Are Your Presentation Skills still in Kindergarten? Find out here...

Remember that book title, All I Really Need To Know I Learned in Kindergarten? That about sums up what most people bother to learn about how to make a presentation. Consider how anxious you were on your very first day of school. It’s probably about the same feeling you got the first time you were asked to make an important presentation. Now consider how you felt in school a few weeks later, when you knew what to expect, and learned there was little to fear and much to be gained. That’s how someone who makes presentations regularly feels after awhile. The fear is diminished and you soon learn that the benefits of a well-done presentation far outweigh the potential risks.

Unfortunately, once that fear is gone (or at least manageable), most people think that’s all there is to it, that they have "arrived" in the realm of being a good presenter. In reality, that’s about the same as saying that kindergarten is the only schooling you need, because that was when you overcame your fear of school. Nonsense! How far do you think you’d get in life with only a kindergarten education?

Let’s break it down. There are three types of presenters. First, there are the reluctant presenters, those who are still so afraid of that first day in school that their fear overwhelms them, so they do everything possible to avoid it. Unless there is a truant officer or parent or boss waiting in the wings to force them to do it, reluctant presenters essentially close the door on themselves, cutting themselves off from their own future advancement. Reluctant presenters are, alas, the overwhelming majority of us.

Then there are the kindergarten presenters. These are the ones who have actually managed to overcome most of their fear of making a presentation, usually because they were forced to do it often enough that they learned how to control or even eliminate their fear. Most politicians, broadcasters, corporate executives, teachers, and even salespeople fall into this category. Having some control over their fears is the one and only benchmark of success for a kindergarten presenter, yet even those few who have achieved just that modest level of skill are often greatly rewarded.

The rarest, most elusive, and most celebrated communicator of all is the accomplished presenter. Accomplished presenters are those who learned early that overcoming their fear of presenting isn’t anywhere near enough knowledge to accomplish their goals. They learned to approach making a presentation as a highly specialized art form, yet one with specific, even measurable results. They understand that when the goal is to be a true leader, one must first become an accomplished presenter. Quite simply, the fastest and most satisfying route to become an admired and inspirational leader is to master the art of presentation.

Many accomplished presenters learn what they needed to know through years of attending the school of hard knocks, overcoming countless bits of bad and conflicting advice from well-meaning but under-informed sources. Even most college communications programs deal only with the kindergarten ABC’s of presentation, neglecting the D-Z elements so critical to leadership presentations.

Some accomplished presenters learn more quickly by taking the shortcut of hiring highly specialized experts in the field, such as presentational experts and speech coaches, which can be expensive, but the results can be much more rapid, and the potential for embarrassing mistakes dramatically diminished, particularly when the venue is widely publicized.

Once you know what you are looking for, you can recognize a truly accomplished presenter within moments of the beginning of his or her presentation. The first thing you will notice is how they make you feel during their opening remarks. When they are inclusive, inviting and make you nod your head in agreement, that’s your first sign of an accomplished speaker. If, as he or she continues, you find yourself being drawn in to the presenter’s story (as opposed to wondering "who cares"), you are on your way in a useful journey. If, at the end, you leave knowing exactly what you need to do next, for yourself and for your alliance with your presenter, then you have truly been in the presence of a master presenter, and quite probably, an inspirational leader whose legacy will be long remembered.

No great communication ever happened by accident, though. Let’s be clear; just like the great athlete or the great actor, the best ones always make it look easy. When you see a speaker who accomplishes everything mentioned above AND appears to just be having an impassioned conversation, leaving you with the impression that he or she was talking directly to you, regardless of the venue, then you are witnessing a truly legendary presenter. Take note, as they are few and far between these days.