File this one under the most common advice that never seems to go away.  In no surprise to anyone, employers still dream of a workforce with high-quality and impactful communication and public speaking skills. 

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These types of articles pop up several times a year.  Essentially each time employers are asked what they wish their employees did better, communications is typically always top.

Why aren’t we moving the needle on these essential skills?

Basically, the answer is clear.  We don’t get better at communicating and presenting our ideas because we don’t know how to do it.  

We need more tools.  We need more support.  We need an expert to guide our growth and development.

But few of us make this critical investment in ourselves.  And few employers invest in meaningful support to expand their employees’ communication skills.

Now, you may be thinking, surely they’re just talking about other people when they demand better public speaking and communication skills.

And if you’re like a lot of mid-career professionals, you may even be a little annoyed articles like this keep popping up. Is this really the most pressing issue in the workplace today?

Yes, it certanly is.  And yes, you could give better presentations.

Here’s what’s been holding you back.

You don’t design with your audience in mind.

You won’t be successful as a speaker or presenter if you don’t design with your actual audience in mind.  What are they interested in? What are they worried about?  What causes them stress and anxiety?  What do they need?  These are the types questions that should dominate your presentation preparation process.

Not, what can I tell them.  Not, what do I know.  Not, what should they know.

Unpacking this idea and integrating it throughout your presentation will shift your impact from limited to lingering. 

You hold yourself back.

To excel as a presenter, you’ll have to leave behind awkward feelings, uncertainty, and dislike of public speaking.

So much of what I do with speakers I support is to show them they can be successful.  They can feel great while giving a presentation.  They can rely on themselves to deliver.

If you’re like most, mindset is a struggle when it comes to presentations.  It leads people to procrastinate, which leads to sub-par speaking outcomes.  It leads people to doubt themselves and fail to showcase their ideas and talents as they could.  It leads to a lot of presentations that the audience quickly forgets.

If you’d like to reframe your thinking about public speaking and your abilities, reach out.  I’d love to learn more about how to support your growth as a speaker. 

You don’t prepare enough.

You may find you’re constantly throwing together slides just hours before your presentation is scheduled.  You may believe that simply reading slides at your desk is enough to get you ready to share your presentation.

It’s not.  If there is one thing I have learned through my career it is this: You have to prepare as you’ll give the presentation.

Start early, rehearse many times.  Each time you give your presentation, even if only to your pets at home, it gets better.  You get stronger.  More confident.  More efficient.  More impactful.

If there is one piece of advice I give to everyone preparing for a presentation it is this: Rehearsal is the key to success. 

You don’t get actional feedback.

Feedback, really good feedback that actually helps shape what you do is vital to improving as a speaker.  Unfortunately, most people rarely get it.  The is due to two reasons.  One, we don’t ask for it and Two, people feel so uncomfortable about public speaking themselves they just try to avoid hurting anyone’s feelings in their feedback.

This benefits no one.

Instead, you should seek meaningful feedback from trusted advisors.  I’ve worked with clients on a short term, supporting a single presentation.  I’ve also worked with clients over several years, helping them shape and build their skills over multiple opportunities to present to various audiences.

Find someone you trust who gives you thoughtful and straight-forward feedback.  Work with a qualified public speaking coach.

If coordinating that support isn’t possible due to time or some other constraint, as a last resort, record yourself rehearsing and evaluate yourself, objectively.

As [Industry Expert] wrote, [insert their quote with a link to the blog post]. 

And Forbes stresses the role of interpersonal and communication skills in their roundup of key skills for work in 2025.

Key Takeaways

Things are changing fast in the world of work, and as fast as they change we need to change, too. The best way to come out ahead is to lock down your ability to meaningfully communicate complex ideas to an audience and get results from those efforts.

No matter what field, industry, company, or role you hold in today’s world, solid communication skills will never let you down. 

If you’d like to work together to level up your presentation skills, reach out!  I’d love to discuss ways I can help you align your career with your dreams.

Action Steps to Take Today

If you’re looking to upgrade your presentation skills quickly, start by imaging yourself as successful.  This simple mental reset has been invaluable to countless speakers I’ve worked with.  Simply believing in and understanding the goal you’re trying to reach is one of the most critical pieces to presentation success.

What’s the first action step you’re going to jump on? Let me know in the comments!