How should I talk to senior executive?

Question

We are the R&D institution of a fortune 500 corporation, sometimes we have senior executives visiting and there will be one-on-one meetings set up for some of the research engineers (20-30 minutes). As these executives are often 4-5 levels above me on the organization chart, it is hard for me to find apporpriate topics to discuss with them in a one-on-one situation. Can someone suggest some good topics to capitalize on these opportunities?

Answer 1

It's important to remember that they are people too, but that they generally live a very different life.  It's also important to maintain a professional presence.  Without being obvious (such as mimicking them), be sure you act in a similar manner.  Overall, you don't need to focus on discussing anything other than what you know and they need to know.

Answer 2

Be prepared know everything about your subject (work) and then some.

You want to impress them.