How to Prepare for a Successful Presentation

One great presentation can do what multiple applications can't. Over the years, my presentations have earned awards, speaking invitations, and opportunities I never applied for. Most recently, at MAA MathFest 2024, someone from the audience approached me and said: "Your talk was so engaging. You made such a complex topic accessible." On the spot, he invited me to speak to high school students in Chicago. Full expenses paid + speaker fee. Here is the framework I use every single time... (You might want to save this.) 1. Know your audience before you make a single slide → Kids? Public? Policy makers? Academics? → Your job is to design your talk to suit them. → Picture one person in the audience, let's call them "Bola." 2. Map out the entire talk first → Write the takeaway from each slide in one sentence. → Connect each slide logically to the next. → Ask yourself: Will Bola digest this information? 3. Ditch the jargon → Would Bola understand this? → If not, go back to the drawing board. → Use simple, plain English. 4. Make it visual → One message per slide. Big font. Bullet points. → Use visuals or illustrations instead of text (if possible.)  → The moment your audience starts reading your slides, you've lost them. 5. Practice as you build each slide → After creating each slide, ask: What will I say here? → This reveals what to add, remove, or fix as you go. → Once done, practice the full presentation again. 6. Never read off your slides during delivery → Deliver like you're telling a story. → Everything on screen is just supporting visuals. → Know your slides inside out. Keep eye contact. 7. Use your body language intentionally → Don't stare at the ceiling, ground, or stand frozen. → Your movement and energy speak louder than words. → This automatically communicates confidence and authority. Great presentations aren’t about showing how smart you are. They’re about making your audience feel something... curiosity, clarity, and inspiration. That’s what makes you memorable. And that’s what opens doors. --- PS: What's ONE thing that's helped you improve your presentations? PPS: Want to see this framework in action? Link to the Chicago talk is in the comments. ♻️ REPOST if this was useful. Thanks!

Everyone says "engage your audience" when you're speaking on stage. But nobody really tells you how to own that stage and make it yours. As someone who used to shake before every presentation, I've learned a few things the hard way. Things that turned that fear into something I could actually use. Here it is. Save this for your next presentation 👇🏻 1/ Ride on Shared Narratives → Find common ground fast. People don't connect with perfection. They connect with "me too" moments. 👉🏻 I like to open with a story about struggling with something my audience faces too. 👉🏻 Like feeling invisible in a crowded room or doubting whether anyone's listening. 2/ Keep the Energy Up → Your energy sets the room's energy. If you're flat, they're flat. If you're alive, they lean in. 👉🏻 I move around the stage, vary my tone, and throw in pauses. 👉🏻 It keeps people awake and engaged, even in long sessions. 3/ Speak with Them Before You Speak to Them → A little interaction beforehand goes a long way. I used to hide backstage. Now I walk the room early. 👉🏻 Before I present, I chat with a few people in the audience, ask about their day, their challenges. 👉🏻 So when I'm on stage, I'm speaking to familiar faces. 4/ Don't Skimp on Preparation → Being prepared is your best defense against nerves. I used to wing it. I paid for it every time. 👉🏻 I rehearse my opening and closing until I can say them in my sleep. 👉🏻 It gives me confidence even when my mind goes blank mid-speech. 5/ Learn Their World, Speak Their Language → Tailor your message to resonate. Generic talks don't land. Personalized ones do. 👉🏻 When I speak to financial advisors versus tech founders, I adjust my examples and references to match their daily reality. 👉🏻 Never use a one-size-fits-all script. 6/ Use Your Stories → Personal stories make your message unforgettable. Facts inform. Stories transform. 👉🏻 Instead of listing my credentials, I share how a kid who got bullied and avoided stages now trains leaders across Asia. 👉🏻 Story sticks more than any resume. 7/ Mirror What You Want to See → Project the confidence you want your audience to feel. If you're uncertain, they'll be uncertain. If you're grounded, they'll trust you. 👉🏻 If I want my audience to feel calm and confident, I start by being calm and confident myself 👉🏻 Even if I'm nervous inside. I'm not a natural speaker. I'm someone who learned through repetition, failure, and intention. If you apply even one of these, you'll already be ahead of most people on stage. You don't need perfect English. You don't need years of experience. You just need presence, preparation, and a message that matters. So. what strategy helps you most before speaking on stage? Let's learn from each other 💬 💪 Follow me for personal brand and growth insights. #publicspeaking #professionalgrowth #coaching #careerdevelopment #financialadvisor

