Why Most Public Speaking Training is Complete Rubbish (And What Actually Works)

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Let me tell you something that'll probably make half the training industry want to throw their PowerPoint presentations at me: 87% of public speaking courses are teaching you the wrong bloody thing entirely.

I've been running workshops across Melbourne, Sydney, and Brisbane for the past sixteen years, and I've watched thousands of professionals get fed the same tired "imagine your audience in their underwear" nonsense that's about as useful as a chocolate teapot. The real problem isn't nerves. It's not knowing your content. Hell, it's not even stage fright.

The real problem is that most people are trying to be someone they're not when they get up there.

The Authenticity Paradox Nobody Talks About

Here's where I'm going to lose some of you. Ready? The best speakers aren't necessarily the most polished ones. They're the ones who sound like themselves having a passionate conversation over coffee. But here's the kicker - everyone's trying to sound like Tony Robbins or some slick corporate presenter they saw on LinkedIn.

I made this mistake myself back in 2009. Spent two grand on a presentation skills course where they taught us to "project authority" and use these ridiculous hand gestures that made me look like I was directing traffic at Flinders Street Station. Complete disaster. My first presentation after that course was so wooden, I think half the audience fell asleep. Including me.

The truth about presence? It comes from knowing your stuff so well you could explain it while making a sandwich. Everything else is just theatre.

Why PowerPoint is Killing Your Message

This might be controversial, but I reckon PowerPoint has done more damage to business communication than open-plan offices. And that's saying something.

Think about it. When did you last sit through a presentation where someone read directly from their slides? Probably last Tuesday, right? It's become this weird security blanket where people hide behind bullet points instead of actually connecting with their audience.

The most memorable presentation I ever saw was a CEO from Atlassian who used exactly three slides in thirty minutes. Three! The rest was just him talking passionately about product development like he was explaining it to his mate down the pub. Brilliant.

But here's what the traditional training gets wrong - they teach you to lean on slides instead of using them as occasional visual punctuation. Big difference.

The Small Talk Revolution

Now here's something that'll make your HR department uncomfortable: the best presentations often start before you even get on stage. Small talk networking isn't just polite chatter - it's intelligence gathering.

I learned this from watching a fantastic speaker at a Melbourne conference who spent twenty minutes before her talk just chatting with audience members. She picked up that half the room was dealing with remote team challenges, so she adjusted her entire presentation on the fly. Genius.

Most training courses completely ignore this part. They're so focused on vocal projection and slide transitions that they miss the human element entirely. Your audience isn't a faceless mass - they're individuals with specific problems you might be able to solve.

The conversational approach works because it matches how we actually process information. We're wired for stories and dialogue, not corporate-speak and jargon-heavy monologues.

The Australian Advantage (And How We're Wasting It)

Here's something I'm genuinely proud of about our business culture: Australians are naturally good at cutting through the bullshit. We don't like pompous presentations or overly formal delivery styles. We respond to straight talk and genuine expertise.

Yet somehow, when we get up to speak, we all turn into these formal, corporate robots. It's like we think professionalism means abandoning everything that makes us effective communicators in every other context.

I've seen this transformation happen in real-time. Take someone who's brilliant at explaining complex concepts during team meetings, put them on a stage, and suddenly they're using phrases like "leverage synergies" and "optimise stakeholder engagement."

What changed? Nothing except their mindset about what "professional speaking" should sound like.

The Confidence Myth That's Holding You Back

Every single public speaking course I've evaluated promises to "build your confidence." Here's the problem with that approach: confidence isn't something you build in isolation. It's a byproduct of competence and preparation.

You know what actually builds confidence? Knowing your material so thoroughly that you could handle any question thrown at you. Having three different ways to explain every key point. Understanding your audience well enough that you're genuinely excited to share this information with them.

But that takes work. Real work. Not just visualisation exercises and breathing techniques.

I've noticed that people who struggle with public speaking often have this backwards. They think confidence comes first, then competence follows. Actually, it's the reverse. Master your content, understand your audience, and confidence becomes inevitable.

The speakers I admire most - whether they're addressing a boardroom in Sydney or a conference in Perth - they're not confident because they've done affirmations in the mirror. They're confident because they know exactly what value they're delivering.

What Actually Works (The Stuff They Don't Teach)

Alright, enough complaining. Here's what I've learned actually moves the needle:

Record yourself having a normal conversation about your topic with a colleague. Then compare that to how you sound when you're "presenting." The difference will shock you. The conversational version is almost always more engaging, clearer, and more persuasive.

Ditch the script, embrace the framework. Know your opening line, your closing line, and three key points in between. Everything else should be flexible enough to adapt based on the room's energy.

Practice the transitions, not the content. Most people spend hours rehearsing what they know well and ignore the connective tissue that holds a presentation together. That's where the magic happens.

Test your material on skeptics. If you can convince someone who disagrees with your premise, you're ready for any audience.

The Real Secret Nobody Mentions

Want to know the one thing that separates good speakers from great ones? Great speakers are genuinely curious about whether their message is landing. They're constantly reading the room, adjusting, responding. They treat every presentation like a conversation, even when they're talking to 500 people.

Good speakers are focused on getting through their material. Great speakers are focused on whether their audience is getting value from the experience.

This mindset shift changes everything. Instead of worrying about forgetting your lines or stumbling over words, you're focused on serving your audience. It's liberating.

Why This Matters More Than Ever

Remote work has made this even more critical. When you're presenting over video calls, all the traditional "stage presence" techniques become irrelevant. What matters is your ability to connect authentically through a screen.

I've watched numerous executives struggle with this transition because they were so dependent on physical presence and formal presentation skills. Meanwhile, people who were already comfortable with conversational communication adapted immediately.

The future belongs to speakers who can engage authentically across any medium. Not performers following a script, but experts sharing knowledge in ways that genuinely help people solve problems.

That's the kind of team development that actually sticks.

The speaking industry needs to catch up with this reality. Until then, focus on becoming the most knowledgeable, most authentic version of yourself when you're sharing your expertise. Everything else is just noise.