Your executive has poured hours into the slide deck and barely a minute into how they’ll deliver it – one of the most common (and most fixable) presentation mistakes. Theresa Miller, a journalist and media trainer with 30 years’ experience, explains what EAs should look for.
Many presenters hide behind their slide deck when, in fact, they are their own best visual aid. When I review a presentation as an EA might, the first thing I look at is whether the slides are doing too much work.
Ideally, each one should hold a single idea, like an image, a graph or a few bullet points. Nothing more. I follow the 6×6 rule. No more than six words across, six points per slide. You want the audience listening to the presenter, not reading over their shoulder.
Doing the groundwork
Good preparation goes well beyond the deck. If your exec is presenting to an unfamiliar group, there’s real intelligence to gather before they ever stand up. I start with the organisation’s own material (website, newsletters, blog, media releases) then move to podcasts, recent news coverage and the LinkedIn presence of key decision-makers, including which groups they belong to and what they’re posting about.
I like to organise this under clear headings: business performance, company values, founders and history, recent news, and any recent upheaval such as a merger, takeover, leadership change or redundancies.
Alongside that, I keep a second column on the personality of the key decision-maker – their hobbies, interests, and whether they’re task-oriented or relationship-oriented. Do they want information straight up or do they prefer some small talk before getting to business? That single distinction shapes how an entire presentation should open.
Raising concerns without overstepping
If you spot a problem with a presentation (too long, too jargon-heavy, missing the audience’s pain points entirely) there’s a way to raise it that protects your relationship. I call it Kiss, Kick, Kiss.
Start with something genuinely positive: “It’s clear you’ve done a lot of research on this and you’ve backed up your points with solid statistics and case studies.” Then the constructive part: “I’ve made a couple of suggestions where you could tighten things up – maybe cut a few slides – so the audience doesn’t lose focus on your offer.” Close by inviting collaboration: “Would you like to run through it with me?”
The most common mistake
Executives often assume their audience understands their business or industry as well as they do and lean on jargon that ends up confusing or alienating people. The fix is straightforward – use language a layperson can grasp.
The other mistake I see constantly is misplaced effort. Executives pour hours into the slide deck and almost none into delivery. Eye contact, facial expressions, gestures and stance are what actually engages a room – and they’re often most neglected.
In the days before a big presentation, one of the most useful things an EA can do is film a run-through on their phone and play it back. Give specific, generous feedback: “You come across as knowledgeable and authoritative. For next time, try slowing down and pausing between points so the audience has time to digest what you’re saying.”
When you’re the one presenting
More EAs are presenting themselves now at internal meetings, to boards or at industry conferences. If that’s you, the most important thing to get right is a clear objective. A good speech is like a pencil – it needs a point. Open with something that grabs attention, structure it logically, and close with a specific call to action.
Whether you’re coaching your executive or standing up yourself, the same thing separates a good presentation from a forgettable one. A great presenter serves the audience who’ll benefit from the message. That’s the thing to aim for, always.
If presenting internally or delivering training isn’t natural to you yet, the path there is simple, if not always easy. Prepare, rehearse, ask trusted colleagues for honest feedback and keep practising.
Communication skills matter more than ever in this AI era. AI can help write a presentation, but it can’t deliver one. That’s still entirely down to you.
Theresa Miller has 30 years’ experience as a journalist, media adviser, presenter and corporate trainer, working as a television journalist for ITN, Good Morning Britain, CNN and the European Business Channel, and in Australia for the ABC, SBS, Channel Nine and Channel Seven. She is the author of Speak Up: How to be a Successful Presenter and Media Spokesperson.
