Category: Presentation Skills

13 Dec 2025
What 24 years in banking taught me about high-stakes presentations
Executive Presentations, Presentation Skills Mary Beth Hazeldine 0 comment

What 24 Years in Banking Taught Me About High-Stakes Presentations

📅 Updated: December 2025

What 25 years in banking taught me about high-stakes presentations

If you want a ready-made framework for executive presentations: Explore The Executive Slide System →

Templates, AI prompts, and scenario playbooks for building board-ready slides.

Quick Answer

Executive presentation training rarely teaches what actually matters. After 25 years $2 JPMorgan, PwC, RBS, and Commerzbank, I learned that high-stakes presentations aren’t won with better slides — they’re won with better preparation, political awareness, and the ability to read a room. The presenters who consistently got approvals weren’t the most polished speakers. They were the ones who’d done the work before they walked in.

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I still remember my first presentation to JPMorgan’s Executive Committee.

I was 26. I’d spent three weeks building a 45-slide deck. I knew every number, every assumption, every footnote. I’d rehearsed my talking points until I could recite them in my sleep.

Seven minutes in, the Global Head of Operations held up his hand. “What’s the ask?”

I froze. My ask was on slide 38.

“I’ll… I’ll get to that,” I managed.

“I don’t have time for you to get to it. What do you want us to do?”

I fumbled forward, completely thrown off my script. The meeting ended with a polite “send us a one-pager” — which in banking means no.

That moment was the beginning of everything I know about high-stakes presentations.

Lesson 1: The Decision Happens Before the Meeting

Here’s what they don’t teach in executive presentation training: by the time you walk into that room, most decisions are already made.

At a UK hight street bank, I watched a colleague present a flawless recommendation for a £3M technology investment. Perfect slides. Clear ROI. Confident delivery.

The CFO said no in under two minutes.

What my colleague didn’t know: the CFO had already committed that budget to another initiative. The decision was made three weeks earlier in a conversation he wasn’t part of.

The best presenters I worked with at JPMorgan spent more time before the meeting than during it. They’d walk the halls, grab coffee with stakeholders, understand the politics. By the time they presented, they already knew who would support them, who would push back, and what objections they’d face.

The presentation wasn’t where they made their case. It was where they confirmed what they’d already built.

Lesson 2: Executives Buy Confidence, Not Content

In 2008, I was presenting a risk assessment to the bank’s board during the financial crisis. Markets were collapsing. Nobody knew what would happen next.

I had two options: present the uncertainty honestly, or project confidence I didn’t feel.

I chose honesty. I said: “I don’t know what’s going to happen. Nobody does. But here’s what we do know, here’s what we’re watching, and here’s how we’ll respond to each scenario.”

After the meeting, the Chief Risk Officer pulled me aside. “That was the most credible presentation I’ve seen all week. Everyone else is pretending they have answers. You gave us a framework for decisions we can actually make.”

Confidence isn’t about having all the answers. It’s about being clear on what you know, what you don’t know, and what you recommend despite the uncertainty.

Executives don’t expect you to predict the future. They expect you to help them make good decisions with incomplete information. That’s what they do every day.

If you want the slide frameworks distilled from decades of corporate presenting, The Executive Slide System gives you 22 ready-made templates to start from.

Seven lessons from 25 years of banking presentations

Lesson 3: Your Slides Are Not Your Presentation

At PwC, I worked with a partner who was legendary for client presentations. He’d walk in with three slides — sometimes two — and walk out with seven-figure engagements.

I once asked him how he did it.

“The slides are a prop,” he said. “They’re not the show. The show is what happens in the room. The conversation. The questions. The moment you see them lean forward because you’ve said something that matters to them.”

He was right. I’ve seen beautiful 50-slide decks put people to sleep. I’ve seen scribbled whiteboards close deals.

The difference isn’t the slides. It’s the presenter’s ability to:

  • Read the room and adjust in real-time
  • Answer questions they didn’t prepare for
  • Make the audience feel heard, not talked at
  • Create space for the decision to emerge naturally

Related: Executive Presentation Template: 12 Slides That Command the Room

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Lesson 4: The Question You Don’t Expect Will Define You

At a US Investment Bank., I was presenting a £8M operations initiative to the regional CEO. Everything was going perfectly. Slides landing. Heads nodding. I was about to close with my ask.

Then the CEO asked: “What happens to the 47 people in Mumbai whose jobs this eliminates?”

I hadn’t prepared for that question. It wasn’t in my risk assessment. It wasn’t in my stakeholder analysis. I’d been so focused on ROI and efficiency that I’d completely missed the human element.

I stumbled through something about “redeployment opportunities” and “natural attrition.” It was vague and everyone knew it.

The CEO said: “Come back when you’ve thought about the people, not just the numbers.”

That presentation taught me something that’s shaped every executive conversation since: the question you don’t expect reveals what you haven’t thought through. And executives notice.

The best way to prepare for unexpected questions isn’t to anticipate every possible question. It’s to think more broadly about your recommendation in the first place. Who’s affected? What could go wrong? What would make you change your mind?

Related: How to Present to a CFO: The Finance-First Framework

Lesson 5: Vulnerability Builds More Trust Than Perfection

This one took me years to learn.

Early in my career, I thought executive presentations were performances. I needed to appear competent, polished, in control. Any sign of uncertainty was weakness.

Then I watched a Managing Director at RBS do something that changed my perspective.

She was presenting a strategy that had partially failed. Instead of burying the failure in positive spin, she opened with: “I want to tell you what went wrong, what I learned, and what I’d do differently.”

The room leaned in. For the next 20 minutes, she had complete attention. When she finished, the Chief Executive said: “That’s the most useful strategy review I’ve heard this year.”

She got more budget, not less.

Executives are surrounded by people telling them what they want to hear. Honesty — even uncomfortable honesty — is rare and valuable. The presenter who admits what didn’t work, explains why, and shows they’ve learned is more credible than the one with a perfect track record they can’t explain.

Lesson 6: Presence Trumps Content Every Time

At Commerzbank, I sat through hundreds of presentations. I started noticing a pattern.

The presenters who got approvals weren’t always the ones with the best analysis. They were the ones who:

  • Walked in like they belonged there
  • Made eye contact with decision-makers, not their slides
  • Spoke at a pace that commanded attention
  • Paused after making important points
  • Handled pushback without getting defensive

Executive presence is hard to define but easy to recognise. You know it when you see it. And it’s not about being the most charismatic person in the room — some of the most effective presenters I’ve worked with were quiet, understated people who simply projected certainty.

It can be learned. I’ve seen people transform their presence in a matter of months. But it requires deliberate practice, feedback, and usually someone who can show you what you can’t see in yourself.

Lesson 7: AI Won’t Save You

I’ve been using AI tools for presentations since they became available. They’re remarkable for certain things — generating first drafts, formatting consistently, iterating quickly.

But here’s what 24 years taught me that no AI can replicate:

  • Knowing that the CFO and COO don’t speak to each other, so you need separate pre-meetings
  • Sensing that the room has turned and you need to skip ahead
  • Hearing the question behind the question
  • Building relationships that mean your call gets answered

AI makes the mechanical parts of presentations faster. That’s valuable. But the mechanical parts were never the hard part.

The hard part is everything that happens between humans — the trust, the politics, the unspoken dynamics. That’s where presentations are won or lost. And that hasn’t changed in 24 years.

Related: Why AI Won’t Replace Presentation Skills (But Will Amplify Them)

The best presenters spent more time before the meeting than during it

The presentation is the opening act. The Q&A is where trust is built or lost.

The Executive Slide System gives you the frameworks to structure both.

Executive Slide System — £39, instant access.

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Designed for executives who present where decisions are made.

What I’d Tell My 26-Year-Old Self

If I could go back to that first JPMorgan Chase presentation, here’s what I’d say:

Stop building slides. Start building relationships. The people in that room are more important than anything on your screen. Know what they care about before you walk in.

Lead with the ask. Respect their time. Tell them what you want, then justify it. Not the other way around.

Prepare for the conversation, not the presentation. Your slides will take 15 minutes. The Q&A will take 45. Prepare accordingly.

Get comfortable being uncomfortable. The moment that terrifies you — the hard question, the pushback, the silence — is where trust is built. Don’t run from it.

Find people who’ll tell you the truth. You can’t see your own blind spots. Get feedback from people who’ll be honest, not kind.

Why I Started Teaching This

After 25 years in banking, I’d collected a lot of lessons. Most of them learned the hard way.

When I moved into training, I discovered that most executive presentation training focused on the wrong things. Slide design. Speaking techniques. Body language tips.

All useful. But none of it addressed what actually determines outcomes: the strategic preparation, the stakeholder management, the ability to read a room and adapt in real-time.

So I built a programme that teaches what I wish I’d known at 26. Not theory — the actual skills and frameworks that worked in real boardrooms with real money on the line.

Reading vs. Doing

What You Get Free Articles AI-Enhanced Mastery (£249)
Awareness of what matters ✓ ✓
structured frameworks (AVP, 132, S.E.E.) Mentioned ✓ Deep training
8 structured learning modules ❌ ✓ Self-paced
Live coaching sessions ❌ ✓ 2 sessions
Templates & prompt packs Examples ✓ Full library
Before/after transformations ❌ ✓ Real examples
Outcome Know what to do Actually do it

Frequently Asked Questions

How is executive presentation training different from regular presentation skills?

Regular presentation training focuses on delivery — how to stand, how to speak, how to use slides. Executive presentation training focuses on outcomes — how to get decisions, how to manage stakeholders, how to handle high-stakes situations. The audience, the stakes, and the dynamics are fundamentally different.

Can presentation skills really be taught?

Yes, but not through lectures. The skills that matter — reading a room, handling pushback, projecting confidence — require practice with feedback. That’s why the Maven course includes live coaching sessions, not just video content.

What if I don’t work in banking?

The principles apply across industries. I’ve trained executives in biotech, SaaS, consulting, and manufacturing. The dynamics of high-stakes presentations — managing stakeholders, leading with conclusions, handling tough questions — are universal.

How long does it take to see improvement?

Most people see significant improvement within their first 2-3 presentations after training. The frameworks give you structure immediately. The confidence builds with practice.

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About the Author

Mary Beth Hazeldine spent 25 years in corporate banking at JPMorgan Chase, PwC, Royal Bank of Scotland, and Commerzbank before moving into executive training. She teaches at Winning Presentations and is launching the AI-Enhanced Presentation Mastery course in January 2026.


12 Dec 2025
Why AI won't replace presentation skills - what AI handles vs what you master
AI & Copilot, Presentation Skills Mary Beth Hazeldine 0 comment

Why AI Won’t Replace Presentation Skills (But Will Amplify Them) [2026]

📅 Updated: March 2026

Why AI won't replace presentation skills - what AI handles vs what you master

Why AI Won’t Replace Presentation Skills (But Will Amplify Them)

Quick Answer

AI presentation tools like Copilot and ChatGPT can generate slides in seconds — but they can’t read the room, handle tough questions, or build the trust that closes deals. The executives winning in 2026 aren’t choosing between AI and presentation skills. They’re using AI to handle the mechanics so they can focus on what matters: persuasion, presence, and human connection.

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Last month, I watched a biotech executive lose a £3 million funding round.

His slides were flawless. Copilot had generated a beautiful deck — clean layouts, smart charts, professional transitions. He’d spent maybe two hours on a presentation that would have taken me two days five years ago.

But when the lead investor asked, “What happens if your Phase 2 trials are delayed six months?” — he froze.

Not because he didn’t know the answer. Because he’d spent so much time perfecting slides that he’d forgotten to prepare for the conversation.

The AI did exactly what it was supposed to do. He didn’t.

Using Copilot or ChatGPT for presentations?

The executives pulling ahead aren’t using AI less — they’re using it with the right frameworks. The Executive Prompt Pack gives you 71 pre-structured prompts so AI executes your strategy, not a generic template.

Explore the Executive Prompt Pack →

The Dangerous Assumption

Here’s what I’m seeing across boardrooms, pitch meetings, and executive presentations: a dangerous assumption that better slides mean better outcomes.

They don’t.

I’ve trained executives for 16+ years. I’ve watched presentation technology evolve from overhead projectors to PowerPoint to Prezi to AI. And every single time, the same pattern repeats:

New technology makes average presenters slightly faster at being average.

