It always amazes me when people work so hard on their careers, achieve success, but ignore the importance of public speaking skills. We have all sat through presentations that lost our attention, failed to effectively communicate the key message(s), or worse yet, had us feeling embarrassed for the presenter. What a waste.
Why does this problem exist?
Obviously, for each person the reason can be different; however, I believe there are three common reasons:
• People don’t like to speak publicly. It is hard to motivate yourself to work on something if you don’t like to do it.
• People have a false sense of their presentation skills. I have rarely seen someone provide unsolicited constructive criticism of another person’s presentation skills, especially, if they are a superior.
• People haven’t had formal presentation skills training since high school. I took calculus in high school. How much do you think I remember?
Why does it matter?
First, your ability to effectively communicate your thoughts and ideas has a direct impact on your perceived credibility. We all have seen this. Good presenters quickly establish credibility while poor presenters struggle to earn credibility.
Second, being a very good presenter can provide unique opportunities. I serve on the Leadership Twin Cities (LTC) Steering Committee. The LTC Steering Committee is always looking for experts in their fields to present to the LTC class. In evaluating potential speakers the question always arises, “Are they a good presenter?” If not, we do not ask them to speak. The number of opportunities to present for a very good presenter is endless. Organizations, seminars/conferences, and user groups are continuously looking for good speakers.
Possible solutions
As my boss says, “Don’t bring me problems, bring me solutions.” So here goes:
• Ask for feedback on your presentations skills from people you trust and respect. Accept the feedback graciously, not defensively, and work towards improving.
• Practice, practice, practice.
• There is an endless supply of training materials on improving your presentation skills. Study up.
• Accomplish all three by joining a local Toastmasters club. If you would like, I invite you to join me as a guest at the Toastmasters club I attend – Techmasters.
If you strive to be an effective leader, don’t forget to mind your Um’s and Ah’s. What are your thoughts on the role public speaking plays in leadership?
You are so right about the Calculus example!
Actually, it’s worse than you might suppose because actually getting *any* presentation skills training in school (let along *good* training!) is pretty rare (at least on this side of the Atlantic – I’m in the UK). If you’re not trained in it, you never even know it to forget it! 
Personally, I think I’d go a step further than you and say that it’s not just a good idea that might bring you extra opportunities… it’s an essential skill (yeah, okay, so I’m biased, obviously!). It’s not that without decent presentation skills you might miss out on something above and beyond your job, it’s that as a manager you simple can’t *do* your job without making presentations.
I’d echo your advice about getting feedback too – but don’t forget that asking your audience is a bit like asking people who’ve been watching a tennis match: they’re informed, but they aren’t pros. Some of their diagnosis and some of their ideas might be wrong…..
Cheers…. Simon
Jeff,
You make great points. In would only add that, regardless of your level of skill or experience as a presenter, there is no short-cut around preparation for any presentation. It is the presenter’s duty to make excellent use of the audience’s precious time and attention. It is always worth preparting to make the most of those moments. Every time I forget that, I regret it.