I Prepared 47 Slides. The CFO Stopped Me on Slide 3.

“I don’t need to see the rest,” she said. “You’ve already told me what I need to know.”

I’d prepared 47 slides. Market analysis. Competitive benchmarks. Financial projections with three scenarios. The kind of presentation that takes 40 hours to build and covers every possible question.

She approved the £2.3 million budget request in under four minutes.

That moment taught me something that changed how I approach every executive presentation: what executives actually want from your presentation has almost nothing to do with the amount of data you show them.

I Learned This the Hard Way at JPMorgan

Early in my banking career, I believed preparation meant coverage. More data. More slides. More contingencies.

I once spent three weeks preparing a technology investment proposal. Eighty-two slides. Every objection pre-answered. Every data point sourced.

The Managing Director interrupted me ninety seconds in. “What do you want me to do?”

I stumbled. The data was there—buried on slide 41.

“Come back when you know,” he said. Meeting over.

That failure cost me six months. The project stalled while competitors moved. By the time I got another meeting, the window had closed.

Over the next 24 years—at PwC, Royal Bank of Scotland, Commerzbank—I studied what actually worked. What I discovered contradicted everything I’d been taught about “thorough” presentations.

Executives don’t want thorough. They want clear.

What Executives Actually Want (The 3-Part Framework)

After presenting to hundreds of C-suite leaders and training over 5,000 executives, I’ve identified a pattern so consistent it’s almost formulaic.

What executives want from presentations comes down to three things:

1. The Decision (Not the Journey)

Executives don’t need to understand your analysis process. They need to know: What decision do you need from me, and why should I make it today?

Every executive I’ve worked with—from FTSE 100 CEOs to startup founders—operates under the same constraint: cognitive overload. They’re making dozens of decisions daily. Yours is one of many.

The presentations that win start with the decision. Not the background. Not the methodology. The decision.

2. The Risk of Inaction (Not Just the Opportunity)

Opportunity motivates. But risk mobilises.

When presenting to executives, framing matters enormously. “This investment will generate £2M in revenue” is less compelling than “Every month we delay costs us £167K in market share we won’t recover.”

The best executive presenters I’ve trained understand this instinctively. They don’t just sell the upside—they quantify the cost of doing nothing.

3. Your Recommendation (Not Options)

Junior presenters offer options. Senior presenters make recommendations.

Executives want to know what YOU think they should do. They can override you—that’s their prerogative. But presenting “three options for your consideration” signals you haven’t done the hard thinking yourself.

One clear recommendation. One backup if they push back. That’s it.

The Data Trap: Why More Information Kills Decisions

Here’s the paradox most presenters miss: the more data you present, the less likely you are to get a decision.

This isn’t opinion. It’s cognitive science.

Research on decision fatigue shows that information overload doesn’t create confidence—it creates paralysis. When executives face too much data, their default response is “Let me think about it.” Which means: no decision today.

I’ve seen this pattern destroy projects worth millions:

A biotech client prepared a 60-slide investor presentation. Detailed market analysis. Competitive landscape. Regulatory pathway. Clinical trial data. Financial projections with sensitivity analysis.

The investors’ feedback: “Impressive work. We need to digest this.”

Translation: They couldn’t find the signal in the noise. No investment.

When we restructured the same content into 12 slides—leading with the decision, the market gap, and one clear ask—they closed £4.2M in their next meeting.

Same company. Same opportunity. Different structure.

The data wasn’t the problem. The data volume was the problem.

If you’re preparing for a high-stakes executive presentation, understanding how to write an executive summary slide is the single most valuable skill you can develop.

The Slide Structure That Gets Executive Attention

If data volume kills decisions, what replaces it?

Structure.

After analysing hundreds of successful executive presentations, I’ve identified the exact sequence that works consistently:

Slide 1: The Decision Headline

Not “Q3 Marketing Review.” That’s a topic, not a headline.

Try: “Recommendation: Shift £400K from Brand to Performance Marketing in Q4.”

The executive knows immediately what you want. They can start forming their response while you present—which is exactly what you want them doing.

Slide 2: The Stakes

Why this decision matters. Why now. What happens if we don’t act.

Quantify where possible. “Current trajectory: 12% market share loss by Q2” is more compelling than “We’re losing ground to competitors.”

Slide 3: The Recommendation (Expanded)

Your specific ask. Timeline. Resources needed. Expected outcome.

One slide. No options. Just your best thinking.

Slides 4-8: Supporting Logic

Notice this comes AFTER the recommendation. Not before.

Only include data that directly supports the decision. Everything else goes in an appendix they’ll never read—and that’s fine.

Slides 9-10: Risks and Mitigation

Executives respect presenters who acknowledge what could go wrong. It builds credibility and pre-empts their concerns.

Slides 11-12: Next Steps and Ask

What you need from them. When. How they should signal approval.

Never end with “Questions?” End with a specific request for action.

This structure works because it matches how executives actually process information. They need the conclusion first, then decide how deep to go into the supporting data.

For a complete breakdown of this approach, see my guide to the 3-slide system that gets executive decisions fast—it’s the foundation of everything I teach about structuring executive presentations.

What do executives look for in a presentation?

Executives look for three things: a clear decision or recommendation, the business impact of action vs. inaction, and evidence you’ve done the hard thinking so they don’t have to. They don’t want data dumps—they want clarity that respects their time and cognitive load.

How do you present to C-level executives?

Present to C-level executives by leading with your recommendation, not your methodology. State the decision you need in the first 60 seconds. Quantify the cost of inaction. Limit supporting data to what directly drives the decision. End with a specific ask, not “any questions.”

