Present Beyond Measure

28Why Does Delivery Even Matter?

“People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”

—Maya Angelou

Remember that cautionary tale from the beginning of the book, about my colleague who struck out big time with our executives during a major media presentation? One of the reasons it was so painful to witness was not just from empathizing with my own challenging experiences, but because I knew just how talented and capable my colleague was at his job.

Unfortunately, this seemed lost on the people calling the shots on our projects and our careers. To them, he possibly appeared unprepared and unconfident in his material, and their discomfort was visible. I wish it had been the last time I'd observed something like that, but it wasn't.

Throughout these last two decades of delivering and attending presentations, I have watched some presenters successfully win the audience over with their confidence, poise, and attunement to their needs. And I've seen other presenters create wildly uncomfortable tension and discord when they arrive nervous, unprepared, and defensive to audience commentary.

Presentation delivery mastery will separate those who carve the career trajectory of their dreams and those who will remain on the hamster wheel of data squirreldom.

But what does delivery mastery entail exactly? There are many directions to pursue in public speaking, so I've worked to give you the simplest, most practical blueprint ...