Presentation Skills Development

𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐝𝐨 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐟𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫, 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐨𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐧, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐝𝐞𝐞𝐩𝐥𝐲? Of all the topics people ask me about, executive presence is near the top of the list. The challenge with executive presence is that it’s hard to define. It’s not a checklist you can tick off. It’s more like taste or intuition. Some people develop it early. Others build it over time. More often, it’s a lack of context, coaching, or exposure to what “good” looks like. Here’s what I’ve learned over the years, both from getting it wrong and from watching others get it right. 1. 𝐋𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐦𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐚𝐠𝐞 People early in their careers often feel the need to prove they know the details. But executive presence isn’t about detail. It’s about clarity. If your message would sound the same to a peer, your manager, and your CEO, you’re not tailoring it enough. Meet your audience where they are. 2. 𝐔𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 Executives care about outcomes, strategy, and alignment. One of my teammates once struggled with this. Brilliant at the work, but too deep in the weeds to communicate its impact. With coaching, she learned to reframe her updates, and her influence grew exponentially. 3. 𝐔𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐮𝐛𝐭𝐞𝐱𝐭 Every meeting has an undercurrent: past dynamics, relationships, history. Navigating this well often requires a trusted guide who can explain what’s going on behind the scenes. 4. 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐯𝐢𝐝𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐱𝐭 Just because something is your entire world doesn’t mean others know about it. I’ve had conversations where I assumed someone knew what I was talking about, but they didn't. Context is a gift. Give it freely. 5. 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐬𝐨𝐥𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 Early in my career, I brought problems to my manager. Now, I appreciate the people who bring potential paths forward. It’s not about having the perfect solution. It’s about showing you’re engaged in solving the problem. 6. 𝐊𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 Every leader is solving a different set of problems. Step into their shoes. Show how your work connects to what’s top of mind for them. This is how you build alignment and earn trust. 7. 𝐁𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 Years ago, a founder cold emailed me. We didn’t know each other, but we were both Duke alums. That one point of connection turned a cold outreach into a real conversation. 8. 𝐃𝐫𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐜𝐥𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐝𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 Before you walk into a meeting, ask yourself what outcome you’re trying to drive. Wandering conversations erode credibility. Precision matters. So does preparation. 𝐅𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭 Executive presence isn’t about dominating a room or having all the answers. It’s about clarity, connection, and conviction. And like any muscle, it gets stronger with intentional practice.

Most presentations don't fail because of bad slides. They fail because no one feels a connection. They look like lectures. While the best presentations feel like stories. And stories aren’t just entertaining. They’re how humans connect, trust, and remember. Here’s how to make your next presentation unforgettable: 1️⃣ Introduce the Villain ↠ Start with the problem you’re solving ↠ Be specific—what pain points does your audience face? ↠ When they feel the problem, they’ll lean in 2️⃣ Position Your Solution as the Hero ↠ Show how your solution saves the day ↠ Make it aspirational, not just functional ↠ Think: “This could change everything for you.” 3️⃣ Add Personal Touches ↠ Share your “aha” moment: how did you solve this? ↠ Vulnerability creates trust ↠ Your story becomes theirs 4️⃣ Use the Power of Three ↠ People love patterns ↠ Give them three parts: ↠ The challenge, the breakthrough, the transformation 5️⃣ Create a Visual Journey ↠ Your slides should feel like a movie, not a spreadsheet ↠ Bold visuals + concise words = memorable ↠ The simpler, the better 6️⃣ End With a Mic Drop ↠ Leave them with ONE unforgettable message ↠ Tie it back to their pain—and what they can do next ↠ A powerful ending moves people to act 7️⃣ Rehearse Until It Feels Natural ↠ Practice your story—not your slides ↠ Your authenticity is your superpower ↠ The more natural you feel, the more they’ll believe you Great presentations don’t just share information. They spark emotion. Build trust. Inspire action. What strategy resonates most with you? ♻️ Share this to inspire someone to tell their best story and follow Andrea Petrone for more. ---------------- 📌 Want more? Grab your FREE template to create presentations that captivate every audience: https://lnkd.in/evgSDXEX