The executives who were already good? They use the new tools to become exceptional. The gap widens, not narrows.

Copilot doesn’t change this equation. It accelerates it.

What AI Actually Does Well

Let me be clear: I’m not anti-AI. I use PowerPoint Copilot every day. I teach my clients to use it. It’s genuinely transformative for certain tasks.

AI excels at:

  • First drafts. Getting from blank page to working structure in minutes instead of hours.
  • Visual consistency. Layouts, formatting, brand alignment — all the mechanical work.
  • Content transformation. Turning documents into slides, data into charts, notes into talking points.
  • Iteration speed. “Make this more concise.” “Add a comparison.” “Simplify this chart.” Instant.
  • Agent Mode autonomy. Copilot’s Agent Mode (launched late 2025) can research, structure, and build complete presentations end-to-end — handling multi-step tasks without you prompting each step manually.

I used to spend 40% of my preparation time on slide mechanics. Now it’s maybe 10%. That’s a genuine productivity gain.

But here’s what I do with the time I save: I prepare for the parts AI can’t help with.

What AI Cannot Do (And Never Will)

No matter how sophisticated the technology gets, AI will never be able to:

1. Read the room in real-time

The CFO just glanced at her phone. The CEO’s arms are crossed. The technical lead is nodding enthusiastically while everyone else looks confused.

These signals tell you whether to speed up, slow down, skip ahead, or stop and ask a question. AI generates slides. You navigate the humans.

2. Handle the question that matters

The most important moment in any executive presentation isn’t on your slides. It’s the question that comes after.

“What’s your contingency if this fails?”

“Why should we fund this instead of the other three proposals?”

“What aren’t you telling us?”

Your answer — delivered with confidence, specificity, and composure — is what gets the yes or no. No AI can prepare you for that.

3. Build trust through presence

When I worked at JPMorgan, we had a saying: “People fund people, not PowerPoints.”

Trust is built through eye contact, conviction, how you handle pressure, whether you admit what you don’t know. It’s built in the pauses between slides, not on them.

A deck generated by AI is a deck that could have been generated by anyone. Your presence in the room is the differentiator.

4. Create genuine emotional connection

The most persuasive moment I ever witnessed wasn’t a clever chart or a well-designed slide.

It was a founder showing a photo of her grandmother — the person whose medical condition inspired her biotech startup — while explaining why she’d spent seven years on this problem.

AI can’t feel. It can’t share your conviction. It can’t make the room feel what’s at stake.

Related: How to Create Executive Presentations That Get Results

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The Executive Who Got It Right

Compare that biotech executive with someone I worked with last quarter — a Head of Strategy at a FTSE 250 company presenting a £12 million transformation programme to the board.

She used Copilot to build her initial deck in 45 minutes. Solid structure, clean visuals, data-driven charts. Same AI tools as everyone else.

Then she spent the next two weeks on what AI couldn’t help with:

  • Anticipating the 15 most likely questions and rehearsing her answers
  • Understanding each board member’s priorities and concerns
  • Preparing three different versions of her “walk them through the numbers” section based on how much detail they wanted
  • Practicing her opening until she could deliver it while making eye contact with every person in the room
  • Building relationships with key stakeholders before the meeting so she had allies in the room

The presentation took 20 minutes. The Q&A went 40 minutes. She got full approval.

“The slides were table stakes,” she told me afterward. “The real work was everything else.”

The Prompts That Make AI Think Like an Executive

The Executive Prompt Pack (£19.99, instant access) gives you 71 tested Copilot and ChatGPT prompts designed for executive-level presentations — board updates, budget requests, investor briefs, and Q&A preparation. Each prompt embeds the strategic thinking AI skips, so the output is presentation-ready, not just formatted text.

  • 71 prompts structured around executive communication frameworks
  • Covers PowerPoint Copilot and ChatGPT for high-stakes decks
  • Instant download — use before your next board presentation

Get the Executive Prompt Pack →

Designed for executives across banking, consulting, and technology who present at board and leadership level.

The New Presentation Skills Stack

The new presentation skills stack - Layer 1 AI Fluency, Layer 2 Strategic Clarity, Layer 3 Human Performance

Here’s what I’m teaching executives in 2026. It’s not “ignore AI” or “embrace AI.” It’s a new stack of skills:

Layer 1: AI Fluency (Delegate This)

Know which tools to use for what. Master the prompts that generate useful output. Understand the limitations so you’re not surprised when AI produces garbage. Build your first draft fast.

This layer is now table stakes. Everyone will have it within two years.

Layer 2: Strategic Clarity (Own This)

What’s the one thing your audience needs to understand? What decision are you asking them to make? What’s the narrative arc that takes them from where they are to where you need them to be?

AI can’t answer these questions because they require understanding context, politics, relationships, and stakes that exist outside the presentation itself.

Layer 3: Human Performance (Master This)

How you show up in the room. Handling pressure. Building trust. Reading signals. Adapting on the fly. Answering the question behind the question.

This is where the gap between good and great has always been. AI just made it more visible.

Related: Why Presentation Templates Aren’t Enough

What 16+ Years of Presentation Training Taught Me About Technology

I started Winning Presentations in 1989. Since then, I’ve watched:

  • Overhead projectors replaced by slides
  • Slides replaced by PowerPoint
  • PowerPoint enhanced by animation, then Prezi, then beautiful templates
  • Templates supplemented by AI

Every single time, the technology got easier. Every single time, my clients asked: “Do we still need presentation training?”

And every single time, the answer was the same: The technology changes what you need to learn. It doesn’t eliminate the need to learn.

In 1995, you needed to learn how to not read from your slides. (Most people still need this.)

In 2005, you needed to learn how to not overwhelm with animation. (Death by bullet point became death by fly-in.)

In 2015, you needed to learn how to not hide behind beautiful design. (Prezi made terrible presenters look temporarily interesting.)

In 2026, you need to learn how to not let AI do the thinking for you.

The pattern is consistent: each wave of technology handles the mechanical work better, which raises the bar on the human work.

Stop Writing AI Prompts From Scratch

The Executive Prompt Pack (£19.99, instant access) — 71 prompts for every executive presentation scenario, structured so AI executes your thinking rather than replacing it.

For executives building a structured AI-powered presentation practice, the Executive Prompt Pack gives you 71 prompts designed for every executive presentation scenario — the practical complement to the skills covered in this article.

Get the Executive Prompt Pack →

Instant digital download. Works with PowerPoint Copilot and ChatGPT.

The Widening Gap

The widening gap between great and average presenters as AI tools are introduced

Here’s what concerns me about AI in presentations:

The executives who were already investing in their presentation skills are using AI to save time on mechanics and double down on mastery. They’re getting better faster.

The executives who thought “good enough” slides would carry them are now producing “good enough” slides in one-tenth the time — and they’re not investing the saved time in getting better. They’re just moving on to the next thing.

The gap is widening.

I see it in client work. The best presenters I train are light-years ahead of where they were five years ago. The mediocre ones are exactly where they were — just faster at being mediocre.

Which side of that gap do you want to be on?

Why Reading About Presentation Skills Doesn’t Work

You’ve made it this far, which tells me you understand the stakes. AI is changing the game, and the winners will be the people who master both the technology and the human skills.

But here’s what I’ve learned in 16+ years: you can’t read your way to presentation mastery.

I’ve written hundreds of articles like this one. They’re useful for awareness — understanding what matters and why. But presentation skills are performance skills. You don’t get better by reading. You get better by doing, getting feedback, and iterating.

That’s why I created a different approach.

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What you’ll master:

  • The AVP Framework (Action-Value-Proof) — Create compelling outlines in minutes that guide audiences to yes
  • The 132 Rule — Organize information in the exact sequence your audience’s brain processes it
  • The S.E.E. Formula (Story-Evidence-Emotion) — Make your proof memorable and recommendations impossible to dismiss
  • Your Personal AI Playbook — Customised prompts that reflect your expertise and communication style

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  • 8 self-paced modules (released January–April 2026)
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Investment: £499

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Reading vs. Doing

What You Get Free Articles AI-Enhanced Mastery (£499)
Awareness of what matters ✓ ✓
structured frameworks (AVP, 132 Rule, S.E.E.) Mentioned ✓ Deep training
8 structured learning modules ❌ ✓ Self-paced
Live coaching sessions ❌ ✓ 2 sessions in April
Templates & prompt packs Examples only ✓ Full library
Before/after transformations ❌ ✓ Real examples
Outcome Know what to do Actually do it

Not Ready for the Course?

Start with the free AI + Human Presentation Checklist — know exactly what to delegate vs. what to master.

Download Free Checklist →

The Bottom Line

AI is the most significant change to presentations since PowerPoint. But it doesn’t change the fundamental truth:

Presentations are human performance. AI is just the instrument.

A great musician with a mediocre instrument will outperform a mediocre musician with a Stradivarius. Every time.

The executives who thrive in 2026 won’t be the ones with the best AI tools. They’ll be the ones who use AI to handle the mechanics — and invest the time saved in becoming genuinely persuasive humans.

That’s the skill set that can’t be automated. That’s what I teach.

The question is: which side of the widening gap will you be on?

FAQ

Will AI eventually be able to deliver presentations for us?

AI can generate video avatars and synthetic voices, but trust is built through human presence. Even if AI could deliver slides, the Q&A, relationship-building, and real-time adaptation will remain human skills. The “delivery” is the smallest part of executive presentations.

How much time should I spend on AI vs. human skills?

For most executives, AI fluency takes 2-4 weeks to develop. Human performance skills take months to years. Invest accordingly — get competent with AI quickly, then focus your ongoing development on the human elements.

What if my company mandates AI use?

Great — use it for what it’s good at (drafts, formatting, iteration) and free up time for what matters (strategy, practice, relationship-building). Mandated AI adoption is an opportunity if you’re strategic about where you invest your saved time.

Is this relevant if I don’t use Copilot?

Yes. The principles apply regardless of which AI tools you use — ChatGPT, Gamma, Beautiful.ai, or any future tools. The human skills remain constant even as the technology evolves.

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Weekly insights on AI-enhanced presentations, executive communication, and what’s actually working in boardrooms right now.

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About the Author

Mary Beth Hazeldine has trained executives on presentations for 16+ years. With 25 years of corporate banking experience at JPMorgan Chase, PwC, Royal Bank of Scotland, and Commerzbank, she’s helped clients enhanced presentation mastery at Winning Presentations.


12 Dec 2025
How to present to a CFO - the finance-first framework for getting budget approval
Executive Presentations, Presentation Skills Mary Beth Hazeldine 0 comment

How to Present to a CFO: The Finance-First Framework [2026]

📅 Updated: December 2025 — Includes CFO presentation templates and AI prompts

Quick Answer: How Do You Present to a CFO?

To present to a CFO successfully, lead with the financial ask and expected ROI in your first 30 seconds. CFOs don’t want context first — they want to know: what do you need, how much, and what’s the return? Structure your presentation as: (1) The Ask, (2) The ROI, (3) The Risk, (4) The Timeline, then supporting detail. This “finance-first” approach respects their time and speaks their language.

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Presenting to a CFO is a specialist application of senior executive presentation training — finance audiences read decks differently from operating committees, and the four-part structure above only lands when the underlying method is right.

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The 10 questions every CFO asks — with scripts for how to answer each one.

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I’ll never forget the silence in that JPMorgan conference room.

I was three years into my banking career, presenting a £2 million technology investment to our divisional CFO. I’d spent two weeks preparing. Every slide polished. Every data point triple-checked. I walked in confident.

Twelve minutes in, he held up his hand.

“Mary Beth, I’m sure this is all very interesting. But what do you actually want, and what’s the return?”

I’d buried my ask on slide 14. He’d stopped listening by slide 6.

That moment changed how I present forever. Over the next 21 years — through JPMorgan, PwC, Royal Bank of Scotland, and Commerzbank — I watched hundreds of brilliant people make the same mistake I’d made. Smart proposals. Strong business cases. No approval.

The problem was never the idea. It was the presentation.

They were presenting like marketers. CFOs think like investors.

Since then, I’ve helped clients secure over £250 million in funding by fixing this one fundamental shift. This guide shows you exactly how to present to a CFO in a way that gets decisions, not deferrals.

How to present to a CFO - the finance-first framework for getting budget approval

Why Most CFO Presentations Fail

CFOs reject good ideas every day. Not because the ideas are bad — because the presentations don’t answer the questions CFOs actually care about.

