Why presentation skills training isn’t always the answer

Before you book presentation skills training, ask these three questions.

1. Can they communicate their message clearly and comfortably, whatever the setting?
2. Is your culture kind to different communication styles?

3. Self-belief and confidence. Do they believe they have something worth saying?

When someone in your team struggles to stand up in front of others and communicate clearly, it is easy to reach for the obvious fix: presentation skills training.

It makes sense. The person seems nervous. Their message is not landing. They may be avoiding presentations, speaking too quickly, relying too heavily on slides or coming away from meetings asking, “Was that OK?”

So out comes the label: ‘presentation skills’. Like a sticky note slapped on the problem.

And off you trot to find a trainer, as if that’s the magic ingredient.

And sometimes, that is exactly the right thing to do. Good presentation skills training can help people structure their ideas, speak with more confidence, use slides well and engage an audience.

But it is worth pausing before you book the course.

Because what looks like a ‘presentation skills’ problem isn’t always, well, a presentation skills problem. Sometimes it’s about message fluency. Sometimes it’s confidence. Sometimes it’s the culture – you know, whether anyone actually listens when they speak, or if it’s just polite nodding until the biscuits arrive.

So before you leap into action, try asking three better questions.

Question 1: Message fluency. Can they communicate their message clearly and comfortably, whatever the setting?

The first thing to look at is message fluency.

Can the person convey their key message clearly, naturally and consistently across different settings?

That might mean a formal presentation, but it might also mean a two-minute corridor conversation, a team meeting, a panel discussion, a fireside chat or a quick answer to a senior leader’s question.

Some people can write beautifully but struggle to speak off the cuff. Others are great in short verbal bursts, but lose shape when they have to deliver a longer piece. Some are confident with peers, then fall apart when the audience changes.

So break it down.

Where do they communicate well? Where does the message start to wobble? Can they expand an idea when they need to, and contract it when time is tight? Are they saying broadly the same thing to different audiences, or does the message change depending on who is in the room?

This is especially important for senior people. The more visible they are, the more often they need to move between formats: presenting, answering questions, joining panels, leading meetings, speaking to teams and making decisions clear.

If the message itself is wobbly, presentation skills training will only neaten up the edges. The real work is helping them get clear on what they want to say, why it matters, and how to say it in a way that actually sounds like them – not like a TED Talk on autopilot.

Question 2: Is your culture kind to different communication styles?

The second thing to look at is the environment around the person.

How good is your organisation at listening to people’s ideas and accepting that not everyone communicates in the same way?

Some workplaces have a very narrow idea of what a “good presenter” looks like. It might be shaped by one or two brilliant speakers who cast a long shadow. They are confident, polished and easy when in the spotlight, so everyone else is quietly measured against them.

That can make perfectly capable people feel they have to morph into someone else entirely just to be taken seriously.

Then there’s the dreaded slide deck.

“Here’s the deck. Fill in your bullet points. Speak to them.”

That’s often the death knell for a great presentation. Suddenly, people go stiff, over-scripted, and miles away from what they actually want to say.

Culture also shows up in how people respond when someone is nervous, new to presenting or trying something different. Are they supported? Are they listened to? Do they get useful feedback afterwards?

Or does the feedback arrive third-hand, vague, and just bruising enough to make you wince?

The room matters too. A noisy space, poor acoustics, people walking in and out or a setup that makes the presenter feel exposed can make communication harder than it needs to be.

So before you assume the person needs fixing, take a look at the conditions around them. Sometimes a kinder, clearer communication culture does more good than another round of presentation tips.

Question 3: Self-belief and confidence. Do they believe they have something worth saying?

The third thing to look at is self-belief.

This is harder to spot, because people can look confident on the surface. They might speak up in meetings, join Teams calls, crack a joke and seem perfectly fine.

But that doesn’t always mean they trust themselves when it counts.

Listen for the small clues. After they have spoken, do they look for reassurance?

“Was that OK?”

“Did I make sense?”

“How did that come across?”

Those questions are not always a problem. We all want useful feedback. But if someone needs reassurance every time they speak, there may be something deeper going on.

Most of us second-guess ourselves at some point. Are we interesting enough? Senior enough? Clear enough? That inner voice only gets louder if the message is wobbly or the culture around us is less than forgiving.

Then the problem compounds.

They don’t feel clear, so they don’t sound clear. The response is lukewarm, so the self-doubt grows. Next time, they feel even less sure of themselves.

In that situation, a bit of presentation skills training might help, but confidence is the real issue. What they really need is support to trust their own voice, take up space, and believe they actually belong in the room.

When presentation skills training is the right answer

None of this means presentation skills training is a bad idea.

Sometimes it is exactly what people need.

If someone knows what they want to say but struggles to shape it into a clear talk, training can help. If they need to learn how to engage an audience, use slides well, prepare more efficiently or handle questions without losing their thread, those are all practical skills that can be taught.

Presentation skills training can also be useful when a team needs a shared approach. For example, if leaders are presenting more often, experts are being asked to explain complex information or managers need to speak with more clarity and impact across the business.

The point isn’t to avoid training altogether.

The point is to make sure you’re solving the right problem. If it’s technique, training might be just the ticket. If it’s confidence, culture or message clarity, you’ll want to start somewhere else.

When your team may need a broader approach

A broader approach comes in handy when the problem isn’t just how someone presents, but how they feel, think and communicate in those moments that really count.

That might mean helping them get clearer on their message before they ever stand up to speak. Or building their confidence bit by bit, through smaller conversations, meetings and feedback. Or even looking at the culture around them and asking if people are actually being given a fair crack at communicating well.

Because brilliant communication doesn’t just happen on stage.

It happens when someone contributes in a meeting. When they explain a decision. When they challenge an idea. When they share something important with senior leaders. When they speak up instead of staying quiet.

So if someone’s struggling, ask what would genuinely help them become a more confident communicator in those moments.

They may need presentation skills training.

Or they might need something a bit more rounded – support with message fluency, self-belief, and the kind of conditions that actually help people speak up and be heard.

A better question for HR, L&D and leaders

So before you book that presentation skills course, pause for a moment and ask yourself:

What is really going on here?

Is this person struggling with presentation technique, or are they struggling to get their message clear?

Are they nervous because they lack skills, or because the culture around them makes speaking up feel risky?

Do they need help with slides, structure and delivery, or do they need support to trust their voice and believe they have something worth saying?

Those are the better questions. They lead to much better support.

Because the aim isn’t just to help someone limp through one presentation. It’s to help them become a brilliant communicator, whatever the setting.

If your team needs practical help with presentations, take a look at our presentation skills training for teams and leaders.

And if the issue feels deeper than presentation technique, Bit Famous can help you explore what is really getting in the way: message fluency, self-belief, confidence or the culture around communication in your organisation.