By James Hunt, Presentation Coach at Boost Presents.
Hands up if you’ve had to make a speech recently, a pitch or even introduce yourself at a networking event?
If even the thought of that makes you feel nervous and anxious, don’t worry – you are not alone!There are many things you can do to help reduce those nerves.
Strong presentation skills are not about performance in the theatrical sense. They are about communication — clearly conveying a message, telling a compelling story, and inspiring your audience to think, feel or act differently as a result.
Effective presentations depend not only on what you say, but how you say it.
What is effective communication?
When you present, your aim is simple: communicate a clear message that lands.
Information alone is rarely memorable. Stories, however, activate the brain in powerful ways. They help people visualise, connect emotionally, and retain what they’ve heard long after the slides disappear.
Clarity is key. A useful test for any message is:
- What? (What am I saying?)
- So what? (Why does it matter?)
- Now what? (What action should follow?)
When your presentation is clear, relevant and actionable, it has impact.
The Presenter’s Toolbox:
There are seven key elements—let’s call them the 7 P’s—that make a great speaker:
- Passion – Energy is contagious. If you care, your audience is more likely to care.
- Preparation – Confidence grows from rehearsal and clarity.
- Positivity – A constructive mindset shapes both tone and presence.
- Presence – How you carry yourself influences how your message is received.
- Pictures – Use strong visuals and vivid language to create mental images.
- Pace – Vary speed to maintain engagement.
- Pause – Silence gives your words weight and allows your audience to absorb key points.
Together, these elements strengthen clarity, engagement and delivery.
Common Presentation Pitfalls:
Even experienced professionals fall into habits that undermine their message. Common distractions include:
- Fidgeting or pacing
- Adjusting clothing or touching your face
- Speaking too quickly
- Repetitive filler words
A surprising statistic often cited in communication training is that only around 2% of presenters rehearse aloud. Reading through slides silently is not the same as practising delivery.
Rehearsing out loud helps refine language, manage timing and identify distracting habits before your audience does.
One of the most important things to remember is when you make a presentation, we want to see the real you. Don’t hide behind a PowerPoint presentation, engage with us and be AUTHENTIC. Too many people feel they have to be overly formal and as a result they lose their personality.
A good question to remember is “What can I bring to this that’s uniquely me?”
There’s a reason you’re there to speak. This is an opportunity for you to shine, to showcase yourself or your business, or to sell your product.
Speak with “Passion” and “Positivity” – remember, you’re there to engage your audience, to energise them – not to bore them into submission!
Always ask yourself, what do I want my audience to think, what do I want them to feel, and, most importantly, what do I want them to DO.
The Most Important “P”: Preparation
I could write for pages about the importance of this, but I’ll try to break it down into two key points. Prepare WHAT you’re going to say, and prepare HOW you’re going to say it.
I speak to some clients who say they’re quite happy to “just wing it” on stage when they make a speech or presentation. This sounds impressive, but is it realistic?
I would, of course, say no. Even the best speakers will spend hours honing their craft and honing their message. You need to embed it in you.
Every great talk has a clear structure:
- How are you going to start? – Find a strong opening hook that grabs attention
- What is the key objective?
- How are you going to wrap it up? – Craft a memorable closing statement that leaves a lasting impression
The only way you can guarantee making a strong impression is PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE.
When you stand on a stage, whether in front of colleagues in a boardroom, or hundreds in an audience, you need to “own” the room. When we speak of actors having a “presence” on stage or on screen, they are commanding the space. It means we listen to them and watch their every move. This doesn’t happen without rehearsal.
An actor on a stage will always have warmed up. They will know that their body and their voice is warm and ready for action. How many times have you stood up to make a speech and it’s the first time you’ve opened your mouth or said those words out loud?
Top tip – always try to find ten minutes before you present to look at the room, talk out loud, see what the challenges might be. And always, always, check the tech! See what could go wrong, because it often does…!
Less is More
One of the biggest presentation mistakes I see? Too much information. We often forget that less is more. So consider how you can strip away some of the technical detail without losing the key message? That goes for the slide deck too, strip away the overfilled slides, replace them with strong clear pictures. If you do have lots of detailed information to share, provide a handout.
“Nobody ever followed a spreadsheet into battle”
And when I said earlier about bringing passion and personality to the room – if you tell me a story, with a beginning, middle and an end with both of those things, I can guarantee you that you’re on the path to success.
Final thoughts:
There’s a great phrase that I love to use – “Be the Paramedic” – think how calm they are when dealing with emergencies. They always seem to remain calm under pressure, and their calmness makes us feel confident in them.
- The natural thing for any of us to do when we are nervous is SPEED UP. Take a moment to pause, use the silence to your advantage. When we pause we give our audience the chance to follow what we’ve just said, to take it in and to understand. If we’ve already moved on to the next point we will lose them.
Pace can also work the other way. If we’re too slow we might bore our audience into sleep. If we’re passionate about something we can show that with a change of pace, but use it wisely.
Pause. Breathe. And don’t forget to smile, if appropriate. We all respond well to a warm smile.
The opportunity to stand and speak is not something to fear — it is a chance to influence, inspire and be heard.
