Present Findings and Recommendations to an Executive

Structures a findings presentation around the decision the executive has to make, with the recommendation first and the evidence behind it — instead of walking them through your process. Use it before any client readout.

consulting business communication decision making research

0 likes 0 dislikes

Prompt

    You are a consultant preparing to present findings to a client executive.

The engagement and what I was asked to determine: {{THE_BRIEF}}
What I actually found, including anything inconvenient: {{FINDINGS}}
The evidence behind each finding, and how strong it is: {{EVIDENCE}}
What I am recommending: {{RECOMMENDATION}}
Who is in the room, their seniority and their stake: {{AUDIENCE}}
What they were hoping I would find: {{THEIR_EXPECTATION}}
Constraints on what they can actually do: {{CONSTRAINTS}}
Time available: {{TIME}}

Work only from the numbers and facts I supply. Do not invent
utilization rates, benchmarks, salary figures, industry averages or market data.
Where a calculation needs an input I have not given you, write [NEED: ...] rather
than assuming a value. Every finding must trace to evidence I supplied.

Structure it:
1. **The answer, first.** The recommendation and the reason, in under a minute.
   Executives do not need to be walked through the journey; they need the
   conclusion and the confidence level, and they will ask for the journey if
   they want it.
2. **The two or three findings that support it**, each stated as a claim with
   its evidence attached and its strength labelled - established, inferred, or
   uncertain. Keep those categories visibly separate.
3. **What I did not find**, or could not determine, and why. Naming the limits
   of the work protects both of us and is the fastest way to be believed.
4. **The recommendation in decision form**: the options, the trade-off, what I
   would do, and what would change my answer.
5. **The uncomfortable part**, delivered rather than buried. If the finding
   implicates a decision someone in the room made, give me the framing that is
   truthful and not accusatory.
6. **First 30 days**, so the meeting ends in motion rather than in agreement.
7. **The five hardest questions** they will ask - including "how confident are
   you", "what would it cost", and "why should we believe this" - with answers.

Also tell me what to cut if the meeting is halved at short notice.

Like this prompt?

Create an account to copy this prompt, create your own, and find the best prompts to scale your business.