Nearly every executive has experienced or will experience giving a presentation to an audience. In turn, many audiences have seen an executive presentation that drones on and on and veers into too many different directions.

Executives can make a greater impact with their presentations if they take the time to put the audience first and focus on telling a good, clear story, according to a posting from the blog Presentation Zen.

The posting argues that a compelling presentation must be accessible and useful for the executive’s particular audience. That means, in part, that accommodations must be made to focus on universality of message, and translating arguments and events that might make sense to the speaker but need some explaining for the crowd at hand.

Executives should also make sure the presentation has a solid, clear structure to help build a strong narrative and a clear theme. The blog posting said that this approach will help make a presentation one to remember, as opposed to one with amusing anecdotes that are otherwise forgettable.

“The more details that you include and the more complex your talk, the more you must be clear on what it is you want your audience to hear, understand and remember,” the blog posting argues. “If the audience only remembers one thing, what should it be? Write it down and stick it on the wall so it’s never out of your sight.”

The full blog posting can be found here: 10 Tips for Improving Your Presentations Today.