Ok, so you're going to approach the leadership of your company. Or maybe you've managed to talk your way into a call with a company that you don't work for. Good job.

Now what?

Your first instinct might be to prepare a comprehensive workshop demonstrating all the amazing things AI can do. Text generation! Image creation! Video synthesis! Audio production! AI avatars! The smorgasbord approach.

Don't do this.

I've seen this mistake countless times. Someone finally gets their shot with executives and then proceeds to overwhelm them with a buffet of AI capabilities, hoping something—anything—will stick.

It's the equivalent of throwing spaghetti at the wall, and as all those Just Stop Oil protests have shown executives hate having spaghetti thrown at them (especially if they're wearing nice suits).

Executives have extremely limited time, and their primary job is to make decisions. Our only job during an executive briefing is to help them make a decision in a short amount of time. That's it.

And what decision are we aiming for? It's not commitment to a six-figure pilot program. It's not automating the entire HR department. It's simply: "Ok, we want to do something with AI, and you seem to know what you're doing—lead it."

That's all we need from the first meeting. Just enough commitment to move to the next step, whether that's a staff workshop, a small pilot project, or a deeper dive session. Get that first "yes" and you're on your way.

Let's get started:

The Truth About Executive Time and Attention

Executives operate in a different reality than the rest of us. Their calendars are booked weeks in advance.

I just booked in a call with a high-flyer and it’s 2 months from now. He’s just booked up until then - and that’s that.

Their attention is pulled in a dozen directions simultaneously. Their ultimate currency isn't money—it's time. Which is (incidentally) why people start to get into longevity and bio-hacking once they’ve made enough money…they need more time.

This reality shapes how we need to approach them about AI. We must be prepared to deliver value in whatever time window we're given, whether that's a 5-minute elevator conversation, a 15-minute introductory meeting, or a full 30-minute presentation slot.

Here's the golden rule of executive briefings: no one ever complains about something being too short. (Get your mind out of the gutter if you giggled at that.)

We hate it when a movie goes on too long. But when it’s too short? That just means we loved it and want more. Ditto for presentations.

If you're scheduled for 15 minutes, prepare to deliver your core message in 10. If you've got 30 minutes, aim to cover your essential points in 20. This leaves room for questions, which is where the real engagement happens.

The shorter the briefing, the better. If a meeting runs longer than scheduled, it's because they're interested—and that's a win. But if you try to cram 30 minutes of content into a 15-minute slot, you'll lose them before you ever get to your point.

The Universal Three-Act Structure

Regardless of whether you have 5, 15, or 30 minutes, all effective executive briefings follow the same three-act structure:

Act 1: Why AI Matters to This Specific Business Make the case for why AI should be on their priority list, with specific relevance to their industry, company size, and competitive landscape.

Act 2: One Concrete Example With Real-World Impact Show, don't tell. Demonstrate one clear, specific use case with tangible results that they can relate to their business.

Act 3: Clear, Actionable Next Steps Tell them exactly what decision you need them to make today, and what the immediate next action looks like.

This structure works because it aligns with how executives make decisions:

1. Is this relevant to me? (Act 1)

2. Can I see evidence it works? (Act 2)

3. What's the immediate action? (Act 3)

Or alternatively: why should I care about this? Prove it. OK fine what’s the action?

The difference between time formats isn't in the structure—it's in the depth and breadth of what you cover in each act.

Over the next few Parts of the Playbook we’ll cover each of the Acts, one per Part. But for now you need to know the outline so we know where we are going.

The 5-Minute Elevator Pitch

The 5-minute briefing isn't actually a formal briefing—it's an elevator pitch that happens in hallways, before meetings, or when you unexpectedly find yourself with executive access.

What to Include:

• A single, industry-specific pain point AI can solve

• One example with clear, quantifiable results. “Company X did this and saved Y%”

• Request for a specific follow-up (usually a proper meeting)

What to Cut:

• Technical details of any kind - very likely you won’t have a screen or any visual aids so it’s got to be verbally understandable.

• Multiple use cases or examples. One example only. And make it work.

• Lengthy explanations of how AI works. This isn’t a lecture.

Your Goal: Secure a longer meeting where you can present more formally.

Example Opening: "Companies in our industry are seeing 35% productivity gains in [specific department] by implementing targeted AI solutions. Here’s a paper from the Harvard Business Review about this. I've identified three areas where we could see similar results. Could I get 15 minutes on your calendar to walk through the specifics?"

When you have just 5 minutes, you're not trying to get full commitment to an AI implementation—you're simply trying to get enough interest for a proper conversation. Be ready to also deliver this in an ever shorter time- can you get it to 30 seconds? Good.

The 15-Minute Meeting Format

The 15-minute briefing is your most common scenario—an initial meeting where you have just enough time to make your case and secure commitment to a next step.

