Improve presentation skills: why perfection is holding you back

When sands slips through your hands……

If you want to improve your presentation skills, trying to be perfect might actually be working against you.

I remember it vividly…. Quite some years back I was invited to talk to a women group of more than a hundred female entrepreneurs. Even to me this was pretty daunting. Imagine, being introduced as a presentation expert! That meant that my presentation would have to be no less than perfect. The stakes were high!

When perfection gets in the way of presenting

So, there I was preparing the presentation that needed to be no less than perfect. After, sculpting my story and message, it was time to make it my own and practice out loud.

Once, I felt I nailed it, I decided to record myself to see how the story would come across to the audience.

I was horrified.

It looked contrived, not like me at all, a bit stiff, as if I was playing a role of some kind.

What went wrong?

The content, however, was fine.

By aiming for perfection, I had written out the entire presentation and memorised it word for word.

All my energy went into recalling the exact wording. I was in my head, not in the moment. No longer connected to myself or my audience.

It felt like I had to “grab” the information from somewhere outside of me, instead of speaking in my own words. Instead of letting it flow naturally.

The result? It felt one-dimensional and not convincing at all.

How to improve presentation skills by letting go

I grabbed onto my text too tightly (in my mind), not daring to let go of it, because I was afraid it would be less than perfect if I would….

Like clenching onto sand too tightly in your hands, afraid of losing it. Only to figure out that it is slipping through your fingers anyhow simply because of the tight gripping…

Presenting with more ease and authenticity

Do you recognize this?

Are you someone who strives for perfection and wants to improve your presentation skills while staying close to yourself?

Do you want to feel more comfortable, more natural and more connected when you present?

Then it is not about holding on tighter.

It is about learning how to let go in the right way.

So you can hold the sand lightly in your hand — instead of squeezing it.

Presentation skills training

If you want to improve your presentation skills in a practical and personal way, this might be for you.

👉 You can find more information about my trainings here. 

 

Kind regards,