The best advice I ever got on presenting to executives

If you've ever walked out of a leadership meeting wondering what just happened, you're not alone. Here's 5 tips on how to improve.

Hey, Miranda here 👋

One of the most underrated skills for UX and Product Designers is presenting to executives.

I think many of us gradually discover that presenting to executives is drastically different from presenting to our team.

"Every time I present to leadership, I feel like I lose them halfway through. They either get impatient, jump to conclusions, or cut the meeting short."

Sound familiar? If you've ever walked out of a leadership meeting wondering what just happened, you're not alone.

Here is some of the best advice I’ve received on presenting to executives, along with what I’ve painfully learned over the past decade.

1. Start With the Decision/Input You Need

Executives don’t want to wade through details before understanding why they’re in the room. They need clear decision-making paths, fast.

❌ "We've spent the last few weeks analyzing user behavior, and we’ve uncovered some fascinating insights that might impact our strategy. Let me walk you through our findings."

✅ "We need a decision on whether to allocate time to improving the onboarding flow. Our data shows that users who complete Step 2 are twice as likely to convert, but 40% drop off before reaching it. We recommend streamlining Step 1 to reduce friction. Here’s the data to support this approach."

This instantly tells them why they’re in the room, what’s expected of them, and what’s at stake. Then, you provide only the most relevant information.

2. Provide the Right Amount of Context—Never Assume They Remember

One of the biggest mistakes you can make is assuming executives remember prior conversations or have deep context on your work. They are constantly shifting focus between multiple topics.