Executive Utterances — On Presenting The fastest way to lose a room is to start talking before you’ve said anything worth hearing. Whether you’re presenting to an audience of 1,000 or speaking to your own work group, the first words you choose determine whether your audience leans in or checks out. Over the years, I learned that fully scripted speeches kept me from connecting, reacting, and speaking with authenticity. What follows is the methodology I developed — a balance of structure, informality, and clarity that helped me become a more effective presenter. If there’s interest, I’m happy to expand on any of these in detail. For now, here are the principles that shaped my approach: * Grab from the Beginning Start with a powerful sentence or a question that sets an emotional stage the audience can’t turn away from. A recent example came from a presentation to law enforcement officers on child abduction: “At one of the most difficult moments in any parent’s life, they call you. You become their hope.” * Speak from the Inside Charles Dickens once wrote, “Make me see.” Facts and data are necessary, but they don’t move people on their own. Speak from inside the information — bring it to life, make it human, make it matter. Use slides or handouts for the heavier details but speak to the story behind those details. Americans love a story; give them one worth remembering. * Just Start When building your presentation, don’t obsess over the perfect beginning. Just start typing.Your first draft may look nothing like your final version — that’s a sign you’re refining your message, not a problem. * Read It Out Loud Read your notes out loud. Better yet, read them to someone you trust or have them read your notes back to you. You’ll hear clarity issues and pacing problems you won’t catch on a screen. * Block It Hand-draw two columns of blocks on a piece of paper: Column One: Break your presentation into sections, and label each with a few key words that will become your notes Column Two: Decide which supporting bullets, facts, or simple visuals that will become your slides or handouts and just note what will be in the slides. This creates flow and structure without forcing you into a script. Then start filling the blocks * Do Not Make the Slides Your Notes Slides support your presentation — they are not your presentation. Speak from your notes (large print, double-spaced), and let the slides reinforce what you’re saying. Never read from them; you can’t tell a meaningful story while narrating bullet points. A visual image such as a photograph, can be a great addition if it reinforces your opening theme or emotional hook. * Close Strong and Quick Tie your closing sentence directly back to your opening. Keep it short, powerful, and intentional — because once people sense you’re closing, their attention starts to drift. Start with something worth hearing, and you’ll keep the room until the very end.

🎤 "From stage fright to spotlight: How I went from bombing my first speech to coaching clients for their keynotes. My 3-week formula for presentation success..." As someone who has delivered countless presentations, I've developed a 3-week formula for conference success. Let me walk you through my process and share some insights I've gained along the way. 3️⃣ Weeks Out: • Outline key points - I identify 3-5 core messages I want the audience to remember • Create an inspiring mood board 🖼️ - This helps me visualize the presentation's tone and style. This also provides me with inspiration. 2️⃣ Weeks Out: • Craft presentation draft - I focus on creating a coherent narrative flow • I aim for 1 slide per 3 minutes of allocated time - This ensures I don't overwhelm the audience with information and also allows me to read the room if certain topics create more engagement • Weave in a compelling narrative arc - I use storytelling techniques to engage listeners. Villains, Heroes, Fairy Tale Endings! 1️⃣ Week Out: • Polish transitions - Smooth segues between topics to maintain audience attention and keep the presentation from feeling choppy • Perfect timing ⏱️ - I practice with a timer to ensure I respect the allotted time slot 2️⃣ Days Before: • Full run-through with notes 📝 - This helps identify any weak spots in the presentation and ensures I have notes for a fallback 1️⃣ Day Before: • Practice without notes - This builds confidence and improves natural delivery • Familiarize myself with the venue - Understanding the space helps me plan my stage presence ⏰ Day Of: • Don't overprepare the day of - you got this and last-minute changes can trip you up • Nail the first 30 seconds - A strong opening sets the tone for the entire talk • Smile and get comfortable on stage 😊 - Positive body language helps connect with the audience ✅ Pro Tips: 1. Use bullet points, not complete scripts. This keeps delivery natural and engaging. I've found memorizing word-for-word can lead to stilted delivery if I lose my place. 2. Be authentically you. Your unique perspective is your superpower on stage. Audiences respond to genuine speakers who share personal insights. 3. Incorporate audience interaction. I like to include a brief Q&A session or a quick poll by hand to keep listeners actively engaged. 4. Leverage the power of pause. Strategic silences can emphasize key points and give the audience time to absorb information. 5. Prepare for tech issues. I always assume the presentation won't work and I will just have to speak to it as a worst-case scenario. 6. Connect with other speakers. Networking at conferences can lead to valuable collaborations and future opportunities. Remember, public speaking is a skill that improves with practice. Each presentation is an opportunity to refine your technique and connect with your audience in meaningful ways. #PublicSpeaking #PresentationSkills #ConferenceTips #ProfessionalDevelopment #SpeakerPrep #StagePresence