What is the biggest mistake when presenting to executives?

The biggest mistake is burying your recommendation behind background and data. Executives make dozens of decisions daily—if they can’t identify your point within the first two slides, you’ve lost them. Start with the decision, then provide supporting evidence.

Real Example: From 47 Slides to 12 (And a £4M Approval)

Let me show you what this looks like in practice.

A client came to me with a technology platform proposal. 47 slides. Beautiful design. Comprehensive data.

The steering committee had rejected it twice with “needs more analysis.”

Here’s what we changed:

Original Slide 1: “Cloud Migration Strategy: Executive Overview”

New Slide 1: “Recommendation: Approve £4M Migration to Reduce Operating Costs by £2.1M Annually”

Original Slide 2: “Agenda” (listing 12 sections)

New Slide 2: “The Cost of Waiting: Every Month Delay = £175K in Avoidable Infrastructure Spend”

Original Slides 3-15: Current state analysis, market research, vendor comparison

New Slides 3-4: Three-year cost projection (one slide) and vendor recommendation with rationale (one slide)

We moved 35 slides to the appendix. The committee never looked at them.

The presentation went from 45 minutes to 12. The decision went from “rejected” to “approved” in one meeting.

What changed? Not the content. The emphasis.

The executives didn’t need more information. They needed the right information in the right order.

The 4 Mistakes That Lose Executives in the First 60 Seconds

Understanding what executives want from presentations means understanding what makes them disengage.

Here are the four patterns I see most often:

Mistake #1: Starting With Background

“To provide context, let me walk you through how we got here…”

Executives don’t need context. They need conclusions. If the context matters, they’ll ask.

Mistake #2: Using Topic Titles Instead of Headlines

“Financial Overview” tells an executive nothing. “Revenue Up 23% But Margin Pressure Requires Action” tells them everything.

Every slide title should be a complete thought. If an executive only reads your headlines, they should understand your entire argument.

Mistake #3: Presenting Options Without a Recommendation

“We’ve identified three approaches…” signals you’re not ready to commit. Executives want to hear what YOU think, then decide whether to override you.

Present one recommendation. Have one backup if they push back. That’s sufficient.

Mistake #4: Ending With “Any Questions?”

This passive close puts the executive in charge of next steps. Instead, end with a specific ask: “I’d like your approval to proceed with Phase 1 by March 15. Can we confirm that today?”

The executives I’ve worked with consistently prefer presenters who know what they want and ask for it directly.

If presentation anxiety is affecting your ability to present confidently to senior leaders, read about how to overcome the fear of being judged when speaking—the psychological techniques apply directly to executive presentations.

Your Action Framework: Presenting to Executives This Week

If you have an executive presentation coming up, here’s how to apply what you’ve learned:

Step 1: Find Your Headline

What do you want the executive to DO after your presentation? Write that as a complete sentence. That’s your Slide 1 headline.

Step 2: Quantify the Stakes

What happens if they don’t decide? Put a number on it—money, time, market position. If you can’t quantify it, the decision probably isn’t urgent enough for executive attention.

Step 3: Audit Your Slides

For every slide after Slide 3, ask: “Does this directly support the decision, or is it background?” Move background to the appendix. Be ruthless.

Step 4: Rewrite Your Titles

Turn every topic title into a headline. “Competitive Analysis” becomes “Competitors Have 18-Month Lead—Here’s How We Close the Gap.”

Step 5: Prepare Your Close

Script the exact words you’ll use to ask for the decision. “I’d like your approval to proceed with [specific action] by [date]. Can we confirm that now?”

Practice this close until it feels natural. The ask is where most presenters lose their nerve—and lose the decision.

For more on building lasting confidence for these moments, see my guide on getting executive buy-in—it covers the stakeholder dynamics most presenters miss.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many slides should an executive presentation have?

Most effective executive presentations have 10-15 slides for the main deck, with detailed analysis moved to an appendix. The goal isn’t a specific number—it’s ensuring every slide directly supports the decision you’re asking for. I’ve seen £4M approvals from 12-slide decks and rejections from 80-slide decks.

Should I send the presentation before the meeting?

For senior executives, yes—but send a one-page executive summary, not the full deck. Let them come prepared with questions rather than processing new information in real-time. The presentation meeting should confirm the decision, not introduce the concept.

What if the executive interrupts with questions early?

This is actually a good sign—it means they’re engaged. Answer directly, then ask: “Would you like me to continue with the recommendation, or explore this question further?” Let them guide the depth. Having your recommendation early means interruptions don’t derail your main point.

How do I handle executives who want more data?

The appendix is your friend. When an executive asks for more detail, say: “I have that analysis in the appendix—slide 34 covers the full breakdown. Shall I walk through it now or send it after for review?” This shows preparation without cluttering your main deck.

The Bottom Line

What executives want from your presentation isn’t complexity—it’s clarity.

Lead with the decision. Quantify the stakes. Make a recommendation. Ask for what you need.

Do this, and you’ll stand out from the 90% of presenters who bury their point under data executives don’t have time to process.

Your next step: Take your current executive presentation and rewrite Slide 1. Turn it from a topic (“Q4 Review”) into a decision headline (“Recommendation: Increase Q4 Investment by £200K to Capture Market Window”). That single change will transform how executives engage with everything that follows.

Mary Beth Hazeldine is the Owner & Managing Director of Winning Presentations, with 24 years of experience presenting to C-suite leaders at JPMorgan Chase, PwC, Royal Bank of Scotland, and Commerzbank. She has trained over 5,000 executives on high-stakes presentation skills.