I've built a lot of slides in 9 yrs at Google. Here are 9 practical tips I've learned: 1/ 𝗔𝗹𝘄𝗮𝘆𝘀 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆𝗯𝗼𝗮𝗿𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴. Write your headlines first. Figure out your "flow." Don't flesh out your slides until you've nailed the storyline. This will save you hours of wasted effort later on. 2/ 𝗟𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗶𝘀 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲. Most people have way too many slides. Cut it down. The less flicking around you need to do, the more attention you'll get, and the sharper your message will be. 3/ 𝗪𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗮 "𝘀𝗼 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁" 𝗶𝗻 𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗱. Most content is written with no bias towards action. They get presented — and then forgotten — since there's no implied next steps. Do the opposite. Think hard about your calls-to-action and articulate it well. 4/ 𝗗𝗼𝗻'𝘁 𝘄𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗲 𝗰𝗵𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗴𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆. Writing chronologically means you're burying the lead. You'll lose your audience quickly. Always lead with the conclusion instead. 5/ 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗲𝘅𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘇𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗮𝗽𝗼𝗶𝗻𝘁𝘀. Don't simply throw big numbers onto a slide and hope it'll impress. It won't work. Instead, help your audience out by thoughtfully benchmarking or indexing. 6/ 𝗗𝗲𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗶𝘁𝘆. Slides make it easy to get away with lazy thinking. So you often end up with colorful boxes with generic buzzwords, or bullet points with incomplete thoughts. Avoid this trap. Challenge yourself to articulate complete thoughts while still achieving brevity. 7/ 𝗨𝘀𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 "𝗱𝘂𝗵" 𝘁𝗲𝘀𝘁, 𝗿𝘂𝘁𝗵𝗹𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗹𝘆. Ask yourself if anyone would read what you wrote and go either "duh!" or "no sh*t!" If so, you're wasting people's time. Sharpen it until there's actual insight. 8/ 𝗕𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗰 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹 𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗲. Your use of space always tells a story. Don't give disproportionate real estate to unimportant content. And vice versa. Otherwise you'll undermine yourself. 9/ 𝗦𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱 "𝗱𝘂𝗺𝗯" 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗺𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀. Avoid littering your slides with corp-speak. Be straightforward whenever possible. Of course, this doesn't give you the right to ignore numbers or engage in generic platitudes. It just means that you find the simplest way to anchor your audience. Then you can back it up with detail. __ 𝗣.𝗦. Looking to nerd out a bit more? Grab the 50-page playbook I built for free: 🎯 hernglee.gumroad.com It's what I wish someone gave me at the start of my career. So I built it! __ 👋 Hi! I'm Herng, and I write about my learnings as a strategy manager at Google. Follow for more tips! ♻️ Reshare this post if it can help others!

You can be brilliant. But if no one listens when you speak, it won’t matter. Every time you talk – you're being evaluated. In meetings. On calls. Even quick chats. People make snap judgments. Clear? Confident? Worth listening to? If not, they tune out. And when they tune out, so does your influence. Here’s how to speak so people actually listen: 1. Be concise ↳ Say less, make it count 🚫 “I just wanted to quickly touch on a few things…” ✅ “There are two things we need to fix today” 2. Speak slowly ↳ Slow is confident, fast is anxious 🚫 Rushing to get it all out ✅ Taking your time to be clear 3. Make eye contact ↳ Show presence, not pressure 🚫 Staring at your notes or screen ✅ Look at them when you say the key part 4. End with certainty ↳ Finish strong so people remember 🚫 “That’s kind of what I was thinking, I guess” ✅ “This is the right move. Let’s do it.” 5. Eliminate filler words ↳ Drop the “just”, “like”, and “kind of” 🚫 “I just feel like we kind of need to...” ✅ “We need to change how this works” 6. Pause after key points ↳ Give your words time to land 🚫 Talk nonstop with no room to think ✅ Say it. Pause. Let them absorb it. 7. Speak in plain language ↳ Drop the jargon, keep it human 🚫 “We should ideate on potential synergies” ✅ “Let’s figure out how to work better together” 8. Structure your thoughts ↳ Say things in a way people can follow 🚫 “We’re behind, and also the process changed, and…” ✅ “Here’s the issue. What caused it. And the fix.” 9. Start with your main point ↳ Say it first, don’t build up to it 🚫 “Let me give some background first…” ✅ “We're behind target. Here's the fix.” 10. Lower your voice for emphasis ↳ Quiet and low gets more attention than loud 🚫 Ending every sentence on a high note ✅ Dropping your tone when it matters 11. Use authoritative body language ↳ How you stand says as much as what you say 🚫 Slouching, shifting, closed arms ✅ Upright, still, open stance 12. Make it relevant to them, not just you ↳ Speak to what they care about 🚫 “I think this is a good idea” ✅ “This helps your team hit the target faster” Every word you say builds or breaks your credibility. Speak with intention, and others will take you seriously. What else would you add? Let me know in the comments. ♻️ Repost to help others speak with confidence 👉 Follow Lauren Murrell for more like this