19 years ago, I used to get incredibly nervous before speaking on stage. Racing heart. Tunnel vision. Dry mouth. Today, half of my job is being on stage. Here’s my 7-step pre-stage checklist for how I conquered stage fright: (Before you step on the stage) Step 1: Set One Clear Intention Nerves often come from scattered thoughts.  So anchor your mind with a single, positive goal: • For a pitch: “Get the buyer to sign and stay firm on numbers.” • For a presentation: “Connect with the audience and deliver value.” Avoid negatives like “don’t mess up.” Your brain clings to “mess up.” — Step 2: Pick a Focal Point Choose a random spot in the back of the room (or bring a grounding object, like a pen). Right before you begin, mentally send all your nervous energy there. It gives your brain somewhere to “put” the anxiety - and frees you up to focus. — Step 3: Breathe Mindfully Most people shallow-breathe when they’re nervous. This just worsens anxiety. Do this instead: • Close your eyes • Breathe in through your nose, out through your mouth • Push your belly out with each inhale (deep belly breathing) — Step 4: Release Muscle Tension Anxiety makes us clench everything - jaw, shoulders, stomach. This kills blood flow and increases anxiety. Instead, start at your head or toes and relax each muscle group with one breath: • Relax your face and eyes • Relax your jaw and neck • Loosen shoulders and chest • Relax arms and hands • Relax your stomach and abs • Continue down to your toes You’ll feel calmer and more grounded instantly. — Step 5: Find Your Center Before going on stage, shift your focus to a spot 2 inches below your belly button. This is your physical center - used by athletes and performers to stay grounded. As you breathe, imagine calm radiating from that point. During your talk, return to it anytime nerves creep in. It’s your internal anchor. — (While you’re on stage) Step 6: Repeat Your Process Cue This is your personal “how” mantra. • Interviewer: “Smile and ask great questions.” • Speaker: “Keep it warm and engaging.” • Performer: “Smooth and steady.” Keep repeating it silently throughout to stay focused and intentional. — Step 7: Direct Your Energy Feel the nerves rising? Don’t fight them - redirect them. Use your focal point from Step 2. Mentally “throw” your anxious energy toward it. It’s like dropping a heavy backpack: instant relief. __ Save this post and come back to it before your next big moment. Whether it's a presentation, interview, or performance, these steps will help you show up as your most confident, centered self.

Are you doing enough to prep for your high-stakes presentations? Many leaders underprepare. Presentations, like a keynote, product launch, or communicating change to your whole organization, need a LOT of prep time. For reference, I spent 35 hours rehearsing my TED Talk. Before you call me insane, I’m not suggesting you spend 35 hours rehearsing every presentation… But if you don’t rehearse, you can’t expect greatness either. The reality is, most people stop rehearsing way too early. They rehearse until they’ve memorized their talk (which you can reasonably do in 2-4 hours). But memorization isn’t the goal. The goal is to be able to present with conviction. When you present from memorization, you’re delivering information. You’re reciting lines and getting through your slides. And most likely, your audience will notice. But when you present with conviction, where you’re delivering it from your gut rather than your head, you have a much better chance of inspiring people. This is where the real work happens. For my TED Talk, it took me about 5 hours to deeply learn it, but 30 hours to rehearse until I could present it with conviction. I continued rehearsing until I could deliver it naturally, passionately, and within 18 minutes without thinking about what came next. And I ended up understanding my presentation so deeply that I could focus entirely on how I was connecting with my audience in that moment. That’s what presenting with conviction looks like. I’m not saying you need to spend 35 hours on every presentation. But my TED talk was high-stakes. So, for your highest-stakes moments, the ones that could change the trajectory of your career or your company… Keep rehearsing until you can present with conviction. That’s the difference between a presentation people sit through and one they actually act on. #StorytellingInBusiness #PresentationSkills #Leadership

