HBR Women at Work Boxed Set (6 Books)

5

Look and Sound Confident During Any Presentation

by Carmine Gallo

You’ve crafted the message and created the slides. Now it’s time to wow the audience with your presentation. How you look and sound are going to make a big impression—and your audience will form opinions quickly.1

Research shows that people form impressions about a leader’s presentation competence in as little as half a minute.2 This means, within seconds, listeners will decide whether you are trustworthy, and they will do it based on your body language and vocal attributes. What you say and how you say it are equally important.

The good news is that there is plenty of hard evidence that explains how you can give the appearance of confidence and competence—even if you’re nervous ...