Definition of Executive CommunicationThe style and methods of communication that apply to the top management of an organization.
Executive communication is essentially a culture whereby executives in an industry typically have different ways of thinking and communicating as compared to lower level teams or the general public. Adapting to these conventions allows you to manage relationships with executives and to influence them. 
Information Needs
An executive may think of your entire department as performing a handful of high level functions that are measured with a handful of key performance metrics. As such, it is difficult to overstate how high level they think about your role and how disinterested they may be in details. With this in mind, consider what information executives need from you and eliminate anything that might be viewed as obscure or unnecessary.Conciseness & Clarity
Have a point and make it directly at the start in an executive summary. Only once your point has been made, go into the details. Don't try to build up to your point with lots of background upfront.Data & Metrics
Be prepared to back up what you are saying with numbers. For example, don't claim a competitor is leading a market, give an estimate of their market share.Structure & Flow
Structure your communication with clear sections that progress in a logical way. In many cases, executives may derail this and ask you to jump to the end or something. Be prepared to restructure your communication on the fly without losing everyone.Personal Presence
Personal presence is how you generally come across. This will greatly influence how much respect and attention you get from executives. Ideally here you want to be yourself and not suddenly adopt some new persona because this will come off as forced or weird. If you're facing executives that make you nervous, imagine they are your grandmother and her friends or some other group that you would talk calmly and confidently toward. Don't be afraid to engage in conversation if an opportunity arises and to build rapport with mild appropriate humor.Pushing In
There is often intensive competition within an organization to influence top executives. For example, relatively low level employees may seek to derail you while you're presenting to executives. It is also common for others to push in and try to take over your time. Be prepared to recover from this -- push back in and get things back to your flow.Grit
Executives tend to be intense and the environment surrounding them such as a meeting also tends to be high pressure for the people involved. In this context, people may try to derail you with personal criticism or try to get under your skin somehow. Really, this happens a lot and you simply need to view it with detachment and amusement. Don't let anyone trigger your emotions.Intellectual Confidence
Executives have much intellectual confidence and aren't afraid to ask a "dumb question." They shift the burden of making them understand to you and won't feel embarrassed to say that you've simply lost them. Communicate to be understood and use plain language as much as possible. Explain things simply like you are explaining them to a complete novice. This is actually hard to do and it is much easier to respond with jargon and language that sounds complex and impressive that has little actual meaning. Good executives can't stand this.Nuanced Communication
Executive communication tends to be highly political and people may challenge you based on the exact semantics of what you say. For example, if you call an incident an issue, people may roar at you because issues are a far greater thing.Repetition
In highly political environments where people want to use the correct word, language becomes less about expression and more about precision. Use the correct word over and over again if you have to without adapting it for variety.Goal Planning
Think about what you want to achieve from a communication. This can be a small win such as an approval to investigate something all the way up to large wins such as a budget for a project or initiative. Don't just communicate and hope something good will happen -- ask for something.Read the Room
Executives tend to strongly manifest their individual personalities. There is no standard executive personality type and they can be quite different from one another. For example, they can be confrontational and brash or highly cooperative and calm. They can be high level and detached or detail oriented and engaged. It is important to try to read these things and adapt.Anticipating Objections
Think about how your message and proposal will be challenged and prepare in advance how you will handle these challenges.Anticipating Questions
Plan to answer questions. This can also involve avoiding making claims you can't support or delving into areas that are relatively unfamiliar. When you are asked a question that you don't know the answer to, simply say that you will check and follow up. Avoid trying to explain things you don't understand.Plan For Adaptability
Executives or others in a meeting may go off on a tangent and ask you to do the same. Plan in a general way and prepare to talk about things they may come up. Don't be upset or surprised when nobody is interested in following the structure you had planned.Summary
Executive communication is the process of communicating to executives and executive teams. This is typically a high pressure environment with its own communication culture that may differ greatly from meetings at other levels of an organization.