Here’s what’s frustrating: the advice you’ve probably heard is making things worse.

The 3 Fatal Mistakes (That “Best Practice” Taught You)

Mistake 1: “Set the context first”

Every presentation course tells you to establish context before making your ask. Build the narrative. Take them on a journey. Create understanding.

CFOs hate this.

They’re thinking about 47 other budget requests, a board meeting on Thursday, and why IT costs are up 12%. They don’t have mental bandwidth for your journey. They want to know: what do you need, and what do I get?

When you bury your ask on slide 18, you’ve lost them by slide 6.

Mistake 2: “Focus on benefits”

Marketing taught us to sell benefits, not features. “This will improve efficiency.” “This will enhance collaboration.” “This will drive innovation.”

CFOs don’t buy benefits. They buy returns.

“Improve efficiency” is meaningless. “Reduce processing costs by £180,000 annually against a £50,000 investment” is a decision. CFOs think in payback periods, IRR, and opportunity costs. If you can’t quantify it, they can’t justify it.

Mistake 3: “Keep it positive”

You’ve been told to project confidence. Don’t dwell on risks — it makes you look uncertain. Sell the upside.

This destroys your credibility.

CFOs have seen projects fail. They’ve inherited budget disasters from optimistic predecessors. They’re paid to be skeptical. When you downplay risks, they assume either you haven’t thought them through — or there are risks you don’t even know about.

The CFO who approved my first major proposal told me why: “You were the first person all week who told me what could go wrong. Everyone else was selling. You were thinking.”

Related: Budget Presentation Template: How to Get Your Budget Approved First Time

The Finance-First Framework

This framework flips the traditional presentation structure. Instead of building to your ask, you lead with it — then provide the supporting evidence CFOs need to say yes.

The Finance-First Framework: Ask, ROI, Risk, Timeline, Detail

Step 1: The Ask (First 30 Seconds)

State your request immediately. In your first sentence if possible.

“I’m requesting £400,000 for marketing automation. Expected return is £1.2 million over 24 months. That’s 3x ROI with a 6-month payback. I need a decision by January 15th to hit our Q1 implementation window.”

That’s 42 words. The CFO now knows exactly what’s at stake before you’ve shown a single slide.

Compare that to: “Thank you for making time today. I wanted to walk you through some exciting developments in our marketing technology landscape and share some research we’ve been doing on automation platforms…”

The first version respects the CFO’s time. The second wastes it.

Step 2: The ROI (Make It Scannable)

After your opening ask, show the financial case in a format CFOs can evaluate in seconds:

Metric Value
Investment Required £400,000
Expected Return (24 months) £1,200,000
ROI 200%
Payback Period 6 months
Break-Even Point Month 8

Critical: Show your assumptions.

CFOs don’t trust black-box numbers. Add a line under your ROI table: “Based on 15% conversion improvement (industry benchmark: 12-18%) and current lead volume of 2,400/month.”

This shows you’ve done the work. It also gives them something to test — if they disagree with an assumption, you can discuss it rather than having the whole proposal dismissed.

Step 3: The Risk (Address It Before They Ask)

Every CFO is thinking: “What happens if this fails?”

Answer that question proactively:

Key risks and mitigation:

• Implementation delay: Vendor has guaranteed 90-day deployment with penalty clause

• Adoption risk: Phased rollout with 3 pilot teams before full deployment

• ROI underperformance: Kill switch at Month 4 if we’re not seeing 10% improvement

That last point — the kill switch — is powerful. It tells the CFO: “I’ve thought about failure, and I have a plan to limit downside.”

Suddenly your £400,000 request feels much less risky. It’s not “give me £400,000 and hope for the best.” It’s “give me £400,000 with built-in checkpoints.”

Step 4: The Timeline (Show You’re Ready)

CFOs want to know you can execute. A clear timeline demonstrates operational readiness:

  • January: Vendor selection finalised, contracts signed
  • February-March: Implementation and integration
  • April: Pilot with 3 teams (50 users)
  • May: Checkpoint — evaluate results, go/no-go decision
  • June: Full rollout (200 users)
  • July: First ROI measurement

Note the checkpoint in May. This reinforces the kill switch and shows you’re not asking for blind faith.

Step 5: Supporting Detail (Only If Asked)

Everything else — market research, competitive analysis, vendor comparisons, implementation details — goes in an appendix or backup slides.

Don’t present it unless the CFO asks. If they want to dive deeper, you’re prepared. If they don’t, you haven’t wasted their time.

📄
Get the CFO Question Scripts

Download the 10 questions every CFO asks — with word-for-word scripts for how to answer each one confidently.

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The 10 Questions Every CFO Asks

After hundreds of CFO presentations, I’ve found they ask variations of the same 10 questions. Prepare for these, and you’ll handle 90% of what comes your way.

Questions About the Ask

1. “What exactly are you asking for?”

Be specific: amount, timing, and what it funds. “£400,000 in Q1, split between £280,000 for software licensing and £120,000 for implementation services.”

2. “Why this amount? How did you arrive at it?”

Show your work. Break down the components. CFOs respect rigorous cost estimation.

3. “Why now? What happens if we wait?”

Quantify the cost of delay. “Each month we delay costs £45,000 in manual processing. Q1 pricing expires March 31st.”

Questions About the Return

4. “What’s the ROI, and how confident are you in these numbers?”

State your ROI and your confidence level honestly. “200% ROI based on conservative assumptions. Even at 50% of projected benefit, we break even in 14 months.”

5. “What assumptions are you making?”

List them explicitly. Better they challenge an assumption than dismiss the whole proposal.

6. “How does this compare to other uses of this money?”

This is the opportunity cost question. Know what else is competing for budget and why your proposal ranks higher.

Questions About the Risk

7. “What could go wrong?”

Have 3-4 risks ready with mitigation plans for each. Don’t minimize — demonstrate you’ve thought it through.

8. “What’s our exit strategy if this doesn’t work?”

The kill switch. Define checkpoints, success criteria, and what happens if you don’t hit them.

9. “Who else has done this? What were their results?”

Benchmarks and case studies. CFOs trust external validation over internal optimism.

Questions About Execution

10. “Can you actually deliver this?”

Show operational readiness: team, timeline, dependencies, and what you need from other departments.

Related: How to Create Executive Presentations That Get Results

What I Learned Sitting Next to a CFO for Six Months

At RBS, I spent six months on a project that put me in every CFO review meeting for our division. I wasn’t presenting — I was supporting the presenters with financial analysis. But I had a front-row seat to what happened after they left the room.

Three things I never forgot:

First, CFOs talk to each other. After one presenter left, the CFO turned to the Finance Director and said, “That’s the third request this month where nobody could tell me the payback period.” They keep mental scorecards of who wastes their time.

Second, they decide faster than you think. Most CFOs told me they knew within 90 seconds whether they’d approve something. The rest of the meeting was either confirming that instinct or looking for reasons to say no. If you haven’t landed your ask by then, you’re playing defence.

Third, they want to say yes. This surprised me most. CFOs aren’t trying to block good investments. They’re trying to make good capital allocation decisions. When someone brings a clear ask, solid ROI, and honest risk assessment, the CFO relaxes. You’ve done the work. They can trust the numbers.

The presenters who got approved weren’t better speakers. They were better prepared.

Real Example: How One Request Went from “No” to “Yes”

A marketing director I worked with had her £400,000 automation request rejected twice. Same CFO, same request, same underlying business case.

The third time, we restructured everything using the Finance-First Framework.

Original approach (rejected):

  • 22 slides building up to the ask
  • 10 minutes of market context before any numbers
  • ROI buried on slide 18
  • Risks mentioned briefly, no mitigation
  • “We need this” energy instead of “Here’s the return” evidence

Revised approach (approved):

  • 6 slides total
  • Ask and ROI in first 30 seconds
  • Clear assumptions, visible for challenge
  • 3 risks with specific mitigation plans
  • Kill switch at Month 4
  • Backup slides ready but not presented

The result? Not only approved — she got £500,000. The CFO added budget for training because he trusted she’d thought it through.

“The kill switch is what did it,” she told me later. “He said it was the first time someone had shown him they were prepared to fail fast.”

CFO Presentation Slide Structure

If you’re presenting to a CFO, use this 6-slide structure:

6-slide CFO presentation structure: Ask, ROI, Problem, Solution, Timeline, Risk

Slide 1: The Ask
Amount, expected return, payback period, decision deadline. All in the first 30 seconds.

Slide 2: The ROI
Investment table with assumptions visible. Make it scannable in 5 seconds.

Slide 3: The Problem (Cost of Inaction)
What is the current situation costing? Quantify the pain.

Slide 4: The Solution
What you’re proposing and why this option. Keep it tight.

Slide 5: The Timeline
Key milestones with checkpoints. Show operational readiness.

Slide 6: The Risk
Top 3 risks, mitigation for each, kill switch criteria.

Everything else? Appendix. Don’t present unless asked.

Related: Budget Presentation Template: The Complete 6-Slide Structure

How to Use AI to Prepare Your CFO Presentation

Tools like PowerPoint Copilot can help you build CFO presentations faster — but only with the right prompts.

Try this prompt:

"Create a 6-slide CFO presentation requesting [amount] for [project]. 

Slide 1: Executive ask with specific amount, expected ROI, payback period, and decision deadline.
Slide 2: ROI table showing investment, return, and key assumptions.
Slide 3: Cost of current problem (quantified).
Slide 4: Proposed solution (one slide, focused).
Slide 5: Implementation timeline with checkpoints.
Slide 6: Top 3 risks with mitigation and kill switch criteria.

Audience: CFO who values brevity, data, and risk awareness.
Tone: Confident but realistic. Show you've done the work."

This gives Copilot the structure and audience context to generate something useful — not generic corporate slides.

Related: Best Copilot PowerPoint Prompts That Actually Work

Why This Framework Gets Approvals

The Finance-First Framework works because it aligns with how CFOs actually think:

CFOs are portfolio managers. They’re constantly comparing your request against every other demand on capital. You need to make the comparison easy — ROI, payback, risk-adjusted return.

CFOs are skeptics by training. They’ve seen optimistic projections fail. They’ve inherited messes from approved projects that went sideways. When you acknowledge risks upfront, you build credibility.

CFOs are time-poor. They have dozens of decisions to make. Respecting their time by leading with the ask — instead of burying it — signals that you understand their world.

CFOs want to say yes. Contrary to popular belief, CFOs don’t enjoy rejecting good ideas. They reject presentations that don’t give them what they need to justify the spend. Give them the ammunition, and they’ll often become your advocate.

Why a Framework Isn’t Enough

The Finance-First Framework will help you structure better CFO presentations. But if you’re presenting to executives regularly, you’ve probably noticed:

Every presentation type needs a different structure.

A CFO presentation is different from a board update. A budget request is different from a QBR. A strategy presentation is different from a project status update.

You could spend hours adapting frameworks for each situation. Or you could use templates that have already done the work — with the right structure, the right prompts, and the right flow built in.

That’s why I created the Executive Slide System.

⭐ RECOMMENDED FOR CFO PRESENTATIONS

The Executive Slide System (£39)

Ready-to-use templates for every executive presentation type — including CFO-ready budget requests with ROI calculators built in.

What’s inside:

  • Budget request template with pre-built ROI calculator slide
  • CFO presentation structure matching the Finance-First Framework
  • Board update, QBR, and strategy templates — 10 templates total
  • 30 AI prompts mapped to each template for quick customisation
  • Executive slide checklists to verify your deck before presenting

Get the Executive Slide System — £39 →

Used by professionals at investment banks, consultancies, and Fortune 500 companies.

Free Framework vs. Executive Slide System

What You Get This Article Executive Slide System (£39)
Finance-First Framework ✓ ✓
Ready-to-use CFO presentation template ❌ ✓ Pre-built structure
ROI calculator slide ❌ ✓ Plug in your numbers
AI prompts for customisation 1 example 30 mapped prompts
Board, QBR, and strategy templates ❌ ✓ 10 template types
Best for Learning the approach Getting CFO approval fast

“Got my £180K budget approved in the first meeting. The ROI calculator slide made the CFO’s decision easy.”

— James T., Head of Operations, Manchester

Before Your Next CFO Meeting

Download the 10 Questions Every CFO Asks — with scripts for how to answer each one.

Download Free Cheat Sheet →

FAQ: How to Present to a CFO

How long should a CFO presentation be?