We’ve coached thousands of speakers on building confidence. Most of them weren’t missing natural-born ability or charisma. But they were missing a clear understanding of their unique perspective. Confidence isn’t about knowing you’ll perform perfectly in a presentation. It’s about knowing you have something valuable to offer before you ever say a word. So my experts started asking our clients 4 simple questions: 1. How do you see this situation differently? Different from your peers. Your managers. Your customers. You don’t have to be loud, but you do have to know what angle is uniquely yours. 2. What experience do you have that no one else has? No one else grew up exactly like you, worked the jobs you did, or made the mistakes you’ve made. Your path matters. 3. What’s your expertise? Yes, you have some. If you’ve been invited to a meeting to share or someone asked you to speak on a stage, it wasn’t random. There’s a reason. Find it. Name it. Own it. 4. What part of your personality shows up when you’re at your best? Are you warm? Funny? Analytical? Direct? Good. Bring that. Don’t leave your personality at the door. It’s part of your power. Most people have enough confidence buried somewhere deep inside them. Crystallizing your perspective is what helps bring it out. #PresentationSkills #ExecutivePresence #ImposterSyndrome #PublicSpeaking

No amount of good material can recover a room you've already lost. I learned this the hard way. My first time on stage, I knew everything I was going to say. And I still lost the room. People were physically there. But I'd lost them in the first 60 seconds. Because I didn't have the skillset to hold a room. I've spent years fixing that. Here are the 10 techniques I use every time I present, so you don't have to feel like I did: 1️⃣ The Opening Silence ↳ Don't speak the moment you hit the stage. ↳ Pause for 3 seconds. People are interested before you've said a word. Action: Let silence do the work first. 2️⃣ The Slow Down Reset ↳ Nerves speed you up, but a slower pace shows confidence. ↳ Most people sound twice as fast as they think they do. Action: Record yourself. If you sound rushed, cut your pace by 30%. 3️⃣ The One Anchor Point ↳ Constant movement reads as anxiety. ↳ Pick 1 spot on the stage and make it your home base. Action: Plant your feet before you say your most important line. 4️⃣ The Expertise Trap ↳ Knowing too much is its own problem. ↳ The more you try to say, the less people listen. Action: Write your presentation around 1 core idea. 5️⃣ The Eye Lock ↳ Hold eye contact with 1 person for a full thought, then move on to the next. ↳ When you talk to everyone, you reach no one. Action: Pick 3 to 5 faces before you start and rotate between them. 6️⃣ The Before and After ↳ Strong points need context. ↳ Use this structure: "Here's what I believed, and here's what changed it." Action: For every insight you share, give a story. 7️⃣ The Breath Reset ↳ Taking a breath before making a point shows you're in control. ↳ Most people rush straight through their best lines. Action: Build 3 intentional pauses into your talk. 8️⃣ The Honest Admission ↳ Say the thing the audience is already thinking, but nobody's saying. ↳ It's the fastest way to earn a room. Action: Find the 1 uncomfortable truth in your topic. Say it early. 9️⃣ The Callback ↳ Reference something from earlier in your talk. ↳ It shows structure and intention. Action: Plant a key detail in your opening that you can close with at the end. 🔟 The Single Sentence Close ↳ End with 1 line you want someone to repeat at dinner. ↳ It needs to be a strong statement. Action: Write your closing line first and build everything toward it. Public speaking is one of the highest-leverage skills you can build. It works on stage, in a pitch,  And in a first meeting with someone who can change your career. Most people never build it, even though it could change their lives. The room doesn't owe you attention. You have to earn it. How do you deal with public speaking? If you want to go deeper on communication and relationship leverage,  I cover it every week in Network to Net Worth: https://lnkd.in/gFp5bEbt ♻️ Repost this for someone who's talented but can't hold a room yet. Follow me, Rohan Sheth, for more on building a reputation that opens doors.

