Presenting is really easy. The top 5 skills necessary to speak in any forum are readily available and simple to explain, get these right and you can go to meetings or a stage and present reports, proposals, ideas, anything! Right?

I was confident I had these skills, so I went off to present my ideas and proposals and came back home just about crying. Last-minute nerves overwhelmed me, the amount of energy required to keep the audience engaged exhausted me, the questions they asked (if any) did not seem to relate to what I had said and my answers felt ridiculous. How could something so seemingly straightforward go so badly wrong? And I realised that speaking in meetings or to an audience has become a big part of my job!

I decided to work with a presentation skills coach and within a couple of sessions realised that I was missing some of the fundamental skills, the intrapersonal skills and other foundations that are necessary for effective, impactful speaking. Once I recognised this and started practising these skills, speaking and presenting was no longer something I could just do, it became something I felt good at doing and that left me energised and ready for more. And, another huge benefit was realised in that the audience became so much more receptive, engaging with me and my presentation!