When I was 8 years old I gave my first speech to an audience of 300+ schoolmates.

It was terrifying, and I’m pretty sure I rushed my way through it to get it over with.

So in the decades since I’ve done all sorts of things to become more confident as a presenter.

• Asked friends and colleagues to watch me speak and give feedback
• Taken courses in presentation skills and pubic speaking
• Watched TED Talks and tried to adopt their techniques

Each of these has helped me build confidence and skill and cultivate my own style.

But if I had to begin again, this is the guidance I wish I’d had when learning to present ideas in a clear, connected and engaging way…

1: Reimagine a presentation as a conversation you’re hosting

Even if our audience can’t literally speak back to us (such as when we’re speaking to hundreds of people), they relate to us and our topic differently when we make it feel like they’re part of the dialogue.

Plus, it can help reduce the anxiety of feeling alone and “on” under the bright lights. You’re not going solo – you’re hosting a conversation.

2: Prepare first by identifying the meaningful point for your audience

When we know what the meaningful point is — what we want our audience to think, feel and / or do because of what we’re sharing — then we can work backwards from there when preparing our content and style.

Doing this thinking before we create materials and talking points gives us a North Star to focus on. It frees us from being so worried about getting pulled off topic, getting stuck in the weeds, and losing the audience.

3: Activate your natural style

Do you really want to look, sound, think and move exactly like the person speaking before or after you?

That might feel flat and uninspiring for everyone in the room – especially if multiple clones are coming relentlessly one after the other…

Consider the qualities you actually enjoy sharing when you speak with people. Ask those close to you what they recognise and appreciate about your style of thinking and expressing. This can be a valuable mirror for others to hold up for us. From there we’re able to play with our natural range of qualities and help bring our content to life in a relatable, engaging way.

Whether you’re just beginning to present in your role, or have decades of experience as a presenter and speaker, these are pillars that we can keep coming back to. They help us connect with our audience in ways that can not only move hearts and minds, but influence them to take action.