S9 Ep10: Communicating with Impact in the Boardroom: Presenting Insights and Recommendations that Shape Executive Decisions

Welcome back to Your Path to Career Success — the podcast that helps you build the skills, confidence, and strategies to thrive in your career.

In this episode, we turn to another defining capability for senior leaders: Communicating with Impact in the Boardroom - how to present insights and recommendations that shape executive decisions and influence direction across the organisation.

Here’s the truth: at senior levels, how you communicate determines how you’re perceived and whether your ideas move the business forward.
 
The best insights don’t speak for themselves; they win attention, traction, and action when they’re framed with clarity, confidence, and strategic intent.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode

• The mindset shifts that differentiate transactional reporting from strategic communication
• How to craft messages that command attention and drive executive decisions
• Common communication traps that weaken credibility in the boardroom
• A reflection exercise to strengthen your influence and composure under pressure

At the board level, communication isn’t about sharing data — it’s about shaping direction.
Executives want clarity on what matters, why it matters, and what action is required.
Your ability to distil complexity, align with enterprise priorities, and communicate with composure transforms you from a subject-matter expert into a trusted strategic voice.

What Next?

A big thank you for tuning in to Your Path to Career Success — where ambition meets actionable advice.

🦉 Ready to elevate your executive communication and presence?
Book a free discovery call and explore how my Unlock Your Career Potential coaching programme can help you communicate with impact and influence at the highest levels:
👉 https://calendly.com/thecareerowl

🦉 If this episode helped you sharpen your communication strategy, subscribe, leave a review, and share it with a colleague preparing for their next senior presentation.

🦉 Follow me on LinkedIn for daily insights and behind-the-scenes leadership strategies.

Useful Resources

📘 The Pyramid Principle by Barbara Minto — a must-read for structuring executive communication.
📘 Made to Stick by Chip and Dan Heath — powerful techniques for making your ideas memorable.
📘 Talk Like TED by Carmine Gallo — practical storytelling tools to captivate and influence any audience.

Next Week

We’ll continue Phase 3 by exploring Leading Transformational Change: guiding large-scale, enterprise-level change without losing momentum or alignment.

And remember, leadership impact isn’t about saying more; it’s about saying what matters most, with confidence and clarity.

Transcript

Welcome back to Your Path to Career Success—the podcast that helps you build the skills, confidence, and strategies to thrive in your career.

I’m your host, Kathryn, and today we’re continuing Phase 3: Expanding Influence Beyond Your Function.

Last week, we explored how to build alliances at the top table—how collaboration, trust, and enterprise thinking elevate your impact.

This week, we’re shifting to another core executive capability: Communicating with Impact in the Boardroom—how to present insights and recommendations that truly shape executive decisions.

Here’s the reality: At senior levels, your ability to communicate with clarity, precision, and influence determines how your ideas are received—and whether they drive action. The best insights don’t win by themselves. They win when they’re framed strategically, delivered with confidence, and aligned with what matters most to the business.

What I’ll Share in This Episode
In this conversation, I’ll walk you through:
• The mindset shifts that differentiate transactional reporting from strategic communication
• How to craft boardroom messages that command attention and drive decisions
• Common pitfalls that undermine your influence in executive settings
• A reflection exercise to strengthen your communication impact immediately

Communicating at the Top: Shifting from Information to Influence
At the boardroom level, communication isn’t about sharing data—it’s about driving direction. 

Executives don’t want to be impressed with detail; they want clarity about what matters, why it matters, and what decision or action is needed next.

Your goal is to make complex information accessible, actionable, and aligned with enterprise priorities.

Below are three key areas to master: mindset, message, and delivery—each supported by examples, practical approaches, and reflection prompts.

1. Shift from Reporting to Recommending
Senior leaders often fall into the trap of reporting information instead of shaping decisions. At the boardroom level, facts alone don’t persuade—insight does. Your job is to connect information to implications and to offer a clear, confident recommendation.

Example:
A finance director once opened a board update with a 10-slide breakdown of quarterly metrics. The numbers were accurate—but executives left unclear on what action was required.

Contrast that with another leader who summarised the same data in three points: “Here’s the trend, here’s what it means for our strategic priorities, and here’s the action I recommend.” That clarity drove immediate alignment and action.

Practical approach:
• Always ask: What does this mean for the business? before presenting any data.
• Lead with insights, not background. Use supporting detail only when needed.
• Frame recommendations around enterprise impact: “This will strengthen market positioning,” not “This improves our team’s metrics.”
• End with a clear call to action or decision required.

Stretch exercise:
Take your next board update and rewrite it using a three-line framework: Key insight → Business implication → Recommended action.

Reflection prompt:
Where in my communication do I default to “reporting” rather than “recommending”?

2. Craft a Compelling Executive Narrative
Every boardroom presentation tells a story—even if you don’t call it one. The most influential communicators know how to turn information into a narrative that makes sense of complexity and inspires confidence in the path forward.

Example:
A strategy leader presenting a new market entry plan began not with data, but with a framing question: “What would it take for us to double our international footprint in two years?” That simple narrative hook transformed attention and engagement levels.

