Modern executives often struggle to convey their points in a presentation, it has been claimed.
Ron Ashkenas, a management author, wrote on
Harvard Business Review that there are ways of avoiding the information-overload and confidence issues that sometimes stop a
CEO or other senior management figure from communicating a concept effectively.
He said: "In most organisations today, information has expanded while time for analysis and decision-making has shrunk. We can't afford to wade through reams of material and convoluted arguments. We need to get to the core of an issue as quickly as possible."
Mr Ashkenas urged people to summarise each point down to a 140-character tweet, limit their presentation to a fixed time and spend time thinking about how the audience will react to what they are being told or shown.
In his opinion, the skill of conveying a point clearly remains "elusive" for plenty of executives, yet it is also a "critical" skill.
Matthew DeBord, senior reporter at
89.3KPCC, agreed that the number of people who know how to present an argument in this way is certainly limited, but suggested that people need to reassess how they view presentations if they are going to excel.
The journalist claimed that the person speaking must be prepare to be challenged on their opinions, not just given feedback or asked questions.