6 slides maximum for the core presentation. Have backup slides ready, but don’t present them unless asked. CFOs value brevity — 15 minutes is usually plenty.

Should I send materials in advance?

Yes. Send a 1-page executive summary 24-48 hours before. This lets the CFO come prepared with questions, which actually speeds up approval.

What if the CFO challenges my assumptions?

Good — that means they’re engaged. Have sensitivity analysis ready: “If we only achieve 50% of projected benefit, we still break even in 14 months.” Show you’ve stress-tested the numbers.

How do I handle “Let’s revisit next quarter”?

Ask directly: “What would you need to see to make a decision today?” Often there’s a specific concern you can address on the spot. If they genuinely need time, ask for a specific follow-up date.

What’s the biggest mistake people make?

Burying the ask. CFOs spend the first 5 minutes wondering “What do they want?” Instead of listening to your brilliant context. Lead with the number.

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Related Resources

About the Author

Mary Beth Hazeldine spent 24 years in corporate banking at JPMorgan Chase, PwC, Royal Bank of Scotland, and Commerzbank — presenting to CFOs, boards, and investors on deals worth billions. Her clients have raised over £250 million in funding using her proprietary “3Ps” methodology. She now trains executives at Winning Presentations.


11 Dec 2025
The 3Ps Framework - how my clients have raised £250M+ in funding - executive presentation coaching
Executive Presentations, Presentation Skills Mary Beth Hazeldine 0 comment

The 3Ps Framework: How My Clients Have Raised £250M+ in Funding [2026]

📅 Last Updated: December 2025 — Now includes AI-enhanced coaching methods

If you want a ready-made framework for executive presentations: Explore The Executive Slide System →

Templates, AI prompts, and scenario playbooks for building board-ready slides.

Quick Answer: What Is Executive Presentation Coaching?

Executive presentation coaching transforms how leaders communicate high-stakes ideas. The most effective approach addresses three elements: your Proposition (what you’re actually saying), your Presentation (how you structure and visualise it), and your Personality (how you deliver it). This is the 3Ps Framework I’ve used to help clients raise over £250 million in funding — because slides alone don’t close deals. The person presenting them does.

🎓
Want to Master All Three Ps?

I’m teaching the complete 3Ps Framework in an 8-week live course starting January 2026. Limited to 60 executives who want to transform how they present to boards, investors, and leadership.

✓ Live weekly sessions
✓ Personal feedback on your decks
✓ AI-enhanced techniques
✓ Peer cohort of 60 executives

Join the January Cohort — £249 Early Bird

Early bird pricing ends January 15 • Regular price £499

The Presentation That Changed Everything

In 2018, I watched a client lose a £15 million funding round in 12 minutes.

His slides were beautiful. McKinsey would have approved. Every chart was perfect, every bullet point polished. He’d rehearsed for two weeks.

But when the lead investor asked, “Why should we back you instead of your three competitors?” — he froze. Stumbled through a generic answer about “market opportunity” and “strong team.”

The meeting ended politely. The money went elsewhere.

Three months later, he came back to me. Different approach. Same investor. Same ask.

This time, he got £18 million — more than he’d originally requested.

The slides were actually less polished than before. But everything else had changed. His proposition was sharper. His structure was tighter. And when that same question came — “Why you?” — he didn’t just answer it. He made them feel foolish for even asking.

That transformation is what I now call the 3Ps Framework. And after more than 16 years of executive presentation coaching — at JPMorgan Chase, PwC, Royal Bank of Scotland, and Commerzbank — I’ve seen it work hundreds of times.

Here’s how it works.

The 3Ps Framework - Proposition, Presentation, Personality - for executive presentation coaching

Presenting to a board or investor in the next 30 days?

Proposition, Presentation, and Personality all need to work together. The Executive Slide System gives you the slide frameworks and AI prompts to build the Presentation P — board-ready templates so you can invest your time in sharpening the other two.

Explore the Executive Slide System →

The 3Ps Framework Explained

Most presentation training focuses on slides. Maybe some delivery tips. “Make eye contact.” “Don’t read from the screen.” “Use fewer bullet points.”

That’s like teaching someone to drive by explaining how the radio works.

The 3Ps Framework addresses what actually determines whether your presentation succeeds or fails:

P1: Proposition — What You’re Actually Saying

Before you open PowerPoint, you need to answer one question: What is your one irreducible point?

Not your three key messages. Not your five main themes. One point.

If someone walked out of your presentation and could only remember a single sentence, what would it be? If you can’t answer that clearly, neither can your audience.

The client who lost the £15 million? His proposition was muddled. He was trying to say too many things: market opportunity AND team strength AND product differentiation AND financial projections AND competitive moat. The investors heard noise.

Three months later, his proposition was razor-sharp: “We’re the only platform that reduces enterprise onboarding from 6 weeks to 3 days — and we’ve already structured it with enterprise clients.”

Everything else supported that single point. Nothing competed with it.

How to sharpen your proposition:

  • Write your presentation’s main point in one sentence (under 20 words)
  • Ask: “So what?” — keep asking until you reach the real value
  • Test it: Can someone repeat it back after hearing it once?
  • Kill anything that doesn’t directly support this point

P2: Presentation — How You Structure and Visualise It

Once your proposition is clear, the structure should serve it. Not the other way around.

Most executives build presentations backwards. They gather all their content, then try to organise it into slides. That’s why most decks feel like data dumps — because they are.

The better approach: Start with the decision you need, then build backwards.

What does your audience need to believe to say yes? What evidence would convince them? What objections will they have? In what order should they encounter these ideas?

This is where frameworks like the 4-Line Executive Summary and the 6-Slide Budget Template come from. They’re not arbitrary structures — they’re engineered to move people toward decisions.

Key principles:

  • Lead with your conclusion, not your process
  • Every slide should answer “So what?”
  • If a slide doesn’t advance your proposition, cut it
  • Design for scanning — executives read slides in 3 seconds

Related: Board Presentation Template: Complete Executive Guide

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P3: Personality — How You Deliver It

Here’s the uncomfortable truth: the same deck, delivered by two different people, will get completely different results.

The third P is the one most presentation training ignores — and it’s often the one that matters most.

Personality isn’t about being charismatic or extroverted. It’s about being congruent. Your words, your tone, your body language, and your conviction all pointing in the same direction.

When my client answered “Why you?” the first time, his words said one thing but his energy said another. He was reciting. The investors could feel the gap.

The second time, he’d internalised the answer. He believed it. He didn’t need to remember it — he just needed to say what was true. That’s congruence. And investors can smell the difference instantly.

What personality coaching actually addresses:

  • Handling pressure: How do you respond when challenged? Do you get defensive or curious?
  • Executive presence: Do you command the room or defer to it?
  • Authenticity: Are you performing or communicating?
  • Recovery: What happens when something goes wrong?

This is where my background in NLP and persuasion psychology becomes relevant. The techniques that work aren’t tricks — they’re about aligning your internal state with your external message.

💡
This Is What We Cover in the Course

The AI-Enhanced Presentation Mastery course teaches all three Ps over 8 weeks — with live coaching, real deck reviews, and techniques you can apply to your next presentation.

If you want to apply the 3Ps framework with ready-made slide templates, The Executive Slide System gives you 22 ready-made templates to start from.

Why Most Executive Presentation Training Fails

I’ve seen executives spend £10,000 on presentation training and come out no better than when they started. Here’s why:

Problem 1: It focuses on symptoms, not causes

“Don’t say ‘um'” doesn’t fix anything. It just makes people self-conscious about saying “um.” The real question is: why are they saying “um”? Usually because they’re uncertain about their content or uncomfortable with silence. Fix those, and the “ums” disappear naturally.

Problem 2: It’s generic

A board presentation is not an investor pitch is not a sales demo is not an all-hands update. They require different structures, different tones, different pacing. Generic “presentation skills” training treats them all the same.

Problem 3: It stops at slides

You can have perfect slides and still lose the room. Presentation training that doesn’t address proposition clarity and delivery congruence is missing two-thirds of what determines success.

Problem 4: No real practice

Watching videos and reading tips doesn’t build skill. Presenting does. Getting feedback does. Iterating does. Most training is passive consumption, not active practice.

Related: Why Most Presentation Training Fails (And What Actually Works)

Before and after results from 3Ps Framework executive presentation coaching

What Two Decades of High-Stakes Presentations Taught Me

Over more than 16 years of executive presentation coaching, I’ve seen what makes presentations persuade. Not because I’m magic — because the 3Ps Framework forces clarity that most presentations lack.

Here’s what the successful ones have in common:

They know their one point. Not three points. Not five. One irreducible idea that everything else supports. When investors leave, they remember that one thing.

They answer objections before they’re asked. Every smart investor has the same concerns: market size, competition, team, defensibility. The best presenters address these in their structure, so by the time Q&A arrives, the hard questions are already answered.

They’re comfortable with silence. When asked a tough question, they pause. Think. Then answer. Amateurs rush to fill space. Executives let the room breathe.

They ask for what they want. You’d be amazed how many pitch decks never clearly state the ask. How much money? For what? By when? In exchange for what? Clarity isn’t aggressive — it’s respectful of everyone’s time.

Proposition and Personality are yours to develop. The slides don’t have to be.

The Executive Slide System gives you 10 board-ready templates and 30 AI prompts so the Presentation P takes hours off your prep.

Executive Slide System — £39, instant access.

Get the Executive Slide System →

Designed for executives who present where decisions are made.

How AI Changes Executive Presentations

The 3Ps Framework was developed over 20 years. But AI — particularly tools like Copilot’s new Agent Mode — has changed how we apply it.

What AI does well:

  • First drafts of slide structures in minutes, not hours
  • Reformatting content for different audiences
  • Generating variations to test which framing works best
  • Consistency and formatting across large decks

What AI can’t do:

  • Sharpen your proposition (it doesn’t know what matters most)
  • Judge what will resonate with your specific audience
  • Replace your executive presence and delivery
  • Handle the Q&A after your presentation

The executives who will win in 2026 aren’t the ones avoiding AI or blindly trusting it. They’re the ones who use AI to accelerate the mechanical parts (P2: Presentation) so they can invest more time in the parts that actually differentiate them (P1: Proposition and P3: Personality).

Related: From 6 Hours to 30 Minutes: The AI Presentation Skills Executives Need

How to Apply the 3Ps Framework Today

You don’t need a course to start using this framework. Here’s how to apply it to your next presentation:

Step 1: Clarify your proposition (before opening PowerPoint)

  • Write your main point in one sentence, under 20 words
  • Ask yourself “So what?” until you reach the real value
  • Share it with someone outside your team — can they repeat it back?

Step 2: Structure your presentation around the decision

  • What do they need to believe to say yes?
  • What evidence supports each belief?
  • What objections will they have?
  • What’s the minimum number of slides to achieve this?

Step 3: Practice the human elements

  • Record yourself presenting to a wall — watch it back
  • Have someone ask you the three hardest questions — practise your responses
  • Notice where you feel uncertain — that’s where your proposition needs work

Frequently Asked Questions

What is executive presentation coaching?

Executive presentation coaching is specialised training that helps leaders communicate high-stakes ideas effectively. Unlike generic presentation skills training, executive coaching addresses the specific challenges of boardroom presentations, investor pitches, and strategic communications — including proposition clarity, deck structure, and delivery under pressure. The best coaching addresses all three elements: what you say, how you structure it, and how you deliver it.

How much does executive presentation coaching cost?

Executive presentation coaching ranges from £1,000 for individual 1:1 coaching programmes to £5,000+ for group workshops. The investment typically depends on the level of personalisation, the coach’s experience, and whether the coaching includes live deck reviews. Group cohort programmes (like the Maven course) offer a middle ground — more affordable than 1:1 coaching, but more personalised than generic workshops.

Can AI replace presentation coaching?

AI can accelerate slide creation and formatting, but cannot replace coaching for proposition clarity and delivery skills. Tools like Copilot are excellent for the “Presentation” part of the 3Ps Framework — generating first drafts, reformatting content, and ensuring consistency. But they can’t sharpen your core message or help you handle tough questions under pressure. The executives who succeed use AI to save time on mechanical tasks so they can invest more in the human elements that actually differentiate their presentations.

What’s the 3Ps Framework?

