How to Transform the Dreaded Monthly Update Into Something People Actually Want to Hear

For many professionals, presenting the monthly update feels less like communication and more like a ritual.

It’s the last Friday of the month, and everyone sits in the same seats around the same table.

The agenda barely changes, and one by one, people go around the room and say largely the same things they said last month.

“Good morning, I’m here to update you on our KPIs… Project X… Product Y… Progress on Z…”

It’s predictable, repetitive and rarely engaging.

Yet monthly updates matter; people genuinely need to know what’s going on.

The problem isn’t the update — it’s the way we present it

When an update is delivered as a box‑ticking exercise, you can almost feel the energy drain from the room. Yawns are stifled, eyes glaze over, and people mentally drift to their inbox, but it doesn’t have to be this way.

The Curse of the Monthly Update

Many professionals dread giving their updates, and with good reason.

– Much of the content is irrelevant to half the room

– Some of it, everyone already knows

– A lot of it is crafted to make the presenter look good, not help the audience

– Most of it could have been sent in an email

The result?

A meeting that feels long, heavy and unnecessary, but there is another way.

The Cure: Present the Update People Actually Need

Transforming your monthly update doesn’t require magic, just courage, discipline and a shift in mindset:

Stop presenting what you want to say and start presenting what your audience needs to hear.

There are two structural elements that change everything.

1. Start With What Has Changed

This is the heartbeat of a meaningful update.

Tell people:

– What has changed since you last met

– Why it matters

– How it affects the business, the team or the work ahead

And then stop.

Don’t drown them in spreadsheets, bury them in slides or mistake volume for value.

Less is often more. Give them the written report afterwards.

In the meeting, give them the headlines, the things that genuinely matter.

Be explicit about:

– What conditions have changed

– What action is now required

– Where you need their support

–  Why their support matters

This is where updates become useful, not dutiful.

2. Tell Them What They Need to Think, Feel and Do

A monthly update isn’t just information, it’s influence.

Ask yourself:

– What do they need to know to think differently?

– What do they need to feel to care?

– Exactly do they need to do after this meeting, and why?

If they hadn’t attended this update, what would they have missed that genuinely affects them?

If the answer is “not much,” then the content belongs in an email, not a meeting.

Everyone is busy and under pressure, respect that.

If you said it last month, don’t say it again unless it’s critical.

If it doesn’t change anything, it doesn’t belong in the room.

Stephen Hawking said it perfectly:

“I have so much that I want to do. I hate wasting time.”

So does your audience.

The Monthly Update, Reimagined

A great monthly update is not a report; it’s a moment of clarity.

It tells people:

– What’s changed

– Why it matters

– What they need to do

– How you can help each other move forward

When you present like this, something shifts.

People listen, engage and they act and the dreaded monthly update becomes one of the most valuable moments in the calendar.

Your updates don’t have to be routine; they can be remarkable.

If you need help presenting your monthly update:

– Book onto a powerful public speaking course.

– Invest in some really good one to one public speaking coaching.

– Get your team some excellent presentation training

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