sharpen how you show up in executive conversations, explore Winning with Executives — a framework that helps you frame your POV, align faster, and build credibility that lasts.