I would personally do this without slides so you can focus on engagement. Slides also mean technical setup and dependencies. If you spend the first 3 minutes faffing with getting the slide deck on screen and making sure everyone can see it you’ve lost 20% of your time. Too risky.

Structure Breakdown:

• Act 1: Why AI Matters (3 minutes)

• Act 2: One Detailed Example (8 minutes)

• Act 3: Next Steps & Decision Request (4 minutes)

What to Include:

• Industry-specific AI trends and competitive pressures

• One fully developed example with before/after comparison

• Clear ROI metrics from the example

• Specific proposal for next steps (workshop, pilot, etc.)

What to Cut:

• Slides. Personally I’d run without slides on this one. But use what works for you.

• Multiple examples (stick to your strongest one). You still don’t have anywhere near enough time for multiple examples - choose one and nail it.

• Long-term visions (stay focused on immediate value and immediate wins)

Your Goal: Secure commitment to a concrete next step, typically a workshop with broader staff or a small proof-of-concept project.

This timeframe is ideal. It's long enough to make a compelling case but short enough to maintain focus and urgency.

If the meeting goes longer—great! Deliver your material efficiently and then shift to Q&A. If they're asking questions, they're interested. I've written multiple Playbooks on how to up your AI knowledge and be able to answer more in-depth questions. Refer back to those if you need a refresher.

The 30-Minute Presentation

The 30-minute briefing is typically a formal presentation where you have the opportunity to build a comprehensive case for AI adoption.

At this point you may bring in slides. You have enough space to breathe and having some visual examples on screen will be compelling. Keep it super light though and goodness me don’t just read from the slides!

If you are presenting in a room stay out from behind your laptop too. That’s a charisma dead-zone!

Structure Breakdown:

• Act 1: Why AI Matters (7 minutes)

• Act 2: Primary Example + Supporting Cases (15 minutes)

• Act 3: Implementation Roadmap & Decision Request (8 minutes)

What to Include:

• Comprehensive business case with industry data

• One primary example explored in depth. You can really stretch your wings here and give the full details. Importantly you can better prove your business case.

• 1-2 supporting examples showing breadth of application. Think of objections and use supplementary short examples to knock them down. For example you might have one about cost (pilot programmes can be low cost) and one on data protection (we’ll do it internally to secure data).

• Specific decision request with clear next actions

What to Cut:

• Technical deep dives. Still no need for technicals. You are talking to executives - they don’t need the technical breakdowns!

• Overly ambitious proposals. You want a little sizzle sure but if you go in too hard you’ll lose trust.

Your Goal: Secure formal approval for a defined initiative, whether that's a department-wide workshop, a funded pilot project, or your engagement as an advisor. Or failing that secure a request for a proposal from you.

Even with 30 minutes, remember that less is more. Better to thoroughly cover fewer points than to race through a comprehensive overview that leaves executives confused about what you're actually proposing.

Common Pitfalls to Avoid

Here are the most common mistakes I see in executive AI briefings:

Overly technical: Focusing on AI capabilities instead of business outcomes. Executives don't care about how the technology works—they care about what it does for the business. Leave the acronyms at home. And if I hear you say gradient descent or back propagation I’m going to bust in through the window of that board room myself to shut it down.

Overly stuffed: Trying to cover every possible AI application instead of focusing on the highest-value opportunities. Yes AI can do an awful lot. But trying to cover all potential uses dilutes any single one. Hone in on one immediately valuable use case for the business and focus here.

Ambiguous Ask: Ending without a clear decision request. Always be explicit about what decision you need today. Give them the next steps and ask if they are interested. Then stop talking. Works wonders.

Fantasy Land : Painting a picture of AI transformation that's so ambitious it seems unrealistic. Start with concrete, achievable wins. Execs are bombarded with AI hype already - acknowledge this and say that we’re going to instead focus on stuff that we can do right now.

Generate Your Briefing Outline

OK, we’ve covered a lot. Let’s condense it in a prompt. Here's a prompt to help you create a customised briefing outline for your specific industry and timeframe:

You are an expert in executive communications about AI adoption. Create a detailed briefing outline for my specific situation:

Industry: [Your industry]
Company size: [SMB, Mid-market, Enterprise]
Briefing length: [5, 15, or 30 minutes]
My role: [Internal employee or external consultant]
Target audience: [C-suite, department leaders, board, etc.]
Specific outcome I want: [Decision you're seeking]

For each section of the three-act structure (Why AI Matters, Concrete Example, Next Steps), provide:
1. Exact time allocation
2. 2-3 bullet points of what to cover
3. 1 compelling data point or statistic to include
4. 1 potential objection to prepare for

Also suggest a powerful opening hook and closing call-to-action specific to my industry and audience.

What's Next?

In Part 3, we'll look at Act 1: your core message about why AI matters for your specific industry. We’ll start to fill in the structure that we’ve covered in this Part.