Practical approach:
• Open with why—context and purpose build relevance.
• Structure your message as: Situation → Insight → Recommendation → Impact.
• Use visuals to simplify complexity; clarity beats detail every time.
• Anchor your story in enterprise outcomes—growth, risk, efficiency, innovation.

Stretch exercise:
Draft your next presentation using a one-page narrative outline. Aim for three core messages only.

Reflection prompt:
Does my communication inspire clarity and confidence, or do I overwhelm with detail?

3. Lead with Presence and Precision
In the boardroom, how you say something is often as important as what you say. Executive presence is not about charisma—it’s about composure, confidence, and control of your message under pressure.

Example:
A divisional leader faced challenging questions from the board on cost projections. Instead of over-explaining, she paused, acknowledged the concern, and gave a concise, data-backed answer. That moment of calm authority built credibility far more than a polished deck ever could.

Practical approach:
• Prepare your key points so you can deliver them succinctly—even under scrutiny.
• Embrace silence. Pausing communicates confidence.
• Answer questions directly, then stop. Avoid the urge to fill space.
• Maintain eye contact and tone that signals conviction without defensiveness.

Stretch exercise:
Record yourself summarising a complex topic in 90 seconds. Review for clarity, brevity, and confidence.

Reflection prompt:
How do I show up under pressure—do I show up as calm and clear, or reactive and detailed?

Common Traps to Avoid in the Boardroom
Even seasoned leaders can fall into patterns that dilute their message and weaken their influence at the top table. Recognising these traps—and consciously countering them—will elevate how you’re perceived in the boardroom and how effectively you drive executive decisions.

Trap 1: Drowning in Detail
What it is:
Overloading the board with background information, technical data, or lengthy context instead of leading with key insights. At this level, detail doesn’t demonstrate competence—it dilutes impact. When your audience has to sift through too much information to find the point, your message loses power.

Story example:
A senior operations leader presented a 20-minute update filled with charts and commentary on process improvements. The data was solid, but the board tuned out within minutes because the central message—the business outcome—was buried. Another leader distilled the same content into three slides: “Here’s what’s working, here’s what’s not, and here’s what we need to decide.” That version prompted focused discussion and immediate alignment.

How to counter it:
• Start with the decision, not the data. Ask yourself: What do they need to know to make an informed choice?
• Limit supporting detail to what directly drives or explains that decision.
• Use summaries, visuals, and one-line insights to replace dense slides or long explanations.
• Have extra data ready in reserve—but only surface it if a question requires it.

Mini-exercise:
Before your next executive update, cut your deck or notes by 50%. Force yourself to communicate the same message with half the content.

Reflection prompt:
Do I use detail to demonstrate preparation—or to avoid taking a clear stance?

Trap 2: Reading the Slides
What it is:
Using slides as a script rather than as visual reinforcement. When presenters read directly from slides, they shift the board’s focus from the message to the medium. It signals insecurity and undermines executive presence. The board wants your insight, not a narration of the text they can already see.



Story example:
A marketing leader opened their board presentation by reading each bullet point word for word. Engagement dropped instantly—the conversation became one-way and transactional. In contrast, a peer used slides with minimal text and spoke to the “why” behind each insight. The discussion that followed was dynamic, with board members leaning in and asking forward-looking questions.

How to counter it:
• Treat slides as visual anchors, not content carriers.
• Keep slides clean and high-level—key headlines, one image, or a single data point per slide.
• Use your voice, tone, and framing to convey meaning beyond what’s shown.
• Rehearse without slides to build comfort speaking freely.

Mini-exercise:
Deliver your next presentation once with slides, then again with slides hidden. Notice how your confidence and natural delivery shift.

Reflection prompt:
Am I relying on my slides to hold attention—or am I the one leading the room?

Trap 3: Defending Instead of Influencing
What it is:
Treating board questions as challenges to defend against rather than opportunities to deepen understanding and alignment. Defensive communication narrows dialogue and positions you as protective rather than strategic. At senior levels, how you handle challenge signals your readiness for broader leadership.

Story example:
A divisional leader was questioned sharply about cost overruns and responded by explaining every variable that went wrong. The tone became defensive, and the discussion closed down. Another leader facing a similar situation acknowledged the concern, clarified the core issue, and redirected the focus to solutions: “You’re right—that’s a risk area. Here’s how we’re addressing it, and here’s where we need your steer.” The difference? One defended; the other influenced.

How to counter it:
• Reframe tough questions as shared problem-solving, not personal critique.
• Pause before responding—acknowledge, then answer succinctly.
• Use curiosity to de-escalate: “That’s a good point—can I clarify what outcome you’re most concerned about?”
• Anchor your response in enterprise impact: “Here’s how this approach protects profitability,” or “This is the risk if we delay.”

Mini-exercise:
Reflect on a recent board or senior meeting where you felt challenged. Write down the question asked and reframe your response in a way that would have shifted from defence to influence.

Reflection prompt:
When challenged, do I focus on protecting my position—or advancing the enterprise conversation?




