You’re presenting more often than you think.
Updated: 6 days ago
Think of a presenter who absolutely blew you away.
What was it about them? How did they speak? How did they hold themselves? And, most importantly, how did they make you feel?
Now think of someone who had a genuine opportunity to influence you… and completely fluffed it.
Maybe they rushed. Read every word off their slides. Spoke so quietly you gave up trying to listen. Filled every second sentence with um, ah, like, you know. Or gave you so much information you walked away thinking:
“I have absolutely no idea what I’m supposed to do with that.”
Both people had an opportunity to influence.
One maximised it. One didn’t.
Recently, I had the privilege of presenting at the Facilitation Matters Festival, where I ran a session on Powerful Presenting.
One of the ideas we explored was this:
Presenting is simply an opportunity to share your thoughts, ideas or information in a meaningful way.
Or even more simply:
Presenting is any opportunity to influence.
Which means you’re presenting far more often than you realise.
A team meeting. An update to senior leaders. Recommending a course of action.
Pitching for a piece of work. Getting people on board with a change. Even when someone turns to you and asks, “What do you think?”
These are all moments that matter.
And you don’t need a stage, microphone or PowerPoint deck to make an impact.
You just need to recognise the opportunity - and decide how you want to show up.
Or, as Rihanna might say… it’s time to shine bright like a diamond.
Before you open your mouth…
Ask yourself:
Is this actually affecting me, the team, the work or the outcome?
If yes, there’s probably a conversation to have.
You don’t need to be someone’s manager to talk about behaviour that affects you.
But if it simply annoys you because they don’t do it the way you would?
Perhaps pop that feedback back in your pocket. Different isn’t wrong.
Five ways to maximise your opportunity to influence:
One of the tools I teach in Communicate Powerfully is SPEAK: five things to consciously practise when you want your message to land.
S - Steady PaceNerves speed us up. Slow down, breathe and pause. Give your words enough space to land.
P - Project Your VoiceYou don’t need to shout, but you do need to be heard. Send your voice to people rather than letting it disappear somewhere around your shoes.
E - Energy & EnthusiasmNo, I’m not suggesting you become a game-show host. Your energy should be authentic to you and appropriate for your audience - but it still needs to be there.
If you don’t sound interested, why should anyone else be?
A - Aware of Your Body LanguageBefore your words have really got going, your posture, expression and eye contact are already communicating.
What are people seeing before your words have had a chance to do their job?
K - Know Your WordsNot a memorised script. Your message.
Know what you want people to understand, remember or do - and say it simply.
And if filler words sneak in, try this tiny trick: open your mouth slightly wider when you speak. It encourages clearer articulation, naturally slows you down and makes it harder for those ums, ahs, likes and you knows to creep in.
Your May Challenge
Don’t wait for the “big presentation” to practise presenting.
Notice the smaller opportunities.
The next meeting. The next update. The next time you’re asked for your recommendation. The next “What do you think?”
Before you speak, ask yourself:
What’s my opportunity to influence here - and am I making the most of it?
Then SPEAK.
S - Steady pace P - Project your voice E - Energy and enthusiasm A - Aware of your body language K - Know your words
Because powerful presenting isn’t really about being brilliant on a stage.
It’s about recognising the moments when you have an opportunity to influence -and choosing to make them count.
Now go shine bright like a diamond.
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