We all know leaders who are technically brilliant—but hopeless in front of a crowd. One of our friends had a big pitch looming, and he knew he wasn’t ready. He’d been putting off proper training, and now the pressure was on. Unfortunately, this is not uncommon. We hope our skills will magically hold up under pressure, but presenting under pressure is a different beast entirely.

Leaders are the face of the company, whether they like it or not. Their words, presence and delivery become a public reflection of everything the organisation stands for. If we ramble, fumble, stumble or come across as unsure, people don’t just judge us—they judge the entire brand. It’s brutal, but it’s reality.

This is the age of visibility. Everyone’s a broadcaster. TikTok, YouTube, LinkedIn, Instagram—leaders are on camera more than ever. There’s nowhere to hide. Even at a PTA meeting or a casual talk, people are evaluating us. That throwaway moment might become their lasting impression of the business.

The problem? Many leaders still think good technical skills will carry them. That’s outdated thinking. You might be great at what you do, but if you can’t express it with authority, confidence, and clarity, people will underestimate your value—and your organisation’s reputation takes a hit.

We’ve seen it all. The confident speaker who’s “good enough” and never pushes further. The reluctant presenter who knows they’re exposed but delays training until it’s almost too late. Both are missing massive upside. Polished communication isn’t a nice-to-have anymore. It’s mission-critical in today’s hyper social media and presenting world.

Training gives you more than the skills. It gives you confidence, structure, message clarity, and the tools to show up consistently strong—regardless of the room or the moment. This isn’t about winging it. It’s about walking in knowing you’ll land it, every time.

So, stop gambling with your personal brand. Don’t rely on last-minute favours from a friend or your own delusional overconfidence. Get the training. Own the skill. It pays off every time you speak, pitch, or lead. This is what professionals do—and it’s available to every leader willing to get serious. Let’s get to work.

When we are on stage, the visuals can make or break us. People often ask us at Dale Carnegie: how much is too much when it comes to slides? Let’s keep it simple: your visuals should support you, not compete with you. We want the audience’s attention on us, not the screen. That means stripping it back. Paragraphs? No. Sentences? Preferably not. Bullet points, single words, or strong images work best. Say less, so you can talk more.

Follow the two-second rule. If your audience can’t “get it” in two seconds, it’s too complicated. Think clean, punchy and minimal. The six-by-six rule is a good anchor: no more than six lines per slide, and no more than six words per line. And fonts? Go big. Try 44-point for titles and 32-point for text. Then test it from the back of the room. If you can’t read it, no one else can either.

Use sans serif fonts like Arial—they’re easier to read than fancier serif fonts. Avoid shouting at your audience with all caps. Use bold, underline and italics sparingly. These are tools to emphasise—not to overwhelm.

When it comes to builds and animations, either reveal one idea at a time or present all the information at once. But be consistent. Don’t make your content jump around. Confusion is not a learning style.

Images are gold. A sharp, relevant photo can say what three slides can’t. Once your audience sees the point of the picture in two seconds, you can then talk to it. Use bar graphs for comparisons, line charts for change over time, and pie charts for parts of a whole—but keep it simple. Too many variables and even a pie chart becomes a mess.

Colours are the trap most presenters fall into. Black, blue, and green work well. Stay away from red, orange, and grey—especially red, which often disappears on screen. The contrast is everything.

Slide decks reveal the pro instantly. The polished know what works and why. The rest, the great unwashed? They give the game away before they even open their mouths. Let’s not be in that camp. Let’s keep it sharp, tight, and professional.

Let’s set the scene. You’ve built trust with the buyer, asked the right questions, and uncovered their real challenges. You’ve done the hard yards and earned the right to present a solution. This is the moment you’ve been working toward—and it’s also the moment many salespeople blow it.

We don’t open with the nitty gritty detail of the specs. That’s amateur hour. We start with our capability statement. We confirm that we have what they need and that we have the capacity to deliver. If we don’t, we say so. We walk away. Stop trying to force the square peg into the round hole. Instead, go find the right client.

If it is a fit, we go deeper. We don’t just dump product features—we link each key feature to a benefit. And then we take that benefit and apply it directly to the client’s business. We climb that value ladder. We paint the picture of how their business improves because of what we bring to the table.

Still, they are buyers, so they are sceptical. Fair enough. They’ve been burnt before. That’s why we present real evidence. Case studies. Outcomes. Social proof. We remove doubt with stories that land about other buyers just like them and how we helped them. We must bring in the stories. Sales without stories is forgettable. We tie in real examples, real people, and vivid detail. This isn’t just information—it’s transformation.

We don’t forget the trial close: “How does that sound so far?” It’s low pressure, but very high value. It doesn’t feel like we are “closing” them”. It surfaces the doubts and lets us resolve them before they become silent deal-killers.

Remember, our aim isn’t a one-off deal. It’s a trusted partnership. Reorders. Referrals. Long-term wins. That’s what the pros go after. They don’t spry, and pray and say goodbye. They craft, connect, and close.

Let’s not waste the chance we’ve earned to win the trust of the buyer to serve them forever. Let’s make that solution presentation sing. Make it count.