The 3Ps Framework is a methodology for executive presentations that addresses three elements: Proposition (your core message and value), Presentation (how you structure and visualise your content), and Personality (how you deliver it with presence and authenticity). Most presentation training focuses only on slides — the 3Ps Framework ensures you’re not missing the other two-thirds of what determines success.

Related Resources

About the Author

Mary Beth Hazeldine spent 25 years in corporate banking at JPMorgan Chase, PwC, Royal Bank of Scotland, and Commerzbank, helping clients raise over £250 million in funding. She now teaches the 3Ps Framework to executives at Winning Presentations. Her background includes certifications in NLP and hypnotherapy, which inform her approach to executive presence and delivery.

10 Dec 2025
AI presentation skills for executives - The AI Fluency Framework teaching strategic prompting, workflow design, and quality control - Maven course January 2026
AI Presentations, Presentation Skills Mary Beth Hazeldine 0 comment

From 6 Hours to 30 Minutes: The AI Presentation Skills Executives Need Now [2026]

📅 Published: December 10, 2025 — AI presentation course launching January 2026

Updated 27 March 2026 — Revised for the latest Microsoft Copilot and ChatGPT capabilities.

Marcus, a Director of Strategy at a FTSE 250 company, scheduled a full Saturday to build his board presentation. Twelve slides. Eight hours blocked. His wife wasn’t happy, but Q4 results were due Monday.

By 3pm, he was six hours in and only on slide 9. The formatting kept breaking. The charts looked amateur. He was exhausted and frustrated.

Two weeks later, after one session with me, Marcus built a similar deck in 41 minutes. Not a rough draft — a polished, board-ready presentation. He turned to me and said: “Why didn’t anyone teach me this earlier?”

The difference wasn’t intelligence. Marcus is brilliant. It was a skill gap that’s splitting executives into two camps: those who’ve learned how to use AI for presentations properly, and those who are working ten times harder for the same output.

Marcus transformation case study - Director of Strategy went from 8 hours per board deck to 41 minutes after learning AI Fluency Framework, 92% time reductionHere’s the uncomfortable truth: most executives are using AI presentation tools wrong. They’re treating Copilot like a fancy autocomplete instead of the strategic tool it actually is.

I’ve trained over 200 executives on AI-powered presentations in the past year. The pattern is always the same: they’re working too hard because no one taught them the right approach.

Want a structured framework for this?

71 structured prompts for ChatGPT and Copilot — covering board decks, investor pitches, quarterly reviews, and strategy presentations.

Explore the Prompt Pack →

The New Executive Skill Gap

I’ve trained executives for over a decade. The skills that mattered in 2020 are table stakes now. Today, there’s a new differentiator emerging:

AI fluency for executive communication.

Not technical AI skills. Not prompt engineering for developers. A specific, practical ability to use AI presentation tools like Copilot for PowerPoint and ChatGPT to create high-stakes presentations faster and better.

The executives who’ve developed this skill aren’t just saving time. They’re:

  • Producing more polished work (AI catches inconsistencies humans miss)
  • Iterating faster (test three approaches in the time it took to build one)
  • Focusing on strategy instead of formatting (AI handles the tedious work)
  • Responding to opportunities faster (urgent board deck? Done in an hour)

The executives who haven’t learned how to use AI for presentations? They’re working twice as hard for the same output. And the gap is widening every month as tools like Copilot get more powerful.

Why Most Executives Use AI Presentation Tools Wrong

I see the same mistakes repeatedly:

Mistake #1: Treating AI Like Magic

“Create a board presentation about Q4 results.”

That prompt will give you a generic, forgettable deck every time. AI isn’t magic — it’s a tool that responds to specific inputs. Vague prompts produce vague outputs.

The fix: Structure your prompts like you’d brief a junior analyst. Context, audience, objective, constraints. The more specific your input, the more useful the output.

Mistake #2: Using AI for Everything

AI is exceptional at some things: generating first drafts, creating structure, suggesting alternatives, formatting consistently.

AI is terrible at other things: understanding your company’s politics, knowing what your CFO cares about, applying judgment about what to include and exclude.

The fix: Use AI for the 80% that’s mechanical. Apply human judgment to the 20% that matters.

Mistake #3: Accepting First Outputs

AI’s first answer is rarely its best answer. Most executives take what they get and manually fix it. That’s backwards.

The fix: Iterate with AI, not after AI. “Make this more concise.” “Add a risk section.” “Reframe this for a skeptical audience.” Three rounds of refinement with AI beats three hours of manual editing.

Related: PowerPoint Copilot December 2025: Agent Mode Changes Everything

CLOSE THE AI PRESENTATION SKILLS GAP

AI-Powered Executive Presentations

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Executive Resource

Stop Writing AI Prompts From Scratch

The Executive Prompt Pack gives you 50 battle-tested prompts for executive-level presentations — board updates, budget requests, investor briefs, and Q&A prep. Built for PowerPoint Copilot and ChatGPT.

Get the Executive Prompt Pack →

Used by executives preparing for board briefings, budget requests, and investor meetings.

The AI Fluency Framework: 3 Skills That Separate 10x Executives

The AI Fluency Framework showing three skills that separate 10x executives: strategic prompting, workflow design, and quality control with specific techniques for each

After training over 200 executives to use AI for presentations, I’ve codified what works into a framework I call AI Fluency.

It’s not technical. It’s not about prompt engineering for developers. It’s about three specific skills that separate executives who get 10x value from Copilot and ChatGPT from those who get 10% value:

Skill #1: Strategic Prompting

Not “prompt engineering” in the technical sense. Strategic prompting means knowing how to brief AI the way you’d brief a talented but inexperienced team member.

This includes:

  • Providing context (audience, stakes, history)
  • Specifying constraints (time, format, tone)
  • Defining success criteria (what does “good” look like?)
  • Iterating productively (building on outputs, not starting over)

Example — Weak prompt:
“Create a presentation about our new product.”

Example — Strategic prompt:
“Create a 10-slide presentation for enterprise IT buyers. Focus on security and compliance benefits. Our main competitor is [X], and buyers typically object that our solution is too complex. Use a problem-solution-proof structure. Tone should be confident but not aggressive.”

Same AI. Dramatically different output.

Skill #2: AI + Human Workflow Design

The goal isn’t to have AI do everything. It’s to have AI do the right things so you can focus on what humans do best.

What AI should handle:

  • First draft structure
  • Content generation for standard sections
  • Formatting and consistency
  • Alternative versions and variations
  • Research synthesis

What humans should handle:

  • Strategic decisions (what to include/exclude)
  • Audience-specific customization
  • Political sensitivity
  • Final judgment calls
  • Delivery and presence

The executives who master this workflow don’t just work faster. They produce better work because they’re spending their energy on high-value decisions instead of formatting.

Skill #3: Quality Control & Refinement

AI makes mistakes. It hallucinates. It produces generic content. It misses nuance.

The skill isn’t avoiding these problems — it’s catching and fixing them efficiently.

This means:

  • Knowing AI’s common failure modes (and checking for them)
  • Having a systematic review process
  • Using AI to check AI (ask it to critique its own output)
  • Building templates that reduce error rates

The executives who skip this step end up with presentations that feel “AI-generated” — generic, slightly off, lacking personality. The executives who master it produce work that’s indistinguishable from (or better than) fully manual creation.

Related: Fix Generic Copilot Slides in 5 Minutes

💡 The AI Fluency Compound Effect: These three skills compound. Strategic prompting produces better raw material. Good workflow design means less manual rework. Quality control catches issues early. Together, they transform a 6-hour process into a 30-minute process — without sacrificing quality. That’s the AI Fluency Framework in action.

Stop Guessing What to Type. Start Building in 25 Minutes.

The Executive Prompt Pack gives you 71 tested prompts for ChatGPT and Copilot — structured by scenario so you know exactly what to type:

  • Build from scratch — scenario prompts for board reviews, budget requests, and investor decks
  • Rescue and rewrite — audit an existing deck, condense it, or fix one slide at a time
  • Industry-specific prompts for financial services, banking, consulting, and executive audiences
  • Power modifiers that transform any prompt into board-ready output
  • The 25-minute deck workflow that replaces 3–4 hours of manual building

Works with ChatGPT, Microsoft Copilot, and Edit with Copilot (formerly Agent Mode). Updated March 2026.

Get the Executive Prompt Pack → £19.99

What Changes When You Master AI Fluency

Let me be specific about the transformation I’ve seen across 200+ executives I’ve trained:

Time savings: Average reduction of 70% in presentation creation time. Marcus (from the opening) went from 8 hours to 41 minutes. Another client, a VP of Marketing at a SaaS company, cut her weekly deck time from 6 hours to 90 minutes.

Quality improvement: Counterintuitively, AI-assisted decks are often better. More consistent formatting. Fewer typos. More thorough coverage of alternatives. Better structure. One client told me: “My CEO commented that my presentations have gotten noticeably sharper. He doesn’t know I’m using AI.”

Capacity expansion: When presentations take less time, you can do more of them. Or spend the saved time on strategy, relationships, and high-value work. One client calculated she saved 180 hours in her first year — that’s more than four full work weeks.

Reduced stress: The Sunday evening panic of “I have a board presentation Monday” disappears when you know you can produce quality work in an hour. Multiple clients have mentioned this as the biggest unexpected benefit.

AI Fluency results from 200+ executives trained: 70% time reduction, 180 hours saved in year one, 10x faster iteration, zero weekend decks

Why I’m Teaching This in a Live Course

These skills can’t be learned from blog posts or YouTube videos. I’ve tried teaching them that way. It doesn’t work.

Here’s why:

You need to practice on real work. Not hypotheticals. Your actual board deck. Your real QBR. Your specific investor pitch. Generic exercises don’t build real skill.

You need feedback. Someone who can look at your prompts and tell you why they’re not working. Someone who can review your AI workflow and spot inefficiencies. You can’t get that from a video.

You need accountability. Learning a new skill requires consistent practice. A cohort with weekly sessions creates the structure for that practice.

The tools keep changing. Copilot’s Agent Mode launched this month. The techniques from six months ago are already outdated. Live instruction adapts; recorded content doesn’t.

JANUARY 2026 COHORT

AI-Powered Executive Presentations

8 weeks • Live sessions • Real presentations • Lasting transformation

8

Weeks

60

Max Seats

£249

Early Bird

Reserve Your Seat

Regular price £499 after January 15

What You’ll Learn in 8 Weeks

The course teaches the complete AI Fluency Framework:

Weeks 1-2: Strategic Prompting — How to brief AI effectively. Building your prompt library for executive presentations. The difference between weak and powerful prompts.

Weeks 3-4: AI + Human Workflow Design — Copilot, ChatGPT, and emerging AI presentation tools. When to use what. Building efficient processes that play to AI’s strengths.

Weeks 5-6: Executive Presentation Mastery — Board decks, QBRs, investor pitches. Applying AI Fluency skills to high-stakes contexts where you can’t afford mistakes.

Weeks 7-8: Quality Control & Delivery — Catching AI mistakes systematically. Adding human judgment. Presenting with confidence when the stakes are high.

Throughout: You’ll work on your actual presentations. Every week, you’ll apply what you learn to real work and get direct feedback from me.

For 71 tested prompts covering every scenario — build from scratch, rescue an existing deck, or fix individual slides — the Executive Prompt Pack gives you exactly what to type, updated for the latest Copilot and ChatGPT capabilities.

Who This Is For

Executives and senior managers who create presentations regularly — board decks, QBRs, strategy presentations, client pitches — and want to do it faster without sacrificing quality.

Leaders who feel behind on AI but don’t have time for technical courses. This is practical, not theoretical. You’ll leave with skills you use immediately.

High performers who want an edge. While your peers spend six hours on a deck, you’ll spend one. That time compounds.

Who This Is NOT For

Technical roles looking for developer-focused AI training. This is about executive communication, not code.

Anyone looking for passive learning. This course requires active participation. You’ll present, get feedback, and iterate.

People who don’t create presentations regularly. If you’re not building decks at least monthly, the ROI isn’t there.

The Cost of Waiting

Remember Marcus from the opening? He told me recently: “I used to dread presentation weeks. Now I almost look forward to them. I know I can produce something good in an hour that used to take me all weekend.”

Every month you delay learning these skills, the executives around you are getting faster. The skill gap widens.

In six months, AI fluency for presentations won’t be a competitive advantage — it’ll be a baseline expectation. The question is whether you’ll be ahead of that curve or scrambling to catch up.

