When you’re in front of senior leaders or the board, you’ve got seconds—not minutes—to capture their attention and make your message land. Executives don’t want a data dump, a 40-slide saga, or a meandering story that takes forever to get to the point. They want clarity, confidence, and a compelling narrative that tells them what matters right now. That’s where executive storytelling becomes a powerful leadership skill—not just a presentation tactic.
My special guest today is Libby Magliolo, and she’s simplifying how to master the art of executive storytelling. If you want to elevate your executive presence, influence decisions, and deliver presentations that are memorable (for all the right reasons), this episode is for you.
Here’s how.
My special guest today is Libby Magliolo and she’s simplifying how to master the art of executive storytelling.
We tackle and simplify all aspects of it, including:
- What makes executive storytelling different from a standard business presentation—and why true executive presence requires you to drop the apology language.
- The three questions every leader must answer before they ever open a slide deck:
- Who is in the room?
- What do they care about?
- And what is the objective of this communication?
- The one-sentence trick that creates a compelling executive presentation using the Minto Pyramid Principle:
- Lead with the answer first.
- How to balance visuals and words so your message is engaging—without overwhelming your audience.
- …and ultimately, one simple shift any leader can make this week to improve their executive presence when presenting.
Q: Are you ready to learn how to master the art of executive storytelling? If yes, this one is for you.
It’s time to #DoTheThing!
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<What’s catching my eye this week>
- 3 hours of (free) focus music for deep concentration - Quiet Quest - Study Music
- Hire Mary Baird to teach your senior leaders about creating a better employee experience for your workforce - The Simplifiers
- 50 powerful questions to help you reflect - The Institute of You
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My challenge for you this week:
How are you going to take what you’ve learned in today’s episode and take action by practicing your executive storytelling skills this week? What’s one thing you’ll do differently? Share it with me, privately or publicly. Snap a photo of you doing the thing, and send me a DM over on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/thesimplifiers) for added accountability and support!
Links, books and apps mentioned:
Resource: Find Libby Magliolo on LinkedIn - click here
Blog: Evil Witches Newsletter, found on Substack - Perfect for “people who happen to be mothers” - Claire Zulkey
Resource: Access Libby’s “Presentation Resource Hub” - an arsenal of templates, quick tutorials, and tools to build great presentations. Promo Code = SIMPLE - to get a free month of access to it. Message Libby for details! - Libby Magliolo
Podcast: How to turn high-potentials into leaders, featuring Shawn Storer - The Simplifiers Podcast
Podcast: How to be a better leader (guided visualization) - The Simplifiers Podcast
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About Libby Magliolo:
Libby Magliolo - She spent about a decade in management consulting and strategic planning roles - basically building a lot of presentations through trial and error (and countless revisions from bosses!). Now she's a professor at SMU Cox and runs The Slide Master, and is on a mission to make sure that no one has to figure out great presentations the hard way.
Where Libby hangs out online:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/libbymagliolo
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theslidemaster
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@theslidemaster
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheSlideMasterPPT
Website: https://www.buildbetterslides.com
Libby’s vote for the perfect guest on The Simplifiers Podcast:
Kristin Bock - She is a professional speaker, charisma consultant, and founder of Body Language Blueprints. She helps professionals become Social Legos—people who click with others—by using body language and nonverbal cues to build trust and connection.
She’s also the creator of The Calm Charismatic, a newsletter for quietly magnetic humans everywhere.
