A few days ago, I experienced something while surfing that made me realise that the key to surfing well is surprisingly similar to the key to presenting well.
The first 30 minutes while surfing, my head was spinning.
Which foot first?
What did the instructor say about the waves?
How do I stand?
I was trying so hard to remember everything, so locked up in my head, that I completely missed what the waves were telling me.
After a while, something shifted.
I stopped trying to control everything in my head and started paying attention instead.
Now I could feel when the wave reached my board. I sensed when it was time to paddle. When to stand. When to shift my weight.
I noticed the shape and the angle of the wave, so I could respond to it.
I was attuned.
Surfing suddenly became smoother, easier and much more fun.
Afterwards I realised: powerful presenting works exactly the same way.
When we’re presenting, many of us spend almost all our attention inside our own heads.
We’re thinking:
“Am I saying this correctly?”
“What comes next?”
“Don’t forget that point.”
When all your attention is occupied with your thoughts, there is hardly any space left to notice what is actually happening in front of you and how you are bringing your information across.
This means you’re leaving much of your impact as a presenter untapped.
What if, instead of being 100% locked in your head while presenting, you had space left to attune to what is happening?
To notice:
- How does this land?
- Is this a moment to pause?
- What deserves more emphasis?
- What do I notice in my audience?
- What does this moment need?
Not from that critical voice in your head saying:
“This isn’t going well.”
“That person looks bored.”
“I must have said something wrong.”
But from a space that is curious and genuinely wants the audience to understand your message.
If you learn this, presenting starts to feel effortless and powerful at the same time. Like catching the wave just right. You are attuned.
The good news? You don’t need to get out of your head completely. If you can free up just 20% of your headspace, it can make a whole world of difference.
Do you recognise this?
Are you so focused on remembering your words and your content, that there’s hardly any room left to notice your audience or pay attention consciously on how you bring the information across?
Does presenting feel exhausting, because of the burden to get all this knowledge “correctly” to the other side?
The answer to get your message and content across successfully isn’t to prepare more.
The answer is to prepare differently, so you no longer have to hold your presentation in your head while you’re speaking. That’s what creates the space to notice, respond and connect.
On 25 September I’m running a small-group Presenting with Impact training in Amsterdam for expats and Dutch professionals working in international organisations.
You’ll learn how to prepare in a way that frees you from your script, so you can tune in to your audience, trust your timing and present with much more ease and impact.
I’d love to welcome you. Lear more here.
