In January 2022, I delivered a live event to an audience of three hundred people. Despite meticulous preparation and effort, the feedback I received afterward was a revelation. One comment stood out to me, pointing out my frequent use of "um" and "er,". The feedback was constructive. That moment stung—but it was true, and needed. It kicked-started my journey to changing the way I approach public speaking.
Andrea Pacini, a presentation coach and author of The Confident Presenter, became a large part of that journey for me. Andrea’s guidance not only helped me address my nervous habits but also rebuilt my confidence as a speaker, and gave me tools to succeed.
Now, I also teach people how to present, and run workshops helping hundreds of people transform their presentation skills.
Earlier this year, Andrea and I came together again to record a podcast, sharing our experiences, insights, and practical tips for improving presentation skills. The episode was packed with so much valuable advice that I decided to turn it into a concise, easy-to-reference guide. In this blog, I’ve broken down our conversation into sections designed to help you kickstart your journey to becoming a more confident and effective presenter:
- Confidence in Presenting
- Understanding your audience
- Overloading information
- Practical Tips to Improve Presentations
- Overcoming Stage Fright
- Rehearsal
- The Power of Storytelling
- Mastering the Fundamentals
The Power of Confidence in Presenting
Andrea begins our talk emphasizing the importance of confidence in the messages you want to communicate:
“You can have the greatest idea in the world, but if you can’t communicate it confidently, it doesn’t matter.”
And, that you can build this confidence by making sure that you have the right foundations; knowing your audience, knowing your message, and being prepared.
He states that confidence isn’t just about standing tall or speaking clearly. It’s about ensuring your audience connects with your message. Confidence allows you to pitch ideas, inspire change, and motivate action effectively. Some people think that you have to be born with the confidence for public speaking. But both Andrea and myself have seen and known differently. You can build your confidence easily through practice and preparation, attending workshops, and rehearsing. We’ve seen many presenters that struggle with confidence transform into self assured speakers.
Understanding your audience
One of the most important lessons Andrea and I teach is to always start with the audience. Andrea conveys this perfectly with a simple yet powerful reminder:
“When you give a presentation, it’s their presentation, not yours.”
We are both firm believers in knowing your audience as being the key to public speaking success. Understanding, analysing, and speaking for your audience can completely change the effectiveness of your presentation. When you design your presentation with your audience’s preferences and expectations in mind, you’re far more likely to capture their interest. Put yourself in their shoes—what kind of presentation do you want to attend?
Andrea shared a story with me that really demonstrated just how true this is:
‘Marie is an executive. She's an expert in leadership, and she was invited by an association in Finland to give a talk about leadership. And she was super excited. It was one of the first international speaking opportunities for her, and so she prepared really well. She knew her message. She told us that she had prepared 50 beautiful slides, and she practiced a lot. So she was ready to go. She arrived there on the day, half an hour before the audience arrived, because she wanted to make sure that she had time to set things up. And when she was about to connect her laptop to the screen, she realized that there was no screen.
She panicked. She went and asked the organizers, assuming that they would say, "Oh, sorry, Marie, we are going to fix this for you." But what they did instead was they started laughing. And so she says, "Why are you laughing?" And they say, "Look, Marie, you want to show 50 slides, but actually, you've been invited to give a talk to the association in Finland of blind people."
While extreme, this example that Andrea gave proves a critical point: knowing your audience needs to shape the way you design and deliver your message.
Overloading information
Another common pitfall in presentations that we discussed is the tendency for people to overload our audience with information. Text heavy slides, and information dense wording. It can feel like the easiest way to get all of your information across to your audience in one go. But if we look at the neuroscience behind how we learn, we know this method isn’t effective. Instead, we need to strip it all back to the core information, use techniques like storytelling to drive engagement, then build on the knowledge.
Andrea describes presenting as a transformative event rather than an information exchange:
“If all you want to do is share information, send an email or a report. Presentations are about transformation—changing what people know, think, feel, or do.”
To achieve this level of impact, try focusing on three key elements:
- Clarity: Simplify your message to make it memorable.
- Engagement: Incorporate moments of interaction to keep your audience’s attention.
- Inspiration: Motivate your audience to take action or see things differently.