Shift to Make: From Informing to Influencing
Mastering boardroom communication isn’t about perfecting slides or memorising facts—it’s about clarity, confidence, and connection. When you distil detail, own your message, and respond with composure, you transform from a presenter into a trusted strategic voice.

Reflection Exercise: Preparing for Your Next Board Presentation
This reflection exercise helps you prepare with intention—so you don’t just present to the board, but influence it.

At this level, clarity and composure are your greatest assets. Use the following steps to refine both your message and your delivery so your insights drive meaningful executive action.

Step 1 – Clarify the Purpose
Before you open PowerPoint or start compiling data, step back and ask:
“What decision, alignment, or action do I want the board to take?”

Every minute of boardroom airtime should serve a purpose. If your presentation doesn’t clearly drive a choice, approval, or direction, it risks becoming an information dump rather than a strategic conversation.

Practical approach:
• Write your purpose statement in one sentence—if you can’t, your message isn’t focused enough.
• Define what a successful outcome looks like: clarity, agreement, endorsement, or next steps.
• Revisit this purpose statement before every rehearsal to ensure your content aligns with it.

Reflection prompt:
Does my message drive a decision—or simply describe activity?

Step 2 – Identify the Executive Lens
The most effective communicators shape their message through the board’s priorities, not their own. Senior stakeholders think in terms of risk, return, and reputation. Your presentation needs to connect your recommendations to what matters most at that level.

Practical approach:
• Ask: “What does success look like for the board on this issue?”
• Consider their strategic lens—growth, efficiency, risk mitigation, or stakeholder impact.
• Tailor your framing: move from functional value (“This improves our team’s efficiency”) to enterprise value (“This strengthens our market competitiveness”).

Mini-exercise:
For each key point in your presentation, note how it supports one or more enterprise priorities. If you can’t link it, consider cutting or reframing it.

Reflection prompt:
Am I communicating what matters to me—or what matters to them?

Step 3 – Build the Narrative
A clear, concise narrative transforms information into insight. Use the three-part structure—Insight → Recommendation → Impact—to ensure your message is both logical and influential.

Example:
• Insight: “Customer acquisition costs have increased by 15% over the past two quarters.”
• Recommendation: “We should rebalance spend toward digital channels with stronger conversion rates.”
• Impact: “This shift is projected to reduce CAC by 10% and improve ROI within six months.”

Practical approach:
• Limit yourself to three core messages; more than that and clarity is lost.
• Support each message with one compelling piece of data or example.
• End every section with an explicit link to business impact or risk.

Stretch exercise:
Storyboard your presentation on sticky notes—one per key point. Reorder until the flow feels crisp, strategic, and outcome-driven.

Reflection prompt:
Does my narrative guide the board to a decision—or make them search for it?

Step 4 – Rehearse for Presence
Even the strongest message can be weakened by poor delivery. Rehearsal isn’t about memorisation—it’s about presence, pacing, and confidence. The goal is to own your material so fully that you can adapt seamlessly under pressure.

Practical approach:
• Practice aloud—this reveals where your phrasing or structure may falter.
• Time yourself; boards expect brevity and precision.
• Record your delivery to assess tone, body language, and filler words.
• Anticipate tough questions and rehearse concise, data-backed responses.

Mini-exercise:
Ask a trusted peer to role-play the board. Have them challenge your recommendations. Focus on maintaining calm authority and clarity under scrutiny.

Reflection prompt:
When challenged, do I anchor in my message—or drift into justification?

Step 5 – Reflect and Refine
The most effective communicators treat every boardroom experience as data for improvement. After your presentation, gather feedback—not just on your content, but on your clarity, confidence, and impact.

Practical approach:
• Ask one board member or peer: “What landed well, and what could have been clearer?”
• Reflect on the questions asked—these reveal where your message lacked precision.
• Document key insights immediately; use them to refine your next briefing.

Mini-exercise:
After your next board session, journal three observations:
1. What went well?
2. Where did I lose momentum or clarity?
3. What will I do differently next time?
Reflection prompt:
Do I treat each board interaction as a performance—or as a learning opportunity to sharpen my executive influence?

Final Thought: Turning Preparation into Impact
Preparation builds confidence, but reflection builds mastery.
When you align purpose, audience, narrative, and presence, you move beyond “reporting” to truly influencing direction. That’s what defines communication with impact in the boardroom.

Closing
Today we explored how to communicate with impact in the boardroom—how to move from presenting information to shaping executive direction.

The leaders who influence at the highest levels aren’t just articulate—they’re intentional. They connect insight to action, data to strategy, and presence to impact.

Your challenge this week: Take one upcoming presentation or report and reframe it using the Insight → Implication → Recommendation model. Watch how it shifts the room’s attention—and your credibility.

If you found today’s episode valuable, subscribe, leave a review, and share it with a colleague preparing for their next executive presentation.
Connect with me on LinkedIn—search Kathryn Hall, The Career Owl—and visit www.thecareerowl.co.uk for more leadership tools and resources.

Next week, we’ll continue Phase 3 by exploring Leading Transformational Change: Guiding large-scale, enterprise-level change without losing momentum

And remember—leadership impact isn’t about saying more; it’s about saying what matters most, with confidence and clarity.