As Master of Ceremonies, Efficiently Manage your time with the Customer
Rachel was just about to open a meeting with her customer when one of the high-ranking executives at the company walked into the meeting, abruptly stating that she had only fifteen minutes available, and asked Rachel to cover just the highlights.
To deal with this type of scenario, Rachel had prepared beforehand to summarize her major points in an “executive summary.” The executive summary is a brief overview illustrating why you are unique and what business value you provide.
Rachel handled this situation brilliantly and used the change in agenda to her advantage. Before the high-ranking executive left the meeting, Rachel committed to reaching out to the executive in a few days to address any open items and explain the next steps the meeting attendees agreed on. It was brilliant and this helped Rachel establish a relationship with the executive.
You should always plan to have an executive summary prepared in advance… you should be able to deliver this in 15 minutes or less. You will experience the inevitable times when you must get your message across in far less time than planned. Whether an interruption occurs at the beginning of your meeting or right in the middle, you can quickly pivot to your executive summary and deliver it in the most compelling way possible. While it might appear to be a distraction to you, it could become the most important part of your meeting.
I’m DJ Sebastian. In the next briefing, I’ll continue discussing the best ways I’ve found to demonstrate leadership as Master of Ceremonies.