Practical Tips to Improve Presentations
We recommend several actionable strategies to elevate your presenting skills:
- Design Interactions: Create opportunities for engagement every 10 minutes in person (or every 3–5 minutes online). This could include asking questions, facilitating group discussions, or conducting quick exercises.
- Flip the Hourglass: Andrea shares a brilliant analogy, comparing attention to sand flowing through an hourglass. He suggests that we should regularly ‘flip the hourglass’ to refresh and recapture the audience’s focus.
- Practice with Feedback: Seek constructive criticism and use it to refine your delivery.
- Prioritize Storytelling: People remember stories far better than raw data. Use anecdotes to make your message resonate.
Overcoming Stage Fright
One of the key challenges many presenters face is stage fright. I still get nervous and shaky before going on stage - but I’ve learnt how to handle and work with those nerves. These nerves before stepping up in front of an audience are real—no matter how experienced you are.
But have you ever wondered why that nervous energy kicks in so strongly? As we were discussing stage fright, Andrea shared a fascinating insight: our brains are hardwired to respond to perceived threats, a survival mechanism from our evolutionary past. For many of us, standing in front of an audience can feel like facing danger, even though we logically know a room full of people isn’t a real threat. Yet, our bodies still react as if it is.
So, what can we do about it? Here are a few practical tips Andrea and I practice and teach to manage stage fright:
- Stay Hydrated: Having water on hand can combat the dry mouth that often accompanies nerves.
- Breathing Exercises: Deep belly breathing (as opposed to shallow chest breathing) can calm your nerves.
- Physical Movement: A short walk before stepping onto the stage can help release pent-up energy.
- Engage Early: Adding moments of interaction with your audience early on can take the pressure off you.
Rehearsal
One relevant point to all this that Andrea really hammered down on when I started my journey, is that preparation is key. One valuable insight Andrea shared with me was the distinction between two types of presenters: those who need to meticulously prepare and those who thrive on improvisation. As an improviser myself, I initially thought I could just wing it. However, I’ve been shown and learnt that even as an improviser, rehearsal is crucial. Preparation doesn’t have to mean rigid scripting, but practicing key points and refining my delivery can make all the difference in making my message resonate effectively.
None of the tips in this guide will make a significant difference unless you prepare. Breaking your presentation into key segments like the introduction, transitions, and conclusion can make a huge difference.
One very important thing Andrea brought up is the importance to distinguish the difference between practicing and rehearsing:
‘There's a difference between practicing and rehearsing. Some people practice, and they think they are rehearsing, but they are actually practicing. And that means that maybe they open up their PowerPoint, they go through their slides, they think about what to say - “I'm going to talk about this. And here I'm going to ask this.” But that's a practice session, which is in a way useful, but it's not enough. You want to rehearse.’
Practicing can involve just reviewing your slides or thinking about what you want to say. Rehearsing, however, means running through your presentation from start to finish, just like you would on the actual stage. The more you rehearse, the more natural and confident you’ll feel.
The Power of Storytelling
Storytelling! I could talk about the effectiveness of storytelling all day. It’s such a powerful tool for connecting and engaging with your audience. The reason storytelling is so effective is simple: people remember stories far better than just facts or figures. A balanced presentation uses storytelling and information constructively to satisfy both hemispheres of the brain: storytelling to engage the audience emotionally, and facts and data for the logical side.
Focusing on facts while overlooking the emotional connection of storytelling misses a powerful tool for capturing your audience's attention and helping them retain the information.
Conclusion
Both Andrea and I agree that becoming a confident presenter is a continuous journey. Even seasoned professionals have room for growth. As Andrea says,
“There’s always more to learn. The goal isn’t perfection—it’s progress.”
Becoming a confident and effective presenter is a journey of growth and practice. Whether you're just starting out or looking to refine your skills, remember that every presentation is an opportunity to connect, inspire, and transform. By understanding your audience, simplifying your message, and harnessing the power of storytelling, you’ll not only improve your presentations but leave a lasting impact on your listeners.
If you want to listen to this podcast in full - follow the link to listen on your preferred platform: www.trimblegroup.io/podcast
Follow this link to listen on our website: https://www.trimblegroup.io/resources
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