Corporate Presentations: Common Mistakes and What You Should Know
Welcome to a brand-new month filled with fresh opportunities, growth, and new beginnings. I am excited to share Part 3 of our ongoing series, “From Silence to Significance – A Series on Public Speaking.”
Over the past two weeks, we have talked about why public speaking is such an important skill for every leader, no matter their role or background. This week, we are diving into something that separates the good speakers from the great ones:
Part 3: Practice, Practice, Practice!
Let me take you back to my childhood for a moment.
Personal Story
I loved the stage from the very beginning. As a child, I would climb onto the centerpiece table in our living room, grab a bottle opener, and perform every song I heard on the radio. That bottle opener was my microphone, and our living room was my concert hall. I sang with everything I had, completely unaware that my family probably wished I would just sit down and finish my dinner.
As I grew into my pre-teen years, my performances took a different form. I became a teacher. My students were my sister’s dolls and teddy bears, which I carefully arranged on our living room sofas. I taught them lessons with complete seriousness, pacing back and forth, explaining concepts, asking questions they could not answer. To me, it was all very real and very important.
Many people have told me that I am a natural-born speaker. I was never shy about standing in front of people and talking. In fact, my teachers often reprimanded me for talking too much in class! Public speaking felt as easy to me as breathing. It was something I simply did without much thought.
But here is where my story takes an unexpected turn.
When I entered the corporate world, I discovered something that shocked me. My natural ability, which had always been my strength, suddenly became a hurdle. I walked into formal presentations at team meetings with confidence, thinking my natural gift would carry me through. I chatted at office socials, believing that my ease with words was all I needed.
How wrong I was!
I realized that being comfortable on stage as a child singing into a bottle opener was very different from commanding respect and attention in a professional setting. Natural talent, I learned, was only the starting point. To truly move from silence to significance to become the kind of speaker who could inspire action and lead with authority, I had to do something I had never really done before.
I had to practice. And then practice some more. And then practice again.
How to Avoid the Mistakes I Made
First, identify your specific focus areas. Do not just tell yourself, “I need to get better at public speaking.” That is too general and will not help you improve. Instead, ask yourself: What exactly do I need to work on? Is it my pronunciation? Do I speak too quickly or too slowly? Is my pitch too high or too low? Do I struggle with volume, speaking too softly in large rooms? Am I boring because my voice lacks dynamism and energy?
Second, practice and conduct a self-critique. This is the most crucial step, and I cannot emphasize it enough. You must practice consistently, and you must use methods that allow you to see yourself as others see you. Record yourself. Use your phone, your computer, whatever you have available. Then comes the hard part: watch the recordings. Not just once, but multiple times.
I know this can be uncomfortable. Most of us do not enjoy watching or listening to ourselves. But this is where the real growth happens. As you watch, provide yourself with honest, constructive feedback. Notice where you lose energy, where you stumble over words, where you rush through important points, or where your body language does not match your message.
Third, seek external feedback. Even with the best self-critique, we all have blind spots, things we simply cannot see about ourselves. This is where external tools and people become invaluable. Consider using AI platforms that can analyze your speaking patterns. Or find a trusted reviewer, someone who will be honest with you and point out things you might miss. This external perspective can accelerate your improvement in ways that practicing alone never could.
Pro tip: I once found a video of Barack Obama speaking to students at the Cambridge Public Library in 1995. You know what? It was not great! His speaking style was rough. He had not yet developed the powerful, inspiring delivery that we all know today. This discovery was like a light turning on in my mind. Even Obama, one of the most admired speakers of our generation, had to practice to be good.
Every speaker you admire today practiced to become who they are. That means you can too.
Action Point
- Choose one area of your public speaking that you want to improve. It could be speaking more slowly, using better pauses, or projecting your voice with more confidence. Record yourself speaking for just two minutes on any topic you care about. Then watch that recording and write down three specific things you notice one thing you did well, and two things you can improve.
Remember, friend: the journey from silence to significance is not about being perfect. It is about being willing to practice, to learn, and to grow. You have something important to say, and the world needs to hear it. But first, you must prepare yourself to deliver it with excellence.
If this message has encouraged you today, I would be so grateful if you would share this newsletter with someone in your life who is working on their public speaking journey. Together, we can all move from silence to significance.
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Until next week, keep practicing and keep believing in the power of your voice.
Tom
