How to give persuasive presentations and close with confidence

Executive overview

Most presenters over-inform and under-persuade, then trail off without a real ask. The result is lost deals and forgettable meetings.

Terri Sjodin's three-phase study of 5,000 professionals identified 12 recurring mistakes. The same three rose to the top in every phase: winging it, concluding instead of closing, and being informative rather than persuasive.

The best presentations pair rock-solid information with persuasive arguments — but no one has ever told a presenter they were too persuasive.

The three biggest self-confessed mistakes

1. Winging it — rolling in without preparation or structure
2. Concluding instead of closing — ending without a direct ask
3. Being informative rather than persuasive — data-dumping instead of building a case

These three held across all three phases, regardless of gender, years of experience, or whether the person sold a product, service, or cause.

The difference between informing and persuading

• A presenter's job is to synthesise content, not present everything available
• Think of yourself as a conductor: bring in the right arguments for that specific listener at the right time
• Ask from the listener's seat: why should they choose you, your company, why now?
• If products could sell themselves, no one would need salespeople — the presenter's value is in making the case

How to stop winging it

• Prepare your top 10 most persuasive arguments so they're accessible without mid-meeting thinking
• Use an extemporaneous format: speak from an outline, not a script
• An outline works like an accordion — content expands or contracts based on time available
• Before any meeting, identify the three arguments most relevant to that specific listener
• Ask: what do I want to happen, and what does the listener need to see to think this was time well spent?

How to close instead of just conclude

• Concluding sounds like: "That's our offering — do you have any questions? Let me know if you want to move forward."
• Closing means asking the listener to take a specific next step
• Use a visualisation close: "If you were to say yes, here's exactly what happens next" — walk them through the post-commitment steps
• End with: "How would you like to proceed from here?" rather than "Do you have any questions?"
• Nobody is shocked when a salesperson asks for the sale — they know why you're there; the art is in the delivery
• The most common response to a close is "I'd like to think about it," not "no" — prepare for that

Preparing under short notice

• Default to go-to arguments: top three most persuasive points and three consistently successful stories
• Use a warm, conversational style and respond to questions as they arise
• Tell the audience upfront it's a high-level overview and invite them to redirect to deeper dives
• Short-notice presentations carry lower scrutiny — frame the context honestly

The three benchmarks of every presentation

1. Case — structure, persuasive arguments, the close
2. Creativity — how the message lands; match logic (logos), story (pathos), or credibility (ethos) to the listener
3. Delivery — eye contact, body language, verbal style, use of technology

What observers notice most: being boring

• Self-confessed mistake #1 is being overly informative; what peers observe in others is that they're boring
• Even an unglamorous topic demands effort to bring it to life
• Entertainment value determines whether the message lands at all

Managing nerves and delivery

• Public speaking still ranks as the number one fear — above death, disease, and bankruptcy
• Nervousness signals you care; adrenaline works for you if you channel it
• Record one presentation per year to see yourself as your audience does — awareness drives correction
• Watch for eye contact, posture, body language, and on-screen environment

Building long-term presentation skill

• Consistent preparation is like athletic training — running drills so game day feels intuitive
• After a loss, study what the winners did and return with a revised presentation
• Most professionals keep using presentations that don't win; small corrections change outcomes
• Presentation skill is the great equaliser — it opens doors regardless of background or credentials