Last year, I delivered the keynote speech for Oracle NetSuite's US Sales Kickoff. Regardless of the occasion, here are 13 things that help me present for impact (in no particular order): 1. Rehearse the first and last 3 mins of your presentation to ensure you make a great first and last impression. 2. Cut your talk time by 10% and craft your presentation accordingly so you can focus on 'less is more' and account for edge case scenarios. 3. Just before you hit the stage, listen to a song which evokes the exact emotion (within you) that you want to give to your audience. 4. Create a cocoon and ONLY consume things that GIVE you energy in the run-up to your talk - this includes people, food, content and your overall environment. 5. Wear items of clothing that intentionally influence the way you feel about yourself so you can transmit magnetic energy. 6. Ensure the FIRST story you share sparks emotion, humanises you and connects to your audience's BIG problem. 7. Create peace with the idea that you aren't for everybody and that a percentage of people will NEVER resonate with you. 8. You wouldn't teach a new runner how to run 3 marathons in 30 days, right? Similarly, your content should meet your audience with where they're at today. 9. Early on, teach people why and how they will receive an ROI on their time if they give you their undivided attention. 10. Everybody processes information differently. Ensure you present your core message using different vehicles to appeal to the visual, auditory and kinesthetic learners in your audience. 11. Shift your mindset from trying to give yourself significance, to making your audience feel significant. 12. Some people don't even know they have a problem to solve. Ensure you uncover the villain in your audience's story and have them acknowledge its existence before you try and "fix" anybody. 13. Practice and review your delivery like a world-class performer. Winging it is for unintentional amateurs. The list goes on... But hey, I want to hear from you! What would you add?👇

Getting the opportunity to present on big stages at conferences is easier if you have a plan. During a 1:1 with a leader on my team, she brought up that some team members want to present at large user conferences such as re:Invent and AWS Summits. However, those speaking slots are very hard to obtain and usually go to speakers with proven sessions—ones that have been presented multiple times and have solid ratings. I'm not only a public speaker but also serve as a Speaker Bar Raiser, coaching others on public speaking and presenting. I've delivered dozens of sessions at large events worldwide and learned valuable lessons about getting ideas onto big stages. (Spoiler alert: It isn't enough to submit an abstract and hope for the best) It seems like a Catch-22, but there is a process that can tilt the odds in the aspiring speaker's favor. Content - Ensure your content is new, unique, relevant, insightful, timely, and/or important to your target audience. Irrelevant content is a non-starter. Structure - Have a framework for presenting the content that makes it easy to follow and understand. There is a science behind using the "Rule of Three" in public speaking. Keep things simple and interesting. Repetition - Give your presentation as many times as possible. Ask to present at brown bag lunches, weekly team calls, stand-alone learning sessions, your local Toastmaster's club meetings—even to your family and friends. After each presentation, ask for feedback and explore other presentation opportunities. These "at-bats" will improve your speaking skills and provide valuable feedback to enhance your session. (Hint: when presenting to larger groups, ask them to complete a survey capturing CSAT data. You can use this later when submitting for the biggest stages) Refine - Use all feedback to improve your presentation and make it more impactful. Collect notes from audience members and look for ways to incorporate their suggestions. If a joke or anecdote doesn't land, try something else. If your closing statement falls flat, take a different approach. Continuous iteration leads to improvement. Marketing - Once you have a relevant topic that you can present in a structured format, refined and updated through multiple presentations, you'll still need to market it effectively to track owners. Share data about your presentation frequency, CSAT scores, and audience testimonials. Don't let rejection discourage you—keep going until you get a "Yes." Developing and following a plan like this will help increase your chances of getting on big stages, more often.

