How to steer meetings with regulators, auditors and other key outside groups

Q: I often present data to external groups, such as regulators and auditors. It's frustrating because they often jump to conclusions before I walk through the information. Then I have to take a bunch of time getting them back on track. What can I do to manage them better?

James, 45, finance manager

A: Consider their motivations and plan alternative strategies to keep them on track.

First, create a structured and detailed agenda for your discussion. Highlight the sections of information you'll be covering — and when you'll be covering it. Then build in specific points in time for questions and discussions.

Note that this is just a starting point. Based on your past experience and the sometimes fraught relationships companies can have with overseeing groups, you can expect pushback (or even to have your agenda outright ignored).

However, you'll still be prepared to point out when the information needed to address a conclusion will be presented in order to defer the topic.

It's also not uncommon for the auditor or regulator to create the agenda. In this case, ask to see it in advance for preparation purposes, again aligning your information. If they don't share it for some reason, go back to creating your own.

Often these relationships are more confrontational and less collegial; their goal, after all, is to make sure that your company is in compliance.

They may well be asking premature questions and disrupting your flow in order to catch you off guard and get to the story behind the story.

Consider whether you're prepared for this, as it can be a much more challenging aspect than just presenting data.

If this part is intimidating or creates a lot of anxiety for you, it would be a good development point for classes, coaching or mentoring.

In both small ways and large, success for you in these situations will come from being able to set limits while still maintaining an effective relationship. And remember, they're used to these types of dynamics, so pushing back will be a normal part of the interaction to them.

Even if you're just sending a simple e-mail response to an inquiry, get in the habit of looking at the information from multiple perspectives, anticipating the responses or follow-ups you might get.

When you have a more formal session coming up, take this same analytic approach up several notches, involving colleagues in advance planning and even role-playing if the stakes are really high.

At some level, this is corporate chess. You need to know what success is for your "opponent," and what their tactics will be to achieve it.

Think of their success at multiple levels. There is obviously the business objective, but beyond that, there is the individual's personal stake in it.

For example, more seasoned professionals will have different career goals than those who may be out to prove themselves.