Great Board conversations don’t sell—they stretch your thinking. Having spent time both as a member of the management team working with the Boards and as a Board member myself, I’ve seen a few common pitfalls that even seasoned leaders fall into. Here are three that stand out: 1. Trying too hard to “sell” the strategy. Your job with the Board isn’t to pitch—it’s to inform. The goal is to create a regular rhythm of updates around the business, strategy, and execution. One of the fastest ways to lose credibility is to act like everything’s perfect. Every company—no matter how successful—has real challenges. Board members know this. Being candid about those challenges doesn’t make you look weak. It makes you trustworthy. Transparency matters. Your numbers already tell part of the truth. Bring the rest. 2. Keeping the strategic aperture too narrow. Executives often focus on operational detail and forget that Boards can be most helpful in widening the lens. Leverage their distance from the day-to-day as a feature, not a flaw. I cringe when I hear, “I need to dumb it down for the Board.” In reality, the best Boards raise the level of strategic thinking. Bring them into big questions: “What does our industry look like in five years? Where should we be positioned?” Boards are at their best when they help you challenge your assumptions and stretch your thinking. 3. Not asking for guidance. Some of the best advice I’ve ever received in my career has come from Board members. Don’t just report—ask. Tap into their experience. Invite their perspective. The Board appreciates humility, especially when you say, “I haven’t figured this out yet—I don’t have the answer. But what are the strategic issues you would consider if you were in my shoes?” Because here’s the truth: The smartest executives don’t try to impress the Board—they learn from it. And here are 3 things I’ve learned to always get from a great Board conversation: 1. Start with the commercial “why.” Boards aren’t there for a product roadmap walkthrough—they want to understand business impact. Always lead with the commercial dimension. Why does this matter for revenue, margin, competitive advantage, or long-term growth? When you start there, everything else has context. Your Board isn’t a stage—it’s your secret weapon. 2. Define what good looks like. One of the most helpful things you can do is to show what “great” would look like—clearly and with metrics. It gives the Board a benchmark to assess against, and it keeps the conversation focused on outcomes, not just activity. 3. Ask what you’re not seeing. The question I’ve found most consistently valuable: “What do you think we’re not thinking about as a management team?” You’ll be amazed at the insight that comes back. This invites perspective without defensiveness—and you’ll often uncover blind spots or strategic angles that weren’t even on your radar. Because Boards aren’t there to be dazzled—they’re there to help you see what you can’t.

Early in my career as a CFO, I opened a 60-slide board deck to present in our quarterly meeting. By slide 4, the Chair stopped me and asked, “Cameron, what do you want from us?” That question stung and it changed how I run boards forever. 💡 Board meetings aren’t report-outs. They’re decision forums. It’s not about reciting metrics or proving effort. It’s about getting clarity on what moves next. 🎯 Here’s the 3-step formula I now follow to make that happen: 1) Start with the ask. Before you open your deck, be clear on what you need from the board. A decision? A green light? A perspective? If you can’t summarize your ask in one sentence, you’re not ready to present. 2) Simplify the narrative. Most CFOs think the board wants everything. They don’t. They want the why and the so what. Cut the noise, connect the dots, and frame every slide around what truly matters to the business. 3) Tie every metric to a story. Don’t stop at “what happened.” Explain “why it matters” and “what we’ll do next.” Every metric should lead somewhere, otherwise, it’s trivia. Once I reframed meetings around action, everything changed. Our discussions became faster, decisions clearer, and execution sharper. ⚡ That shift also supercharged trust. The board began seeing finance not as a function but as a strategic partner that keeps the business moving forward. If you’re a CFO still measuring success by how much you present → flip it. Measure it by how clearly the board moves after you’re done. P.S. I advise CFOs and VPs of Finance on building decision clarity, tighter narratives, and leadership rhythms that move the business forward. Reach out if you want to strengthen how your team shows up in the boardroom.