"I don't memorize my talks, most of what I say is not prepared." That statement usually shocks people when they hear how many sessions I've delivered. Here's the truth: The best speakers aren't reciting scripts, they're having elevated conversations.  Speaking is a superpower that will elevate your career with haste 🧙🏼♂️And after decades on stage, here's my exact preparation process: 1. Research & Story Mining • Deep research your topic until you could discuss it in your sleep • Find 3 compelling stories from your experience that illustrate key points • For longer talks (45-60 min), place stories strategically at beginning, middle, and end • Your personal experiences make complex ideas relatable and memorable 2. Structure for Natural Flow • Instead of memorizing, get comfortable enough to have a natural conversation • Keep sparse notes with key points - they're guideposts, not a script • Let your brain and mouth wander a bit - it keeps the delivery fresh • Each presentation should feel unique, not over-rehearsed 3. Know Your Audience • Research who you're speaking to - their background changes everything • When I present to tech teams, I can reference video games and pop culture • For CFOs and CPAs, I take a different approach to the same content • Match their energy and speak their language 4. Slide Strategy • Slides should accent your talk, not be your talk • Use visuals over text - give them something to look at while you speak • Each slide should trigger your next talking point • Never just read what's on screen (if you could email it instead, rework it) 5. Energy & Authenticity • Keep it loose and fun - if you're stiff, the audience gets stiff • Remember: They WANT to learn from you, it's not a congressional hearing • Your energy sets the tone - they'll mirror what you give them • Be comfortable with the topic, then focus on the connection 🔔Bonus: Why should you speak?  • It makes you better overall • At some point you'll have to present to a team, large or small.  • If you want to advance your career this is a critical skill.  • You'll learn how to communicate better with diverse groups. Remember:  Speaking isn't about perfection, it's about impact.  Your expertise is valuable, sharing it makes careers (yours and your audience's). ⤵️ When's your next public speaking session? 🔄 Share to help other crush their next speech 📲 Follow Wil Klusovsky for wisdom on business & leadership.

A lot of designers approach presentation interviews by opening Canva or Figma and immediately trying to design the “perfect” deck. And then they wonder why it takes forever, feels chaotic, or never quite clicks. The solution is simple. Design the story before designing the slides. A strong presentation doesn’t start with visuals — it starts with structure. Here’s the outline I recommend to my clients for sharing any project: 1️⃣ Context & Company What does the company do, and who are their users and customers? What product are we talking about? What was your role? Give people enough background to understand the world you were operating in. 2️⃣ Problem What wasn’t working well? Why did this matter to the business and users? 3️⃣ Constraints Technical limitations, competing priorities, data gaps, cross-team dependencies — all the things that made the work challenging. 4️⃣ Process & Exploration How and what did you learn? What options did you consider? How did research and discovery shape your decisions? 5️⃣ Key Decisions Highlight a few moments where your judgment showed — the trade-offs, the “why this over that” thinking that hiring managers really need to hear. 6️⃣ Solution Give a demo of what you built. Walk through the final designs and explain the reasoning behind what you shipped. 7️⃣ Impact What changed in the business because of this? Talk about usage, adoption, revenue, clarity, speed, or reduced friction. 8️⃣ Learnings What you’d repeat, what you’d do differently, and what surprised you. Once this story feels clear, then build your slides. You’ll move faster, feel more confident, and spend far less time reworking the deck. A few additional tips that help almost everyone: ✅ Practice out loud early. Clarity comes from hearing yourself talk through it, not from polishing slides. ✅ Keep slides simple and visual. High-level bullets paired with clean visuals are plenty — slides should support your voice, not compete with it. ✅ Be conversational. A good presentation feels like walking a colleague through your work, not giving a performance. ✅ Focus on outcomes. Even small improvements or qualitative wins matter. If you get the story right, the rest becomes much easier — and your presentation becomes far more clear and memorable. Hope this helps! Let me know in the comments. #productdesign #uxdesign #designportfolio #uxcareers #designinterview #designhiring #designjobs