Communicating with C-Suite: Bridging the Gap

In this episode, Jack Cochran and Matthew James are joined by Ben Pearce, founder of Elevated You, to discuss how technical professionals can effectively communicate with senior executives. They explore the critical differences between speaking to technical stakeholders versus C-suite leaders, covering everything from preparation strategies to delivery techniques. Ben shares practical frameworks for being relevant rather than just expert, emphasizing the importance of focusing on "what" and "why" instead of "how" when presenting to senior leaders.

Thank you to Storylane for sponsoring this episode. Find out more about Storylane and how to build killer demos in 2 minutes at https://storylane.io

To join the show live, follow the Presales Collective's LinkedIn page or join the PSC Slack community for updates. The show is bi-weekly on Tuesdays, 8AM PT/11AM ET/4PM GMT.

Follow the Hosts

• Connect with Jack Cochran: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jackcochran/

• Connect with Matthew James: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthewyoungjames/

• Connect with Ben Pearce:https://www.linkedin.com/in/benpthoughts/

Links and Resources Mentioned

• Presales Collective Slack: https://www.presalescollective.com/slack

• Elevated You: https://www.elevatedyou.live/psc

• Tech World Human Skills Podcast: https://www.elevatedyou.live/twhs 

Timestamps

00:00 Welcome

05:18 Why speaking to senior leaders is different

12:49 Being relevant vs. being an expert

16:19 Mastering delivery under pressure

25:04 Reading the room and course-correcting

32:53 De-risking and the human element

Key Topics Covered

1. The Technical Expert's Dilemma

   • How technical expertise can become a curse when speaking to executives

   • Moving from demonstrating knowledge to demonstrating relevance

2. The Three-Part Framework for Executive Communication

   • Relevance: Understanding what matters to your specific audience

   • Compelling Content: Creating materials that speak to their priorities

   • Excellent Delivery: Performing under pressure with confidence

3. Preparation Strategies

   • Mapping out personas and industries for reusable content

   • The importance of team collaboration in content creation

   • Practice vs. preparation: Why both are essential

4. Reading the Room

   • Starting with curiosity and mini-discovery

   • Mirroring language and adapting on the fly

   • Course-correcting based on real-time feedback

5. The Punchline Problem

   • Why building up to a big reveal doesn't work with executives

   • Leading with impact: "Hitting them between the eyes"

   • Getting to value within the first 90 seconds

6. Risk Management and Trust Building

   • Understanding that you represent organizational risk

   • The "never get fired for buying IBM" mentality

   • How human skills differentiate in an AI-driven world

   • Building confidence through listening and problem-solving