Think about the last presentation you sat through. Do you remember anything from it? Probably not. Most presentations fail because they are: ❌ Overloaded with bullet points ❌ Devoid of emotion ❌ Data dumps with no clear story The good news? You can make your presentation unforgettable with these 7 simple shifts: 1. Start with a Hook, Not an Intro Most presenters begin with "I'm excited to be here today..." and lose the audience immediately. Fix: Grab attention from the start. Example: “Your company is losing $10M a year—and you don’t even know why.” 2. Tell a Story, Not Just Data People remember stories, not statistics. Instead of listing facts, wrap them in a compelling narrative. Fix: Use the “Problem → Struggle → Solution” technique. Example: "Before using our system, Sarah’s team spent 3 hours a day on reports. She tried different tools, but nothing worked—until she found our solution. Now? Just 15 minutes a day." 3. Use Contrast & Surprise The brain is wired for novelty. If your presentation sounds predictable, people will tune out. Fix: Vary your tone, pace, and visuals. Drop in an unexpected question, statistic, or pause to keep them engaged. 4. Say Less, Mean More Too much information overloads the audience. They’ll remember nothing. Fix: Cut the fluff. Stick to one core message per slide, per section, per speech. 5. Make It Visual Bullet points don’t inspire. Images and metaphors do. Fix: Instead of saying “Our product is faster,” show a race car next to a bicycle. 6. End with a Bang, Not a Fizzle Most presentations end with “Thank you” and no real impact. Fix: Leave them with one key idea and a clear next step. Example: “If you only take away one thing today, let it be this…” 7. Master the Pause Most speakers talk too fast and leave no room for ideas to sink in. Fix: Silence is power. Pause after key points to let them land. 💡 A great presentation isn’t about information—it’s about transformation. Make your next one impossible to forget. What’s the most memorable presentation you’ve ever seen? Drop a comment below! ⬇

12 Executive Presence Rules to Command Any Room The hidden body language cues the top 1% swear by According to HBR, leaders are judged in milliseconds. Not just by what they say, But by everything their bodies reveal. And when the body says “uncertain,” The room judges them “unfit.” Here are 12 body language shifts that instantly signal executive presence: 1. Use soft, steady eye contact ↳ Build trust by holding eye contact for 3 seconds ↳ Glance away briefly to avoid intensity 2. Use a genuine smile ↳ Let your eyes crinkle to show warmth ↳ Avoid polite or forced grins. They feel fake 3. Relax your jaw ↳ Tension in the jaw signals stress ↳ Gently open and close your mouth 4. Roll your shoulders back ↳ Upright posture makes you look open and assured ↳ Do a quick reset before entering the room 5. Avoid shrugging your shoulders when speaking ↳ Shrugs unconsciously signal doubt ↳ Use steady, intentional gestures 6. Keep your chest open, not puffed ↳ Openness shows confidence without aggression ↳ Relax shoulders, lift gently through the chest 7. Stand symmetrically to show stability ↳ Slouching or leaning looks unsure ↳ Distribute your weight evenly 8. Smooth your forehead to show calmness ↳ A tense forehead broadcasts inner stress ↳ Relax the space between your brows 9. Let your brows move naturally ↳ Slight movement shows your engagement ↳ Frozen brows look robotic and disengaged 10. Face your palms upward when speaking ↳ Upward-facing palms invite trust ↳ Signal openness, especially in key moments 11. Don’t clasp hands low or tuck elbows ↳ This posture looks nervous or defensive ↳ Keep hands visible and relaxed 12. Use gestures that match your message ↳ Align hand movement with key ideas ↳ Don’t overuse. Less is more Executive presence isn't just seen. It's felt. Which shift will you bring into the room this week? ♻️ Repost this blueprint to empower your network. ➕ Follow me (Meera Remani) for insights and tools to lead with presence. 🔔 Get leadership upgrades delivered straight to your inbox. Subscribe to my newsletter below.