Presence does not come from confidence alone. It comes from a set of small details that are repeatedly overlooked. Here are five common mistakes that training can fix.
The five mistakes
- Rambling without structure: speaking with no opening, turning point or close leaves the audience unable to follow the thread
- Leaning on the slide: reading the deck instead of talking to people
- Rushing delivery: nerves push the pace up and the important messages get lost
- A flat tone: an unvarying voice loses the room within minutes
- Ignoring the audience: no eye contact, and no reading of how the room is responding
How to fix them
- Record your talk and watch it before and after training
- Cut the number of words on each slide to the bare minimum
- Mark three pause points where you breathe and reset your pace
- Pick three places in the room and move your gaze between them