Why presentation skills training isn’t always the answer

2. Your culture

Now zoom out. What kind of culture are they operating in? Is it a place where people are genuinely listened to? Where different communication styles are welcomed?

Or is it all about the slick talkers and superstar presenters - the ones who speak in soundbites and drop punchlines?

If so, others might feel pressured to copy a style that doesn’t suit them.

Here’s a red flag: the infamous slide deck handover. “Just talk through these.” That kills creativity and reduces confident contributors to script-readers.

Even the environment matters. I once ran a session in a huge echoey room with people walking through. I’m an experienced speaker and I struggled. Now, imagine someone just starting out. Their confidence doesn’t stand a chance.

3. Self-belief

Finally, let’s talk about the trickiest bit, self-belief.

You can’t always spot it straight away. People often look confident on the surface. They join Teams calls, speak up in meetings and crack a joke here and there.

But deep down? They’re not convinced they’re any good at it.

Look for the clues. They might ask for feedback straight after they speak:

“Was that OK?” or “Did I make sense?” It’s not just curiosity- it’s a sign they’re unsure. They’re searching for reassurance.

And let’s be honest, we’ve all had those moments where we doubt ourselves.

“Am I saying anything worth hearing?”

“Do I sound like I know what I’m talking about?”

That inner voice can be relentless.

Now, if someone’s message isn’t landing and the culture isn’t supportive, their confidence can take a nosedive.

Instead of getting better, they leave a session feeling even more unsure. Did anyone listen? Was I relatable? The doubts start to snowball.

Time to ask a better question

So, before you book presentation skills training, ask this:

What’s really going on here?

Do they need help with:

• Message fluency – Are they communicating clearly and naturally?
• Culture – Are they being supported and heard?
• Self-belief – Do they trust their voice and feel they belong in the room?

If one of those is out of step, a standard training day won’t touch it.

What they need might be something more personalised. More confidence-building.

That’s when the real magic starts to happen.

Video transcript: Why presentation skills training isn't always the answer

As a learning and development professional, a people professional or a leader, you might be asked to source or recommend presentation skills trainers. That’s usually to help team members who struggle to stand up and confidently communicate their information. It’s frustrating for everyone—not least the person trying to present.

So then the badge comes out: "presentation skills." Off you go, Google it, and find someone. Great. But a different approach might be to think about the problem more deeply.

I’ve identified three areas to consider before deciding if presentation skills training is really what’s needed, or whether a more holistic approach would help more.

1. Message fluency

Can the person convey their key messages fluently and authentically across a variety of settings? That might include everything from formal presentations to two-minute corridor conversations.

Ask yourself:

• Can they contract and expand their key messages appropriately?
• Are they consistent in what they say to different audiences?
• Do they fall apart in specific settings—like panel discussions, fireside chats or when facing a certain audience?

Break it down. What communication styles do they excel at? Maybe they’re brilliant at writing, or they're better in short verbal bites. Maybe they respond better to questions than when asked to deliver a monologue.

This stuff is nuanced. The more senior the person, the more you should consider these different areas.

2. Culture and communication norms

Now think about your organisation’s culture. How good are you at listening to people’s ideas and accepting the different ways they express them?

Some of the problems may stem from:

• The slide deck: “Here’s the slide deck. Fill in your bullet points. Speak to them.” That’s often the death knell for great presentations.
• The long shadow: You might have one or two star presenters who are brilliant orators. But if everyone’s expected to be like them, there’s little room for different styles of communication.

Ask:

• Is information being shared and listened to?
• Do people pay attention?
• Is your culture kind to nervous presenters or first-timers?
• Or is it punishing, with indirect feedback that comes third-hand?

Also, how good are you at giving feedback generally?

I once worked with an organisation whose main presentation room was dreadful. It had a corridor at the back where people came and went. It felt like a canteen. There was a towering ceiling that made even me, as a seasoned presenter, feel like I was on an altar. The acoustics were poor. I struggled to convey my message and feel confident. A less experienced presenter would have fallen apart—and many did. So there’s a lot going on.

3. Self-belief and confidence

You won’t always spot this straight away. Many people walk around offices or join Teams calls looking confident. But how do you know if they really believe in themselves when it comes to communication?

Look for clues:

• Do they ask for reassurance after meetings or presentations? (“How was that?” “Was that okay?”)
• Do they seem unsure, even when what they’ve said made sense?

Most of us second-guess ourselves. We wonder, “Who am I to be sharing this?” And if the conditions aren’t right, or if message fluency is lacking, people come away doubting themselves even more.

They might ask:

• Did people relate to me?
• Were they listening?
• Did I make any sense?

So the confidence issue becomes a compound problem, made worse by the other two factors.

A holistic approach to communication

To sum up, here are the three areas to explore:

1. Message fluency: Can they get their message across clearly in various settings?
2. Culture: Does your environment support different communication styles and give helpful feedback?
3. Self-belief: Are they confident, or are they masking insecurity?

Take a look at your people and ask: do they need presentation skills training, or do they need a more rounded, supportive approach that enables them to be brilliant communicators in any setting?