Have you ever wondered why some people seem to fast-track it to senior levels in business, even when there are other more experienced or expert candidates? Or have you noticed that when it comes to the best jobs, some people seem to have it all?

How come in meetings, a select few have the ability to say exactly what they mean with such confidence, clarity and influence, even when they are under pressure? How do they do that? Do they have some sort of magic or secret?

No doubt you've experienced the opposite, too. Have you ever sat in a business meeting — either online or in person — where it seemed the person talking was just raving on and on about nothing very interesting? Did it seem to you that they might as well have been saying ‘blah, blah, blah'? Did you wish you were somewhere else?

Or what about your own skills? Have you ever run a meeting where you could see the people in your audience glazing over or switching their cameras off as you were talking, making you feel frustrated or inadequate? And did you wish you were somewhere else then too?

The more successful executives and senior people I meet, the more I realise that, regardless of their intelligence and business acumen, these successful people know how to present their ideas in an influential, compelling way. They know how to showcase their professional expertise. They know how to structure their thoughts and connect with people, and they say what they want to say in a way that resonates with their audience. Whether presenting online or in person, they inspire and compel their audiences to take action!

As a presentation skills expert, I have had the opportunity to work with many thousands of people. My experiences have taught me that most people are completely unaware of the hundreds of little tips, techniques and secrets that can combine to create an exceptional influencer who achieves exciting results. I have observed that once people know what to do to influence their audience and actually do it, they automatically increase their success at work and at home.

I've witnessed people's self-esteem and confidence develop exponentially, as they achieve results they never thought possible in their conference or board presentations. I know many people who now close more deals and are more successful in job interviews.

And that's why I wrote this comprehensive book. My wish for you, whether you are already an effective presenter or not, and whether you mainly present online or in person, is that you read this book and use it often to guide and inspire yourself in order to achieve better results for you, your organisation and your audience.

Unlike other presentation skills books, this one is written with a step-by-step approach for businesspeople who are striving to present their ideas with confidence, clarity and influence. It is my life-changing, award-nominated, two-day Persuasive Presentation Skills Masterclass in a book. To decide which of the plethora of information to include for you, I have used the questions my clients have asked me over the years as we learned together in my mentoring or training sessions. To my knowledge, there is nothing like it on offer, where people in business are introduced to a simple, profoundly practical, step-by-step approach to standing up at work and presenting their ideas.

I approach presenting from a completely practical and readily applicable perspective, based on many decades of experience as a presentation skills trainer, mentor, speaker and author. I have a passion for seeing people perform better than they thought possible, and I'm so excited about this opportunity to share my expertise and experience with you. My intention is to simplify the skill of presenting and teach you what you need to do, one step at a time, so you can speak up and be awesome!

Success in business excites me. So many strong, competent businesspeople have so much to offer in the workplace. This book will not only open your eyes to the possibilities, it will also give you the tips, techniques and secrets to ensure it happens for you!

And invaluable techniques are in the following chapters. Why are they invaluable? Because they address all of the very common mistakes that presenters can make — and I outline my top 10 of these mistakes in the next section.

Top 10 business presentation mistakes

Here are the top 10 things that presenters make the mistake of not doing:

1. Realise that it's not about them and it is all about their audience: Most presenters are too focused on themselves.
2. Remember ‘I am in control': Many presenters don't realise they must be in complete control of themselves, their message and their environment if they are to maximise the likelihood of behaviour change in their audience.
3. Analyse their audience before writing the script: In fact, many presenters don't think at all about who will be in their audience and how that might change the way they should deliver their messages.
4. Rehearse: Sadly, most presenters run from one meeting to another, making very little time to even think through what they are going to say, let alone rehearse it out loud to check how it's going to sound.
5. Warm up: If you've ever tripped over your words, you will know how much it can fluster you and make you nervous. Tripping over your words also reduces your credibility.
6. Connect with their audience: They make PowerPoint their presentation and read it to their audience. ‘Death by PowerPoint' includes relying too heavily on information-packed slides that no-one can read, an approach that does not work.
7. Use their body to support their message: For example, they place their hands over their crotch in what is known as the fig leaf, crotch clutch or reluctant nudist posture — gestures that detract from the overall message.
8. Really look at their audience between slides: Audiences know when you are there for them rather than for yourself, and indirect or fake eye contact will result in a lack of connection and engagement with your audience.
9. Pause: They use filler words like ‘um', ‘ah, ‘and so' instead of pausing. These mannerisms can make you look uncomfortable and will detract from the power of your message.
10. Call their audience to action and close the presentation with strength: When a presenter fails to state their desired outcome, the audience will likely simply go back to work and change nothing.

Let's make sure this isn't you — the rest of this book is about showing you how!

How to get the best value from this book

I recommend you read through the chapters of this book and do the activities where possible. Then, when you have a more formal presentation coming up at work, whether online or in person, you can go through the steps one at a time, ensuring that your message is well crafted and that you maximise the likelihood of achieving your objectives.

Remember, it doesn't matter how good your message is if no-one is listening. And it doesn't matter how intelligent, creative or hard working you are if no-one is listening. So let's make sure your audience listens to you when you speak!