The January cohort is the first. I’m limiting it to 60 seats so I can provide meaningful feedback to each participant. Early bird pricing (£249) is available until January 15 or until seats fill.

If you’re serious about mastering AI presentation skills, this is the time.

FROM 6 HOURS TO 30 MINUTES

Master AI Presentation Skills in 8 Weeks

Join 60 executives learning to create better presentations in a fraction of the time

Join the January Waitlist — Free

No payment required until enrollment opens

71 Prompts. Every Scenario Covered.

Build from scratch, rescue an existing deck, or perfect individual slides — the Executive Prompt Pack covers every scenario. Works with ChatGPT, Copilot, and Edit with Copilot. Updated March 2026.

Get the Prompts → £19.99

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I use AI for presentations effectively?

The key is treating AI like a talented but inexperienced team member, not like magic. Provide context (audience, stakes, history), specify constraints (format, tone, length), and iterate on outputs rather than accepting the first result. Most executives make the mistake of vague prompts like “create a presentation about Q4” — that will always produce generic results.

Is Copilot good for executive presentations?

Yes, when used correctly. Copilot for PowerPoint excels at generating first drafts, creating consistent formatting, and producing alternative versions quickly. The December 2025 Agent Mode update made it significantly more capable for complex presentations. However, Copilot still requires human judgment for audience-specific customization and strategic decisions.

What AI presentation tools do executives actually use?

The most common combination I see among the executives I train: Copilot for PowerPoint (in-app generation and editing), ChatGPT (for content strategy and research synthesis), and occasionally Gamma or Beautiful.ai for quick visual drafts. The specific tools matter less than learning the underlying skills — strategic prompting, workflow design, and quality control.

How long does it take to learn AI presentation skills?

Most executives see significant improvement within 2-3 weeks of focused practice. Full fluency — where AI-assisted work becomes faster AND better than manual work — typically takes 6-8 weeks. The key is practicing on real presentations, not hypothetical exercises.

Will AI replace the need for presentation skills?

No. AI handles the mechanical work: drafting, formatting, generating alternatives. Human skills become MORE important, not less: strategic thinking, audience awareness, executive presence, and delivery. The executives who thrive will be those who combine strong traditional presentation skills with AI fluency.

What’s the ROI of learning AI presentation skills?

If you create presentations weekly and save 3 hours per deck (conservative estimate), that’s 150+ hours per year — nearly four work weeks. At executive compensation levels, that time value is substantial. More importantly, the capacity to produce better work faster compounds: more iterations, more polish, less stress, better outcomes.

Start Building Skills Now

Whether or not the course is right for you, here are resources to start improving today:

About Mary Beth Hazeldine

After 25 years in corporate banking at JPMorgan Chase, PwC, Royal Bank of Scotland, and Commerzbank, Mary Beth now trains executives to communicate with impact. Her clients have raised over using her methodologies. She’s particularly focused on helping leaders integrate AI tools into their presentation workflow — creating better work in less time. She runs Winning Presentations and is launching the AI-Powered Executive Presentations course on Maven in January 2026.

09 Dec 2025
Why most executive presentation training fails - 90% of skills lost within 1 week - January 2026 Maven course on executive presentations with only 60 seats
PowerPoint Copilot, Presentation Skills, Training Mary Beth Hazeldine 0 comment

Why Most Presentation Training Fails (And What Actually Works) [2026]

📅 Published: December 9, 2025 — New AI-enhanced executive presentation training course launching January 2026

Updated 27 March 2026 — Revised for the latest Microsoft Copilot and ChatGPT capabilities.

I’m going to say something that might upset the training industry: most presentation training is a waste of money.

I’ve been on both sides. I’ve sat through corporate presentation workshops that cost £10,000 and changed nothing. I’ve also delivered training that transformed how executives communicate.

The difference isn’t the content. It’s not the slides. It’s not even the trainer’s credentials.

After 25 years in corporate banking and a decade of training executives, I’ve identified exactly why most presentation training fails — and the three elements that make training actually stick.

If you want a ready-made framework for executive presentations: Explore The Executive Slide System →

Templates, AI prompts, and scenario playbooks for building board-ready slides.

The Uncomfortable Truth About Presentation Training

Here’s what typically happens:

A company books a presentation skills workshop. An enthusiastic trainer delivers two days of content. Participants practice, get feedback, feel inspired. Everyone leaves with a workbook they’ll never open again.

Three weeks later? They’re presenting exactly the same way they did before.

Research backs this up. Studies on corporate training show that 90% of new skills are lost within a week if not reinforced. The “forgetting curve” is brutal — and most presentation training ignores it completely.

So why do companies keep spending money on training that doesn’t work?

Because the problem isn’t obvious. The training feels valuable. People enjoy it. HR can tick a box. But behaviour change? That’s much harder to achieve — and measure.

Why Traditional Executive Presentation Training Fails

I’ve analysed hundreds of presentation training programmes. The failures cluster around three core problems:

Problem #1: Generic Content for Specific Challenges

Most presentation training teaches universal principles: make eye contact, use fewer bullet points, tell stories.

That’s fine. But it ignores the reality that a board presentation requires completely different skills than a sales pitch. A biotech investor deck has different conventions than a SaaS demo. An internal strategy update isn’t the same as an external keynote.

The symptom: Participants learn “presentation skills” but can’t apply them to their actual high-stakes moments.

I spent 25 years at JPMorgan Chase, PwC, Royal Bank of Scotland, and Commerzbank. I know that a presentation to a credit committee requires surgical precision. A pitch to private equity demands a different energy. A board update needs executive brevity. Generic training doesn’t address any of this.

Problem #2: No Practice Under Pressure

Presenting in a safe training room is nothing like presenting when it matters.

When the CEO is watching. When £5 million is on the line. When your promotion depends on the next 15 minutes. That’s when nerves kick in. That’s when habits take over. That’s when all that training evaporates.

The symptom: People perform well in workshops but freeze in real situations.

Effective presentation training must simulate pressure. Not artificial pressure — real pressure. With stakes. With feedback that stings a little. With enough repetition that new behaviours become automatic.

Problem #3: One-and-Done Events

A two-day workshop is an event, not a transformation.

Real skill development requires:

  • Spaced repetition (practice over weeks, not hours)
  • Real-world application between sessions
  • Feedback on actual presentations, not role-plays
  • Accountability to implement changes

The symptom: Temporary enthusiasm followed by permanent reversion to old habits.

This is why executive coaching works better than workshops — but costs £500-1,000 per hour. Most people can’t access that level of support.

Three reasons presentation training fails: generic content for specific challenges, no pressure practice, and one-and-done events leading to permanent reversion to old habits

A DIFFERENT APPROACH TO EXECUTIVE PRESENTATION TRAINING

AI-Powered Executive Presentations

Live cohort course designed to fix everything wrong with traditional training

Join the January Waitlist

£249 early bird • Only 60 seats • Launching January 2026

The 3 Elements of Presentation Training That Actually Works

Not all training fails. Some transforms careers. Here’s what separates effective executive presentation training from expensive theatre:

Element #1: Context-Specific Application

Effective training starts with your actual presentations. Not hypotheticals. Not case studies from other industries. Your board deck. Your investor pitch. Your client presentation.

What this looks like:

  • Participants bring real presentations they’re working on
  • Feedback addresses their specific challenges
  • Templates and frameworks match their industry context
  • Practice scenarios mirror their actual high-stakes moments

When I train investment bankers, we work on pitch books and credit committee presentations. When I train biotech executives, we focus on investor days and scientific advisory boards. When I train SaaS leaders, we refine demo flows and QBR structures.

The principles are universal. The application must be specific.

Element #2: Distributed Practice with Accountability

The research is clear: distributed practice beats massed practice. Five one-hour sessions over five weeks creates more lasting change than one five-hour workshop.

What this looks like:

  • Training spread over weeks, not crammed into days
  • Assignments to apply learning between sessions
  • Peer accountability and feedback loops
  • Real presentations reviewed and refined throughout

This is why cohort-based courses outperform self-paced learning. You’re not just learning — you’re implementing, getting feedback, and iterating. The social pressure of a cohort keeps you accountable.

Element #3: Modern Tools Integration

Here’s where most executive presentation training is stuck in 2015.

AI tools like PowerPoint Copilot have fundamentally changed how presentations are created. Executives who master these tools save 10+ hours per week. Those who don’t are competing with one hand tied behind their back.

What this looks like:

  • Training that integrates AI tools from day one
  • Prompts and workflows specific to executive presentations
  • Focus on human + AI collaboration, not replacement
  • Practical application: use AI to build your actual presentations during training

The future of executive communication isn’t choosing between presentation skills and AI skills. It’s mastering both — using AI to handle the tedious work so you can focus on strategy, storytelling, and delivery.

💡 The Compound Effect: Executives who combine strong presentation skills with AI mastery don’t just save time — they produce better work. The AI handles structure and first drafts. The human brings judgment, nuance, and persuasion. Together, they’re unbeatable.

What Changes When Training Actually Works

I’ve seen what happens when executive presentation training is done right:

A VP of Strategy went from dreading board meetings to requesting them. Her proposals started getting approved on first presentation instead of being deferred for “more analysis.”

A startup founder raised his Series A in half the meetings his advisors predicted. His pitch wasn’t just clearer — it was structured to address investor objections before they were raised.

A management consultant got promoted two years ahead of peers. Her partners specifically cited her “exceptional client communication” — skills she developed in eight weeks of focused training.

The common thread? They didn’t just learn presentation skills. They transformed how they communicate under pressure, in their specific context, using modern tools.

The Hidden Cost of Bad Presentations

Let’s talk about what ineffective presentations actually cost:

Direct costs:

  • Deals lost to competitors with better pitches
  • Budgets rejected and projects delayed
  • Strategies misunderstood and poorly executed
  • Hours wasted on presentations that don’t land

Career costs:

  • Promotions that go to people who “present well”
  • Ideas attributed to whoever communicated them best
  • Executive presence questions that stall advancement
  • Confidence erosion from repeated underwhelming performances

Opportunity costs:

  • Influence you could have but don’t
  • Relationships that never deepen because communication falls flat
  • The compounding effect of years of suboptimal presentations

Most executives don’t calculate these costs. They accept mediocre presentations as normal. But the executives who invest in genuine skill development? They pull ahead — and keep pulling ahead.

Calculate Your ROI

If better presentations helped you close one extra deal, secure one budget approval, or accelerate one promotion — what’s that worth? For most executives, it’s 10-100x the cost of proper training.

See Course Details →

Why I’m Launching a Different Kind of Course

After years of corporate training, I kept hitting the same frustrations:

Companies wanted two-day workshops. I knew those don’t create lasting change.

Budgets limited training to generic content. I knew context-specific application is essential.

Traditional formats ignored AI tools. I knew these tools are transforming executive productivity.

So I designed something different.

AI-Powered Executive Presentations is an 8-week cohort course that addresses everything wrong with traditional executive presentation training:

Instead of generic content: You’ll work on your actual presentations throughout the course. Board decks. Investor pitches. Client presentations. Whatever high-stakes moments you’re facing.

Instead of one-and-done: Eight weeks of distributed learning with assignments, peer feedback, and accountability. The research-backed approach to lasting skill development.

Instead of ignoring AI: Deep integration of Copilot, ChatGPT, and other tools. You’ll learn to use AI as a force multiplier — saving hours while producing better work.

Instead of passive learning: Live cohort sessions. Hot seats where participants present and get real-time feedback. A community of peers facing similar challenges.

AI-Powered Executive Presentations 8-week curriculum covering foundations, AI creation, high-stakes delivery, and application with live cohort learning for January 2026

What You’ll Master in 8 Weeks

Weeks 1-2: Executive Communication Foundations

  • The 3Ps Framework (Proposition, Presentation, Personality) — the methodology behind the Executive Slide System gives you exactly what to type, updated for the latest Copilot and ChatGPT capabilities.

    Who This Course Is For

    This isn’t for everyone. It’s specifically designed for:

    Executives and senior managers who present to boards, leadership teams, or external stakeholders — and want those presentations to drive decisions, not just inform.

    Founders and entrepreneurs raising capital or pitching to enterprise clients — where every presentation directly impacts the business.

    Consultants and advisors whose credibility depends on how they communicate recommendations — and who want to stand out from peers.

