The most influential aspect of any advisory-related content is the moment in which the decision maker interprets the truth of the claim and grasps the overarching objective of the executive summary.

This article covers 4 scenarios that organisations use to craft insightful synopses for senior stakeholders, along with the inverted pyramid concept and a tightly articulated positioning framework for enhanced impact. 

Composing an executive summary with the Inverted Pyramid

Before you get started with any form of synopsis, make sure to apply this approach used by journalists and writers to prioritise and structure information. This method (shown in the guide above) can be effective in distilling complex information for audiences who demand fast facts and actionable insights. 

By prioritising newsworthy topics and then layering these overarching talking points with supporting details and background context, executive personas are able to grasp simple concepts that are short, punchy and memorable. 

Moreover, categorising lead talking points into anchor topics (such as workforce planning, digital transformation and artificial intelligence) can act as umbrella concepts to help decision makers compartmentalise information or distinguish areas of intervention.

For top-of-mind awareness, you can take the above approach a step further by adding notes and key words to a simple messaging framework known as a message house.

Tips

• Flip the narrative: start by first mapping out nice-to-have information (the tail) and work your way up the hierarchy
• Prioritise data to objectify the details (the body)
• Aim to distil anchor topics (the lead) as much as possible

---

4 executive summary scenarios

An executive summary takes various forms depending on the commercial context and mode of delivery. In essence, it is a summarisation of information and the go-to source of knowledge for organisational decision makers (i.e. CEO, CFO, CHRO, CIO, CTO, CPO). 

1. Proposal

Provocative executive summaries articulate clearly defined value drivers (themes) that accentuate the proposal while inducing curiosity.

The most common application of an executive summary involves presentation material provided to a client showcasing the overall value proposition for a specific business opportunity or need.

Value proposals are visual documents that showcase essential information about your understanding of the customer’s situation and the proposed intervention. The aim of this pitch deck is to inform and excite potential customers about your entity’s capabilities (product/expertise) that can lead to further discussions.

When responding to an opportunity (i.e. tender or request for proposal), a common best practice is to summarise the proposed solutions by articulating a personalised and concise statement of intent; usually as a one pager. This helps decision makers obtain an objective perspective about the overall pitch and determine how unique the claim really is. 

For a typical one pager summary, the introductory text starts with energy and metaphor to intrigue the reader. Brevity is applied with each sentence containing punchy statements and flowing prose. No word is wasted and the overall message is accented with a personal touch or unique perspective.

Tips

• 1-pager with short, punchy paragraphs
• Include a clear statement of intent
• Recommend a decision that holistically covers the proposed solution(s)
• Empathise with your audience’s world view through context setting. Make subtle references to the audience’s brand positioning to evoke propinquity.

2. Report or White Paper

A report is a lengthy publication based on in-depth research and rigorous data analysis with practical recommendations. In contrast, a white paper is a shorter publication (20 pages or less) with minimal design and graphics, focused on data and insights. The audience for both contexts include internal stakeholders, clients, partner organisations and the general public.

When drafting this kind of thought leadership, explain the key findings of your research as succinctly as possible to ensure all audiences understand the purpose and any actionable insights that they can keep top of mind.

It can help to distinguish between 2 types of report summaries: preview and synopsis. A preview is problem-oriented; intriguing and enticing the audience to read the report or white paper. A synopsis is results-oriented; condensing the overall piece into bitesize format.

Tips

• 1-2 pages long; 5-10% in length of full piece
• Frame your study with an abstract of the key data findings
• Tell the synopsis in an immersive, interactive way with a variety of high quality visuals (data visualisation)

3. Executive Briefing

Executive briefings provide client-facing roles with clear visibility and awareness about partnership information — enabling informed, strategic conversations.

CEOs and senior leadership representatives need coherent, influential summaries when preparing for high-level meetings with C-level stakeholders — for example, ahead of strategic discussions or events such as the World Economic Forum.

Concisely prepare your briefing notes for organisational leaders so that they can get critical information about a client quickly and decide on a course of action. Your role is to make the summary as clear and compelling as possible. To do this, provide a snapshot of the client relationship, highlighting both opportunities and threats so that the executive is best prepared for the meeting. 

Key elements to include:

• Meeting objective: Brief summary of expected outcome. Specific objectives help the executive know what to prioritise.
• Talking points: 3 hot topics, each with a core message that is unique and memorable.
• Partnership & opportunities: Evidence about highlights & lowlights. Draw attention not only to partnership highlights, but also to shortcomings and areas of growth.
• Data: Extract revenue related information from your CRM system if relevant. This information ensures executives remain objective about account-based performance.

Tips

• 1-2 pages long; be direct (clear, concise)
• Write in 3rd person to maintain objectivity
• Have a clear objective with anchor topics

4. Business Review

Client engagements require frequent reviews to assess deliverables and manage expectations. A business review is a critical document for senior leadership that assesses an existing partnership or delivery model.

When preparing for a quarterly or annual business review, summarise your findings or deliverables in an introductory section that allows executives to quickly grasp key takeaways. This synopsis should be highly data driven immersed in data visualisation.

Bring your data to life as clearly and simplistically as possible by applying any of the below 5 chart variations used by leading consulting firms.

Tips

• Be data driven by making use of charts (data visualisation)
• Brevity and objectivity is key
• Choose words wisely

---

Positioning your executive summary

Each mode of communication above has a specific intent, which brings us to an important enabler for effective executive summary writing: positioning statements.  

To deliver succinct summaries, articulate your purpose with a coherent position: a definitive anchor point that guides your conceptual process.

Furthermore, communicating intent through a tightly articulated needs statement not only clarifies your vision for internal or external stakeholders but ensures your initiative is grounded in objectivity.

Finally, clarifying your strategy or objective with a clear positioning summary will enable cross-functional teams to prepare more engaging content that resonates with your audience’s perspective.

Published via LinkedIn