How to Influence Senior Management

First Posted: April 8, 2021

As a manager, the level of interaction with senior management increases. How can you keep your cool and impress them well enough for them to take an interest in you? Here, we share some tips: 

Before the meeting 

1. Prepare thoroughly. Do your research and gather as much information and data as you can. Collate ‘success stories’ relevant to your industry to support your proposal as senior management tend to sway towards ideas that work. Also, the more information you have on the subject matter, the more rational you are to influence the people at the top. 
2. Rehearse your presentation. Presenting to senior management is usually a make or break matter. Their days are jam-packed with meetings and will not have time to listen to you. Run your talk and slides by a trusted colleague or friend who can give you honest feedback on your presentation. This might be the only shot you get at speaking to senior management hence make sure your presentation impresses them. 
3. Ensure that your claims, promises and forecasts are realistic. Do not make exaggerated or false claims. Senior management have more experience than you and can easily spot inconsistencies. This can hurt your credibility and make them doubt your capability.
   

During the presentation 

1. Project optimism. Greet the people warmly and smile when they enter the meeting room. Ideas delivered cheerfully get more buy-in than those delivered in a gloomy mood. People will be more receptive and interested to hear what you have got to offer.  
2. Be concise and on-task. Attention spans of senior management is short as they operate under major time constraints. Give them the bottom line up front before substantiating with data.   
3. Listen carefully and show interest in their reactions. Pay attention to their body language too. Respond to their queries promptly and value objections raised by them. This will demonstrate the importance you place on their opinions.  

After the meeting

1. Write a thank you memo. Thank the senior management for taking the time out of their busy schedules to listen to your presentation. The memo should also include the main issues raised during the presentation and indicate your willingness to deal with those at the earliest time.
2. Collate outstanding objections. Determine what are the obstacles that prevent your proposal from getting the go-ahead. Request for a follow-up meeting to address those issues.