    High-potential professionals who know that executive presence and communication skills are the difference between good careers and exceptional ones.

    If you’re already an excellent presenter, this course will make you exceptional. If you’re struggling with high-stakes presentations, this course will give you the skills and confidence to perform under pressure.

    Who This Course Is NOT For

    To be direct:

    Not for passive learners. This course requires active participation. You’ll present, get feedback, and iterate. If you want to sit back and absorb content, this isn’t the right fit.

    Not for people seeking quick fixes. Transformation takes eight weeks of consistent effort. If you’re looking for a magic bullet, you’ll be disappointed.

    Not for those uncomfortable with AI. This course integrates AI tools throughout. If you’re resistant to using Copilot and ChatGPT, you won’t get full value.

    Not for beginners. This is executive-level training. If you’ve never given a business presentation, start with foundational resources first.

    Stop Rebuilding Every Deck From Scratch

    22 executive slide templates, 51 AI prompts, and 15 scenario playbooks — designed so you can structure any board presentation, investment case, or strategic review in 30 minutes. Executive Slide System — £39, instant access.

    Get the Executive Slide System →

    Designed for executives and senior managers presenting in high-stakes environments.

    Start With a Framework, Not a Blank Slide

    The three elements of effective presentation training — context-specific application, distributed practice, and modern AI integration — are built into the Executive Slide System.

    10 board-ready templates. 30 AI prompts. Each template is structured around the frameworks that actually drive decisions in high-stakes executive environments.

    Executive Slide System — £39, instant access.

    Get the Executive Slide System →

    Designed for executives and senior managers presenting to boards, leadership teams, and investors.

    Frequently Asked Questions

    How is this different from other presentation courses?

    Three key differences: (1) You work on your actual presentations, not generic exercises. (2) AI tools are integrated throughout, not ignored. (3) The cohort format with distributed practice creates lasting change, not temporary inspiration.

    What if I can’t attend all live sessions?

    Sessions are recorded. But the value comes from live participation, hot seats, and peer interaction. If you can’t commit to most live sessions, consider waiting for a future cohort.

    I’m not technical. Will I be able to use the AI tools?

    Yes. We start from basics and provide step-by-step guidance. By week 4, you’ll be using AI tools confidently — regardless of your starting point.

    What presentations can I work on during the course?

    Any high-stakes business presentation: board decks, investor pitches, client proposals, internal strategy presentations, QBRs, or keynotes. The more important the presentation, the more value you’ll get.

    Is there a guarantee?

    If you actively participate in the first two weeks and don’t find value, I’ll refund your investment. I’m confident in the methodology — it’s the same approach that has transformed how executives communicate under pressure.

    Why only 60 seats?

    Cohort size matters. Too large, and you lose the personalised feedback and community connection. Sixty participants is the maximum for maintaining quality while creating diverse peer interactions.

    Start Improving Today

    Whether or not the course is right for you, here are resources to improve your executive presentations now:

    About Mary Beth Hazeldine

    After 25 years in corporate banking at JPMorgan Chase, PwC, Royal Bank of Scotland, and Commerzbank, Mary Beth now trains executives to communicate with impact. She’s particularly focused on helping leaders integrate AI tools like Copilot into their workflow — creating better presentations in less time. She runs Winning Presentations and is launching the AI-Powered Executive Presentations course on Maven in January 2026.

26 Feb 2025
Presentation Skills Mary Beth Hazeldine 0 comment

Three Executive Presentation Skills That Separate Boardroom Leaders From Everyone Else

Quick answer: The three executive presentation skills that matter most are decision-led structure, boardroom storytelling, and controlled Q&A handling. Executives who master these three skills command attention, accelerate decisions, and build the kind of credibility that advances careers. Everything else is noise.

Already know you need to sharpen your executive presentation skills before an upcoming board meeting? Skip the theory. The Executive Slide System gives you 12 structured slide templates and a decision-first framework built from 25 years of corporate banking presentations.

Get the Executive Slide System →

Jump to:

A VP of Engineering sat in front of the CEO with 47 metrics on screen. Revenue growth, customer churn, NPS scores, deployment frequency, bug counts, team velocity — every number the quarterly review could possibly need. Twelve minutes of flawless data delivery.

The CEO interrupted. “So are we on track or not?”

The VP couldn’t answer in one sentence. He had 47 data points but no decision. No recommendation. No clear “here’s what I need from you.” The CEO closed her laptop, thanked him for his thoroughness, and moved to the next agenda item. His budget request — buried on slide 38 — never got discussed.

I watched this happen from across the table during my years at JPMorgan. And I’ve watched versions of it happen many times since. The VP wasn’t incompetent. His data was impeccable. But he was missing the executive presentation skills that separate people who inform from people who influence.

Those skills aren’t charisma. They aren’t confidence tricks. They’re structural — repeatable patterns that the best boardroom presenters use instinctively because they’ve learned what executive audiences actually need.

Executive Presentation Skill #1: Lead With the Decision, Not the Data

Most presenters build toward their recommendation. They start with background, move through analysis, and arrive at the conclusion on slide 22. This works in academic settings. In boardrooms, it fails catastrophically.

Executives don’t have the patience or the cognitive bandwidth to follow your analytical journey. They make decisions under time pressure, often processing three agenda items simultaneously. They need the conclusion first, the evidence second, and the detail only if they ask for it.

This is the single most important executive presentation skill: lead with the decision you need from the room.

Slide one should answer three questions: What do you want? Why should they care? What happens if they don’t act? Everything after that is supporting evidence, presented in the order of what the decision-maker is most likely to challenge.

The structure is:

  • Recommendation first. “I’m recommending we invest £2.1M in platform migration. Here’s why.”
  • Stakes second. “Without this investment, we lose our largest enterprise client by Q3. That’s £4.8M in recurring revenue.”
  • Evidence third. Only the evidence that addresses the most likely objection. Not all the evidence. Not 47 metrics.

The VP with 47 metrics had every number right. But he presented like a teacher explaining a lesson, not like a leader driving a decision. If he’d opened with “We’re on track, but I need £800K approved today to stay there — here’s the risk if we wait,” the CEO would have leaned in instead of closing her laptop.

If you’re preparing for your first board presentation as a new director, this decision-first structure is non-negotiable. Board members evaluate you within the first 90 seconds. Lead with clarity, and they’ll trust your judgement for the rest.

Build Decision-First Slides That Get Executives to Act, Not Just Listen

The Get the Executive Slide System → gives you the exact slide architecture that puts your recommendation on slide one, structures your evidence for executive attention spans, and eliminates the “47 metrics, no decision” problem.

  • Decision-first slide templates for board reviews, budget approvals, and quarterly updates
  • Executive summary framework that answers “what do you want?” in the first 30 seconds
  • AI prompt cards to restructure any existing deck into decision-first format in under 60 minutes
  • Evidence hierarchy guide — which data points to include and which to cut
  • Real boardroom examples from investment banking, consulting, and enterprise sales

Get the Executive Slide System →

Built from 25 years of corporate banking presentations at JPMorgan, PwC, and RBS. Used by directors and VPs preparing for board-level reviews.

Executive Presentation Skill #2: Use Boardroom Stories That Create Momentum

Data informs. Stories move people to act.

This isn’t a soft skill or a nice-to-have. In high-stakes executive environments, storytelling is a strategic weapon. The most effective boardroom presenters don’t just show the numbers — they wrap the numbers in a narrative that makes the decision feel urgent, inevitable, and obvious.

The mistake most presenters make is confusing storytelling with anecdotes. A boardroom story isn’t “let me tell you about a client.” It’s a structured device with three components:

The Situation: A specific person in a specific context facing a specific problem. “The Head of Operations at a Series B SaaS company was losing enterprise clients every quarter. Her team’s deployment cycle was 14 days. Competitors were shipping in 3.”

The Turning Point: What changed, and why. Not vague. Precise. “She restructured her quarterly review to lead with the competitive gap — one slide, one metric — instead of the usual 30-slide operational summary.”

The Outcome: What happened as a direct result, with numbers. “The CTO approved her infrastructure budget in that meeting. Deployment time dropped to 4 days within two quarters. She kept every enterprise account.”

Notice what this does. The CEO reading a slide that says “deployment time: 14 days vs competitor 3 days” processes a statistic. The CEO hearing “she was losing enterprise clients every quarter because of a 14-day deployment cycle” processes a threat. The threat creates momentum. The statistic creates a note on a spreadsheet.

For executive communication that truly resonates, review these board presentation best practices — the storytelling framework there applies directly to quarterly reviews, investor updates, and stakeholder alignment meetings.

Want slide templates that build storytelling structure into every presentation?

Get the Executive Slide System →

Executive Presentation Skill #3: Control the Q&A Like You Own the Room

The presentation ends. The room opens up for questions. And this is where most presenters lose everything they built.

Q&A is not an afterthought. In boardrooms, it’s where the real decision happens. The slides are the warm-up. The questions are the test. Executives use Q&A to probe your conviction, test your depth, and decide whether they trust your judgement enough to act on your recommendation.

The third executive presentation skill is Q&A control — the ability to handle every question without losing composure, credibility, or the narrative thread of your recommendation.

The framework I teach is P.R.E.P.:

Point: State your answer in one sentence. No preamble, no hedging. “Yes, we can deliver by Q3.”

Reason: Give the single strongest reason. “The engineering team has already scoped the critical path and it’s 11 weeks.”

Evidence: One specific proof point. “We completed a comparable migration at RBS in 9 weeks with a smaller team.”

Point: Restate your answer to close the loop. “Q3 delivery is realistic and we’ve built in a two-week buffer.”

This structure works because it mirrors how executives process information — conclusion first, justification second. When you answer with P.R.E.P., you sound like someone who has thought about this deeply. When you answer with a meandering exploration of the topic, you sound like someone who hasn’t.

What about questions you can’t answer?

Pause. Then say: “I don’t have that number in front of me. I’ll confirm it by end of day and send it directly to you.” Never guess. Never bluff. Executives have been in rooms long enough to spot both instantly, and either one destroys your credibility faster than admitting you don’t know.

If you want to see how this applies to specific executive scenarios, the executive deck audit shows real before-and-after examples of presentations restructured for boardroom Q&A.

Want a complete system for decision-first executive presentations? The Get the Executive Slide System → includes the frameworks and AI prompts to restructure any deck into a decision-first format.

Why Most Executive Presentation Training Misses the Point

Most presentation training programmes teach generic public speaking. Eye contact drills. Breathing exercises. PowerPoint design principles. These aren’t wrong — they’re just irrelevant to what actually happens in executive environments.

A VP presenting a budget request to the CFO doesn’t need better eye contact. She needs a slide structure that puts the decision on page one, evidence that anticipates the CFO’s three most likely objections, and a Q&A framework that keeps her recommendation alive when challenged.

Executive presentation skills are structural, not performative. The executives I’ve trained across JPMorgan, PwC, RBS, and Commerzbank didn’t become better presenters by practising their delivery. They became better presenters by adopting a repeatable system: a structure for how to open, how to handle the middle, and how to close with a decision.

That’s what separates executive presentation training that transforms careers from training that wastes a Tuesday afternoon.

The Structure Behind Every Commanding Executive Presentation

When you combine these three skills — decision-first structure, boardroom storytelling, and Q&A control — a pattern emerges. Every commanding executive presentation follows the same architecture:

Opening (slides 1–2): The recommendation and the stakes. What you want, why it matters, what happens without action. No background. No context-setting. No “thank you for your time.” Straight to the point.

Evidence (slides 3–5): The three strongest supporting points, each anchored by a micro-story or a specific data point. Not 47 metrics. Three. Ordered by the decision-maker’s most likely objection.

Risk acknowledgement (slide 6): What could go wrong and how you’ve mitigated it. This isn’t weakness — it’s the single biggest credibility signal. Executives trust presenters who have thought about failure, not presenters who pretend everything will work perfectly.

Ask (slide 7): The specific decision you need, the specific timeline, and the specific next step. “I need approval for £2.1M by Friday. My team will have the implementation plan to you by Monday.”

This seven-slide architecture works for board presentations, investor pitches, quarterly reviews, budget approvals, and stakeholder alignment meetings. It works because it’s built around how executives actually make decisions — not how presenters wish they would.

Before your next executive presentation, run each slide through the 60-second test every executive slide should pass — six questions that separate decision-driving slides from filler.

