Presenting
Do they remember what you said — or how you made them feel?
A great idea badly presented dies. A good idea well presented moves mountains. AI builds slides and scripts. Humans deliver presence — the energy that changes minds, the eye contact that builds trust, the pause that lets an idea land.
| Without Presenting Skill | With Presenting Skill |
|---|---|
| Read from slides | Own the room |
| Inform | Persuade |
| Audience drifts | Audience leans in |
| "Any questions?" | Standing ovation |
The Presenter's Tight Five
Establish yourself in five minutes:
| Element | What It Does | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Symbol | Visual anchor they remember | Logo, prop, gesture, image |
| Slogan | One sentence they repeat | "Move fast and break things" |
| Surprise | Pattern interrupt that earns attention | Unexpected stat, confession, silence |
| Salient idea | The one thing, if they forget everything else | "The bottleneck is trust, not technology" |
| Story | Emotional proof that the idea is real | Personal experience, customer story, origin story |
If you can't fill this table for your talk, you're not ready.
Opening Protocol
The first 60 seconds decide everything:
| Do | Don't |
|---|---|
| Start with a promise — what they'll gain | Start with your bio |
| Open with a question or provocative statement | Open with "Thank you for having me" |
| Establish relevance in the first sentence | Warm up for 2 minutes before getting to the point |
| Make eye contact before speaking | Look at slides before looking at people |
They're deciding in the first five minutes whether to listen or check their phone. Front-load the value.
Delivery Mechanics
| Technique | Why It Works | How to Practice |
|---|---|---|
| Pause | Silence after a key point gives it weight | Practice 3-second pauses. They feel longer than they are. |
| Cycle on subject | 20% of the audience is distracted at any moment | Repeat key ideas 2-3 times in different ways |
| Build a fence | Distinguish your idea from similar ones | "This is NOT..." prevents confusion |
| Rule of three | People remember groups of three | Structure in threes: 3 points, 3 examples, 3 words |
| Physical movement | Purposeful movement signals confidence | Move to a new position for each new section |
| Vocal range | Monotone kills attention | Speed up for energy, slow down for emphasis, lower pitch for authority |
Slide Discipline
| Rule | Why |
|---|---|
| One idea per slide | Competing ideas compete for attention |
| Minimal text | If they're reading, they're not listening to you |
| Images over bullet points | Visual processing is 60,000x faster than text |
| Final slide obviously final | No awkward "that's it, any questions?" |
| Cut slides in half | If you still have too many, cut again |
The slides are not the presentation. You are.
Q&A Protocol
- Ask questions during the talk — Not too obvious, not too hard. Allow 7 seconds of silence.
- Repeat the question — So everyone hears it, and to buy thinking time
- "I don't know" is powerful — Follow with "but here's how I'd find out"
- Bridge back — If the question is tangential, answer briefly, then return to your key point
Close Clean
End with clear words, not a fade. The last 30 seconds:
- Signal the ending — "So here's what I want you to remember..."
- Restate the salient idea — The one thing, repeated with force
- Call to action — What should they do next?
- Final sentence — Rehearsed, polished, delivered with conviction. Then stop.
The Shadow
Performance anxiety. Over-preparing slides as a security blanket. All style, no substance. Presenting for applause instead of action.
By Archetype
| Archetype | Presenting Style |
|---|---|
| Dreamer | Sells the vision — makes the future feel inevitable |
| Coach | Reads the room and adapts in real time |
| Realist | Data-driven, builds the case piece by piece |
Context
- Storytelling — The narrative within the presentation
- Selling — Presenting with commercial intent
- Confidence — The foundation of presence
- Pitch Decks — Tools for the job