How to Effectively Communicate With the C-Suite

Designers often collaborate with the heads of real estate or facilities, and yet our value can be undersold to the C-suite, the group of officers of a business organization who have the word “chief” in their titles. In my role as a tenant representative, I have witnessed instances in which architects and interior designers met with an organization’s leadership but were unable to establish a meaningful connection. After such meetings, my clients rarely talk about the design process, even though I know that the designers have taken painstaking steps to create an environment around a client’s vision. With this disconnect in mind, here are several points to help get the conversation going.

Chief Executive Officer (CEO)
CEOs are often the most pressed for time, and they are interested in seeing results. Going into a meeting with a CEO, make sure you understand what they hope to get out of the project and address that within the first 30 seconds so you have their immediate attention. Keep your slide deck lean and do not include anything that does not respond to their end objective.

Chief Financial Officer (CFO)
Meetings with a CFO require extensive preparation: You should know your numbers inside and out. With a project in process, I often lead with how much value we have created, the measurable outcomes, and how much improvement can be seen thus far. I also cover potential financial risks to the project and how we can mitigate them to get ahead of any concerns that the client may have. And if I can identify a time frame for maximum impact from the results of the project, it creates an opportunity for us gather data postoccupancy. My slides often contain data or infographics that have been pulled from a database or spreadsheet, and rarely does the project’s design come into play (although I always include design-related slides at the end just in case).

Chief Operating Officer (COO)
COOs often measure their success in increments of time as it relates to money or efficient processes. Unlike CEOs and CFOs, the COOs tend to wear more hats and have more things they are simultaneously tracking. The best COOs are known for improving every area that they touch, and it is the designer’s role to find ways to support them. When meeting with a COO, address their most pressing needs first and help them identify any areas in which design can improve operational processes and foster growth and the retention of quality staff. COOs are usually the force behind the implementation of a company’s strategic plan, so if the work you are doing specifically responds to the plan, make those points as well.

Preparation and rehearsal are key to successful meetings with executives. Designers are indoctrinated into a culture of working up to the last minute to meet deadlines and then flying loose with presentations. At best, this approach shows that we are passionate, but it rarely creates a specific connection to what executives are seeking to understand about the work we are doing for them.

A meeting with any member of the C-suite presents an opportunity to position the firm as a knowledge leader and plant the seed to become a trusted adviser. It is a chance to show that your insights are valuable beyond the scope of the current project. To whatever degree feasible, you should learn as much as possible about the business and operations of your client in order to understand exactly how your project serves the bigger picture. When you are able, have conversations with those who know the executives. You would be surprised at how much information can be attained from a CEO’s assistant about their preferred method of communication. For example, perhaps they love the bullet points that you find so incredibly boring.

Finally, never ask for or expect more time with an executive. If you resonate, they will make time for you.

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This article was originally published in Contract Magazine.