People Also Ask

What makes executive presentations different from regular presentations? Executive audiences make decisions under time pressure. They don’t want to be educated — they want to be given a clear recommendation with enough evidence to act on it. Regular presentations build toward a conclusion. Executive presentations lead with one.

How do senior leaders prepare for high-stakes presentations? The best senior leaders don’t rehearse their delivery — they rehearse their decision architecture. They identify the one decision they need from the room, anticipate the three most likely objections, and prepare specific evidence for each. Delivery polish matters far less than structural clarity.

What is the biggest mistake in executive presentations? Presenting too much information. The most common failure is building a 40-slide analytical narrative when the executive needed a 7-slide decision deck. Every unnecessary slide dilutes your recommendation and gives the audience reasons to defer rather than decide.

Is This Right For You?

✓ This is for you if:

You’re presenting to C-suite executives, board members, or senior stakeholders and your slides need to drive a specific decision — not just deliver information.
You’ve been told your presentations are “thorough” but you’re not getting the approvals, budget sign-offs, or green lights you’re asking for.
You want a repeatable structure you can apply to any executive scenario — board reviews, investor pitches, quarterly updates, budget requests — rather than starting from scratch every time.

✗ Not for you if:

You’re presenting to a peer-level audience that wants collaborative exploration rather than a clear recommendation. (That’s a workshop format, not a decision deck.)
You’re looking for generic public speaking coaching — eye contact, vocal projection, stage presence. This is about slide architecture and decision structure, not delivery performance.

Want the complete toolkit?

Executive-level presentation skills are one of seven capabilities senior leaders develop together, not in isolation. The Complete Presenter Bundle pulls all seven products together — slides, Q&A, anxiety, storytelling, delivery, openers, cheat sheets — for £99 (save £91.97 vs buying separately). Lifetime access.

Get the Complete Presenter Bundle — £99 →

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I develop executive presentation skills without formal coaching?

Yes, but the learning curve is steep without a structured framework. Most executives develop these skills through painful trial and error over years of boardroom presentations. A structured system — tested slide templates, decision frameworks, and Q&A preparation tools — compresses that learning into weeks rather than years and reduces the risk of career-damaging mistakes along the way.

What if my organisation expects detailed presentations with extensive data?

Decision-first structure doesn’t mean less data. It means better-organised data. You still include the detail — but in an appendix, not in the narrative. Lead with the recommendation, present the three strongest supporting points, then say “full analysis is in the appendix for reference.” Executives who want detail will ask for it. Most won’t.

How quickly can I improve my executive presentation skills?

The structural changes — decision-first opening, three-point evidence structure, P.R.E.P. Q&A responses — can be applied to your very next presentation. These aren’t skills that require months of practice. They’re frameworks you adopt once and use every time. The improvement is immediate because the problem was never your ability — it was your structure.

Do these skills work for virtual and hybrid presentations?

They work even better. Virtual audiences have shorter attention spans and more distractions. Decision-first structure is essential when half the room is checking email. The seven-slide architecture keeps virtual presentations tight, focused, and impossible to tune out because every slide demands a response.

Your Next Board Presentation, Restructured

The Executive Slide System (£39, instant access) includes: decision-first slide templates for board reviews and budget approvals, the P.R.E.P. Q&A framework with response scripts, AI prompt cards to restructure any existing deck in under 60 minutes, and the seven-slide architecture applied to real boardroom scenarios.

Apply the three skills from this guide to your very next presentation.

Get the Executive Slide System →

Designed for directors and VPs preparing for board-level reviews, budget presentations, and quarterly updates.

Present Like a Boardroom Leader at Your Next Meeting

The VP with 47 metrics wasn’t a bad presenter. He was using the wrong structure for the wrong audience. Executive audiences don’t reward thoroughness. They reward clarity, conviction, and the confidence to lead with a decision instead of hiding behind data.

Three skills. Decision-first structure. Boardroom storytelling. Q&A control. Every commanding executive presentation you’ve ever witnessed was built on these three foundations.

You have a board meeting, a quarterly review, or a budget presentation coming up. The window to restructure your approach is now — not the night before. Open the Executive Slide System, apply the decision-first framework to your deck, and walk in knowing your slides will command the room.

Get the Executive Presentation Checklist (free): A one-page checklist to audit any executive deck against decision-first structure, evidence hierarchy, and Q&A readiness before you present. Download now.

Join the executives sharpening their boardroom skills every week. Subscribe to The Winning Edge newsletter for weekly frameworks on executive communication and presentation strategy.

About the Author

Mary Beth Hazeldine is the Owner & Managing Director of Winning Presentations. With 25 years of corporate banking experience at JPMorgan Chase, PwC, Royal Bank of Scotland, and Commerzbank, she has delivered high-stakes presentations in boardrooms across three continents.

A qualified clinical hypnotherapist and NLP practitioner, Mary Beth combines executive communication expertise with evidence-based techniques for managing presentation anxiety. She advises executives across financial services, healthcare, technology, and government on structuring presentations for high-stakes funding rounds and approvals.

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12 Feb 2025
Presentation Skills Mary Beth Hazeldine 0 comment

Executive Presentation Skills: Correcting the Most Frequent Mistakes Leaders Make

Female business leader walkign into a boardroom.
The business woman speaks on the conference

Picture this: You walk into a boardroom, ready to deliver your big presentation. The data is solid. The slides look great. However, within minutes, people start checking their phones. Some look confused, while others seem distracted. Clearly, something went wrong.

Many executives struggle with presentations. It’s not because they lack expertise. Instead, they fail to communicate ideas in a clear and engaging way. The good news? You can fix this with a few simple changes. Let’s explore the three biggest mistakes and, more importantly, how to avoid them.

1. Overloading Decision-Makers with Too Much Data

Business people analyzing data sheets.
Hands of businessman giving document with website visiting activity chart to coworker

The Problem: Too Much Information, Not Enough Clarity

Executives often believe more data makes their argument stronger. Yet, decision-makers don’t need every detail. Instead, they need clear takeaways. Too much information creates confusion and weakens your message.

The Fix: Simplify, Summarize, and Storytell

✅ Stick to Three Key Points – If everything is important, nothing stands out. Therefore, choose the most crucial insights.
✅ Use Visuals Instead of Spreadsheets – A simple, well-designed chart is easier to understand than a cluttered table. Consequently, your audience will grasp your message more quickly.
✅ Turn Data into a Story – Instead of saying, “Revenue increased by 5%,” try “Expanding into two new markets led to a 5% revenue boost.” As a result, the audience connects with the information on a deeper level.

Your goal isn’t to showcase everything you know. Instead, focus on highlighting what truly matters.

If you master executive presentation skills, you’ll learn that simplification is power—not weakness.

2. Focusing on Features Instead of the Bigger Picture

Minimalist - a man waking through many mirrored arches.
Less is More

The Problem: Too Many Details, Not Enough Impact

Executives often dive into technical details too soon. While specifics matter, they shouldn’t overshadow the main message. Your audience must understand why your idea is important before caring about the details.

The Fix: Less Detail, More Value

✅ Start with the “Why” – Before explaining the “What” and “How,” discuss why this matters. That way, your audience immediately understands its significance.
✅ Highlight Business Impact – Show how your idea improves efficiency, revenue, or strategic growth. As a result, stakeholders will see the bigger picture.
✅ Use a Customer Success Story – People remember stories more than numbers. Rather than listing percentages, illustrate how a real company benefited from your solution. Consequently, your message will resonate more with your audience.

A strong presentation doesn’t just inform. Instead, it persuades and inspires action.

The best executive presentation skills focus on impact, not information overload.

3. Struggling with Tough Q&A Sessions

Speakers at a business seminar take questions from audience

The Problem: Unclear, Defensive, or Rambling Responses

Even a great presentation can fall apart during Q&A. Some executives rush to answer. Others get defensive. Many over-explain, leaving their audience confused. A weak Q&A session can damage credibility in an instant.

The Fix: Prepare, Pause, and Respond with Confidence

✅ Anticipate Tough Questions – Think about possible objections and prepare clear, confident responses. This way, you won’t be caught off guard.
✅ Use the P.R.E.P. Method:

  • Point: Clearly state your position.
  • Reason: Explain why it matters. As a result, your response will be more structured.
  • Example: Provide supporting evidence. Therefore, your audience will feel more assured.
  • Point: Reinforce your key message. This ensures clarity and confidence in your response.
    ✅ Pause Before Responding – A brief pause helps you gather your thoughts and projects confidence. Consequently, your response will be more impactful.

When you master executive presentation skills, you can turn tough questions into opportunities rather than challenges.

Final Thoughts: Present with Confidence and Impact

Executives don’t fail at presentations because they lack knowledge. Instead, they struggle with unclear messaging, excessive information, and weak Q&A handling. To stand out, focus on:

📌 Simplifying complex ideas into clear, memorable takeaways.
📌 Focusing on impact rather than excessive details.
📌 Handling tough questions with confidence and strategy.

🚀 Ready to Transform Your Executive Presentation Skills?

01 Feb 2025
Presentation Skills Mary Beth Hazeldine 0 comment

How to Master Executive Presentation Skills & Command the Boardroom

Young African businesswoman speaking to her colleaguesin a boardroom .
African young businesswoman performing at business conference for her colleagues

Imagine stepping into a boardroom filled with top executives. The stakes are high, and all eyes are on you. Your hands feel clammy, your heart races, and suddenly, your voice wavers.

Sound familiar?

Many professionals struggle with confidence when speaking in high-pressure situations. However, developing strong executive presentation skills can help you command attention, deliver your message with authority, and leave a lasting impression.

Consider Charlotte’s journey. As a young professional, she dreaded public speaking, often shaking during presentations. Recognizing its impact on her career, she sought coaching.

Through practice and feedback, Charlotte now leads workshops on well-being and nutrition, confidently sharing her insights. Her story exemplifies how overcoming fear can lead to professional growth.

1. How to Eliminate Filler Words & Nervous Habits

Colorful words fills two champagne glasses.

The Problem: Weak Language and Distracting Mannerisms

Have you ever caught yourself using too many filler words like “um,” “uh,” “like,” or “you know”? While these small words might seem harmless, they weaken your message and make you appear uncertain.

Likewise, nervous habits—such as fidgeting, avoiding eye contact, or shifting your weight—can undermine your authority.

The Fix: Speak with Clarity and Control

  • Pause Instead of Using Fillers: When you feel the urge to say “um” or “uh,” pause instead. A moment of silence is far more powerful than a meaningless sound.
  • Practice With a Speech Coach or AI Feedback Tool: First, record yourself speaking and then review the playback. Many AI-powered tools can analyze your speech patterns and highlight areas for improvement.
  • Use Deliberate Movements: Stand or sit with purpose. Avoid swaying, tapping, or fidgeting with objects, as these habits distract from your message.

By eliminating these habits, you will sound and look more polished, professional, and authoritative in high-stakes meetings.

2. Tactics for Commanding Attention with Vocal Tone & Body Language

The Problem: A Flat, Monotone Voice and Unengaging Presence

Even the best content falls flat if it’s delivered in a dull, monotone voice. Similarly, poor posture, weak gestures, or a lack of eye contact can make you seem disengaged. Your presence should match the importance of your message.

The Fix: Use Dynamic Vocal Tone and Strong Body Language

  • Vary Your Vocal Pitch and Pace: A powerful speaker knows how to emphasize key points. For example, use changes in pitch to add excitement, slow down for impact, and pause for emphasis.
  • Make Strong Eye Contact: Looking directly at your audience builds trust and keeps them engaged. Therefore, avoid scanning the room too quickly or looking down at notes too often.
  • Use Open, Controlled Gestures: Keep your hands visible and use natural movements to reinforce your points. Avoid crossing your arms or putting your hands in your pockets, as these can make you appear closed-off.

When you combine vocal variation with purposeful body language, your presence becomes more engaging and memorable.

Final Thoughts: Own the Room with Confidence

In conclusion, speaking with confidence and authority in high-stakes business meetings is a skill that can be learned. By eliminating filler words, refining vocal tone, and using strong body language, you will enhance your executive presentation skills and gain the respect of decision-makers.

  • Embrace Opportunities to Speak: Regular practice, such as participating in meetings or joining speaking groups, can build confidence.
  • Seek Constructive Feedback: Learning from each experience fosters continuous improvement.

By implementing these strategies, you can enhance your executive presence and make a lasting impact in any business settin

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