Present
Command the Stage
Story
Amy Cuddy and the Science of Presence
When Amy Cuddy was a college student, a traumatic brain injury from a car accident left her doubting her ability to succeed. Doctors told her she wouldn’t finish her degree. But she did—and more. She earned a doctorate, became a Harvard professor, and gave one of the most-watched TED Talks of all time. In it, she shared her research on how body language—not just words—can shape how we feel and how others see us.
Cuddy didn’t become a powerful speaker through natural charisma. She practiced presence: standing tall, pausing deliberately, speaking with clarity, and focusing on her audience. Her story shows that presentation skills are learned—and they matter.
“Don’t fake it till you make it. Fake it till you become it.” —Amy Cuddy
Main Idea
Presence—Not Slides—Drives Success
Business presentations are not performances for entertainment. They are purposeful conversations designed to inform, persuade, or clarify in high-stakes environments. Strong delivery—not flashy slides—builds credibility. Your audience responds to your presence, preparation, and clarity more than your visuals.
According to Forbes, 70% of employed Americans who give presentations agree that presentation skills are critical to their success. Yet 20% say they’d rather pretend to be sick than give a presentation. Practicing your presence will prepare you for those moments when your manager turns and says, “Why don’t you take 10 minutes and explain those numbers to us?”
Agenda
What You’ll Learn in This Chapter
- How to prepare strategically for high-stakes presentations
- How to project presence through body, voice, and eye contact
- How to practice effectively with feedback and purpose
- How to design simple, consistent, visual slide decks
- How to troubleshoot common presentation challenges
Reasons
Develop and Deliver World-Class Business Presentations
1. Prepare Strategically: Plan Like a Pro
Cuddy’s TED Talk wasn’t spontaneous. It was strategic. She knew her message, shaped it around her audience’s needs, and supported it with clear evidence.
Good business presenters ask: Who is my audience? What do they need to know, do, or feel? What’s my main message? What structure will guide them through the content?
Your success doesn’t begin at the podium. It begins in the planning room.
2. Deliver with Presence: Use Body, Voice, and Focus
Cuddy’s research showed that people who adopt an open, powerful posture before speaking report feeling more confident. That confidence shows in voice, gestures, and eye contact.
In business, presence doesn’t mean theatricality. It means calm confidence.
- Stand tall. Plant your feet shoulder-width apart.
- Use gestures intentionally to reinforce structure.
- Vary your pitch, pace, and volume to emphasize key points.
- Pause to let ideas land. Silence is a powerful tool.
- Make direct eye contact to turn a boring monologue into a compelling conversation.
When Cuddy stepped onto that TED stage, she didn’t perform—she connected. The same is true in a business boardroom.
3. Practice with Purpose: Don’t Memorize—Internalize
Cuddy didn’t script her every word. Memorizing a presentation word-for-word makes presenters brittle. You may fall apart if you can't think of the next word. Cuddy practiced talking about ideas, not saying lines. Repetition helped her sound fluent and natural.
Take these steps to prepare:
- Rehearse out loud at least three times.
- Record yourself and look for distracting filler words or nervous tics.
- Practice in front of a colleague or mirror.
- Focus on transitions, pacing, and vocal energy.
Confidence is earned, not inherited.
4. Visual Aids: Support the Message—Don’t Distract from It
YOU are the presentation. Slides are the support.
Cuddy used simple slides with clear visuals. Her presence—not her PowerPoint—carried the message.
Follow these three slide design principles:
- Be Simple: Each slide should focus on one idea in a short title or visual. Avoid bullet lists and paragraphs. Your audience should grasp the point of the slide in five seconds—and then turn their attention back to you. Use talking lead lines instead of topic headings, and use visual triggers to draw the audience’s eye to important points on the slide.
- Be Consistent: Match fonts, colors, and layouts across all slides. Use the same design logic for titles, captions, and charts. Inconsistency distracts and undermines credibility.
- Be Visual: Replace text with images, charts, or icons wherever possible. Visuals should highlight, not overwhelm. For data-heavy slides, use animation or layering to walk the audience through each point.
Bad slides can ruin a good message. Distracting animations, mismatched fonts, and overloaded screens make it hard for your audience to follow. Design your slides like billboards: if someone glanced for five seconds, would they understand the point?
Cuddy’s slides passed that test. Sparse, visual, clear. But even more important—she never relied on them. She spoke with confidence whether the clicker worked or not.
5. Troubleshoot Like a Pro: Stay Calm and Adapt
Technology fails. Time runs out. Tough questions arise. Presence prepares you to handle it all.
Cuddy teaches that presence is not pretending. It’s showing up grounded and ready.
- If you blank, pause, breathe, glance at your slide or notes, and continue.
- If interrupted, thank the person and steer back to your point.
- If a group starts a distracting side chat, move toward them as you talk. They’ll stop when you get close.
- If time is cut short, summarize the key takeaway and finish with a strong action statement.
Presence turns panic into poise.
Task
Practice Professional Presence Now
- Record a one-minute explanation of a data chart. Focus on clarity and presence.
- Deliver a five-minute team update with no slides—just voice, body, and message.
- Practice pausing, eye contact, and vocal emphasis using a summary for practice.
Key Reminder: You don’t need to be perfect. You need to be present.