Regulatory Open Forum

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  • 1.  Do you know how to talk to company executives?

    Posted 08-Dec-2022 11:08

    Here’s a scenario: You walk into a meeting certain you are right, only to leave wondering why your idea was rejected. You may think you are being treated unfairly – that it is personal, or that the decision maker didn’t let you explain or just didn't understand.

    More likely than not, the problem is not with your idea. The problem is the way you presented it. 

    Making the most of your time with company executives is a key skill that leads to promotions — and to better job satisfaction overall. 

    At Talking to Decision Makers: What to Say and How to Say It, my RAPS online workshop on 18 January, I’ll show you how to put your best foot forward when interacting with company leaders. You'll get the opportunity to try out my method and deliver a short talk in a breakout room with two other regulatory professionals.

    You can learn more about this workshop here. And if you’re interested in learning more about this topic, you might find my Regulatory Focus Feature on the subject worthwhile.



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    Nancy Singer JD, FRAPS, RAC
    President, Compliance-Alliance
    Arlington VA
    United States
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  • 2.  RE: Do you know how to talk to company executives?

    This message was posted by a user wishing to remain anonymous
    Posted 08-Dec-2022 11:48
    This message was posted by a user wishing to remain anonymous

    Whose loss was that idea not listened to?? It is the executives or the company's loss! The reason the executives invited you to present ideas implies they are looking for help! If so, the executives should be paying attention to details and ask clarifying questions if not the person is at the wrong company talking to incompetent executives.


  • 3.  RE: Do you know how to talk to company executives?

    Posted 09-Dec-2022 08:37
    I am disappointed to read this kind of response from a Regulatory colleague. Fortunately, I believe that this kind of attitude is rare in our ranks.

    I suggest that there are three reasons that an idea is not accepted by management at a company and incompetent executives would, in my 30+ years of experience, be considered a very rare reason. The other reasons are that it was a bad idea that was not well thought out by the presenter, and a good idea that was not presented well. Training on how to present your ideas could definitely help with this last reason. Although I have no experience with Nancy's offering, it is worth exploring for young up and coming regulatory professionals who also want to be leaders in their company and profession.

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    Glen Park PharmD
    Vice President, Regulatory Affairs and Quality Assurance
    New York NY
    United States
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  • 4.  RE: Do you know how to talk to company executives?

    Posted 12-Dec-2022 10:03
    I have to agree with Glen here.

    Executives are busy people who make multiples of decisions every day and are being pulled into multiple discussions. Many, many technical people (not just regulatory) make a number of mistakes in presenting ideas to executives, including:

    • diving WAY too deep into technical details they don't need to know and loses their attention
    • not clearly presenting the alternatives and why those aren't the best approach
    • not making it clear how this benefits the business
    etc. One of my biggest jobs as CTO (and years beforehand) is "translating" all the technical details and jargon into something the rest of the exec team clearly understands, as well as the related risks and benefits.

    I don't have experience with this particular class, though I do know Nancy and she is highly experienced. And in reality, for more junior folks, your BOSSES should be reviewing your presentations and helping you make them impactful for their audience (in this example the exec team). That said, I am a big fan of "the world rewards those who help themselves" and will just reiterate this is a very important topic.

    Ginger

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    Ginger Glaser RAC
    Chief Technology Officer
    MN
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  • 5.  RE: Do you know how to talk to company executives?

    This message was posted by a user wishing to remain anonymous
    Posted 19-Dec-2022 08:27
    This message was posted by a user wishing to remain anonymous

    Everyone has his/her own opinion based on their experiences about executives and there is nothing to be disappointed about when a regulatory colleagues makes such comments! I'd suggest to refrain making comments such as this about fellow RA colleagues! Of course there are competent and incompetent executives and comment from Anon was his/her own experience!


  • 6.  RE: Do you know how to talk to company executives?

    Posted 09-Dec-2022 09:54
    I've taken Nancy's class and it's invaluable. I used her techniques successfully with my CEO. Executives speak a different language - think of it as learning French before going to France. The experience is so much better if you at least learn a little. Now that I am an executive I completely understand why communication needs to be clear and concise. I'm overwhelmed by the amount of information I receive on a daily basis. The quicker you can make me understand an idea the more likely I am to warm up to it. Everyone - take Nancy's class!

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    Karen Liu
    San Diego CA
    United States
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  • 7.  RE: Do you know how to talk to company executives?

    This message was posted by a user wishing to remain anonymous
    Posted 19-Dec-2022 08:26
    This message was posted by a user wishing to remain anonymous

    This is an ad, I wish there was a separate space for this.


  • 8.  RE: Do you know how to talk to company executives?

    Posted 20-Dec-2022 01:35
    Hi all
    I think such a course is needed. And I agree that with top management you need to speak their language, not go into details, as noted by colleagues above in their posts.

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    Evangelos Tavandzis
    Lead Auditor, Consultant
    Praha
    Czech Republic
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