Executive Influence

Why Expertise Can Fail to Persuade Under Pressure

Being knowledgeable about a subject does not automatically make it easy to communicate that knowledge when the stakes rise.

A board asks a sharper question than expected. An investor wants the conclusion before the analysis. A leadership team has limited time and several competing priorities. A client challenges the recommendation you have spent weeks developing.

In those moments, capable professionals can find themselves explaining more while making their main point harder to find.

A recent analysis by executive communication firm Benjamin Ball Associates highlights the difficulty some professionals experience when communicating with senior audiences. It examined 2,589 pre-coaching questionnaires, covering 15,768 answer fields. Fifty-four per cent of respondents reported difficulty communicating effectively with senior audiences. The analysis also described professionals becoming less concise and persuasive in settings such as board, investor and leadership discussions.

That figure needs context. The questionnaires were completed by delegates attending the firm’s programmes, and 83 per cent of responses related to presentation, public speaking, pitching, investor or fundraising contexts. The authors describe the percentages as directional indicators, not statistically representative survey results. The finding should not be read as a measure of every executive or senior professional. It does, however, point to a practical question: what changes in the way people communicate when the audience and consequences feel more significant?

When pressure changes the message

Senior conversations often leave less room for a long build-up. The audience may need to understand the recommendation, the reason it matters now, the evidence behind it and the decision required. They may also question assumptions or ask about risk before you have reached the point you planned to make.

Under that pressure, a professional may try to demonstrate the full depth of their expertise. They add more background, explain every caveat and answer questions that have not yet been asked. The recommendation arrives late, after the audience has had to work through the detail to locate it.

This response is understandable. The subject may be complex, a wrong decision could have serious consequences, and the professional may feel responsible for explaining every detail accurately. But completeness and influence are different tests. A technically accurate explanation can still make a decision harder if the audience cannot quickly see what the information means.

The task is not to remove complexity. It is to organise it around the decision.

Expertise has to guide a decision

In an important conversation, the audience is often trying to establish five things:

1. Recommendation: What do you believe should happen?

2. Reason: Why is this the right response now?

3. Evidence: What information supports the recommendation?

4. Risk: What concern, objection or trade-off should we understand?

5. Request: What decision or action do you need from us?

This is a preparation lens, not a script for every meeting. Some conversations will need more context or a different order. The value is in deciding what the audience must understand before you begin, rather than discovering the purpose of your message while you are speaking.

Consider a finance director presenting a forecast that has moved below plan. An explanation could begin with every input, assumption and variance. Those details may be essential, but the leadership team first needs to know what decision is being requested.

A more useful opening might be: “I recommend we pause the second phase of hiring until the next forecast review. Revenue is below plan in two regions, and the current pipeline does not yet offset the shortfall. The main risk is delaying capacity if demand recovers. I need agreement today on a four-week pause, with a review against these two indicators.”

The supporting detail still matters. It can follow the recommendation, explain the evidence and answer questions. The sequence helps the room understand why that detail matters.

Make the first minute easier to follow

Before an important update or meeting, write one sentence for each part of the framework. Then check the order:

• Can the audience hear the recommendation early?
• Is the reason connected to a decision they need to make now?
• Does each piece of evidence support the recommendation?
• Have you named the material risk or trade-off fairly?
• Is the request specific enough for the audience to respond?

This preparation can also reveal where the thinking is not yet finished. If the recommendation is difficult to state, the issue may not be delivery. You may need to test the assumptions, compare options or decide which trade-off you are willing to accept before entering the room.

That distinction matters. Communication coaching is not simply about sounding polished. It can expose whether the message, decision and supporting analysis are clear to the speaker as well as to the audience.

Concision is a judgement skill

Being concise does not mean being brief at any cost. Removing a material risk, uncertainty or piece of evidence can make a message less useful. A senior audience still needs enough information to judge the recommendation.

The judgement is in separating what the audience needs to decide from what demonstrates how much you know. Keep the analysis available. Lead with the part that helps the room orient itself, then add detail in response to the decision and questions.

That approach also makes challenge easier to handle. When the recommendation and its basis are clear, a difficult question can be addressed directly. You can answer the question, explain what the evidence supports and identify where uncertainty remains. You do not need to rebuild the entire case each time someone tests one part of it.

Review one upcoming conversation

Choose a board update, investor discussion, executive meeting or important client conversation already on your calendar. Before preparing your slides or notes, write down the recommendation, why it matters now, the evidence the audience needs, the key risk and the decision you are asking for.

Then review your opening. Does it help the audience see the point early, or does it make them wait while you establish everything you know?

When the room becomes difficult, the aim is not to sound more impressive. It is to help people understand the decision in front of them and the judgement behind your recommendation.

Source note: Benjamin Ball Associates’ 2026 analysis is based on pre-coaching questionnaires completed by delegates attending its programmes. The percentages are directional and should not be treated as statistically representative survey results. Read the source release.