Our clients who aced their team presentation recently also had another challenge: how could they do a thorough presentation to the executive team within a very tight time frame? They had a lot of ground to cover, and not much time. If you find yourself in a similar situation, consider these strategies.

Proper planning and rehearsal. Be sure you have practiced your entire presentation, start to finish. Can you make it through the content in the time allotted? Remember if you get questions, it will take even longer, so build in a little “wiggle room.”
Determine Need to Know vs. Nice to Know. Clearly, when time is limited, you won’t be able to cover every point in detail. What information is the most important to the most people? What information is interesting, but maybe not as critical? What information is fascinating to you but might not be compelling for listeners? Plan to spend the bulk of your time on the “need to know” content.
Move through questions briskly. Taking questions makes the presentation more interactive and lets you know what your audience is thinking. However, if you take too much time answering questions, something else will have to be cut. As you take questions, decide if they are “need to know” or “nice to know” and tailor your answer accordingly. Practice answering briefly and moving forward. You may also choose to answer some questions offline after the presentation.
Plan your opening and closing to avoid rambling. If you aren’t sure how you are going to open or close your session, you could get off track before you even start, or create frustration when you run over your time allotment. Rehearse this part so you know you can move through it quickly. Both the audience and you will be better off.

With these tips you can move through your content with the confidence that you will end on time and with grace, even when your time is limited.