01. We are audience-obsessed.

We ditch our egos. We're audience-obsessed. The audience member is the most important person in the room. Our presentations embrace the audience's point of view. Empathy and generosity are our secret weapons. We demand that every word, sentence, and slide provide value for the audience. And if it doesn't, we ruthlessly get rid of it.

02. Our presentations have a purpose.

Our presentations know where they're headed. Presentations require a compass, a Northstar—a purpose, and we know what it is. That purpose must be aligned with us as speakers, our audience, and their needs. The true purpose of a presentation is to be a collection of answers to questions the audience didn't know needed asking, and these answers lead to a solution the audience didn't know was needed but is. Our purpose is to fulfil this. 

03. We tell simple stories.

Our presentations are stories simply told. They're clear, with a beginning, middle, and end. We're obsessed with stories. We find the stories our audiences need to hear. We inspire audiences with relevant facts, figures, tales, and ideas and then pack them into simple stories they can remember and share.

04. We don't cut corners–we do the work.

Everything gets better when you do the work. Confidence comes from the process, the practice, the research and the honest, hard work of making a great presentation. Writing the presentation is the work. Designing the presentation is the work. Respect the audience's time and attention by putting in the work. Do the bloody work. No excuses.

05. We're committed to continuous improvement.

We're committed to continuous improvement. Even when we think we're at the top of our presentation game, we know, deep down, that we're only halfway there. We accept there's always something to improve, and we actively seek them out. We commit to taking these tiny, incremental steps towards improvement. 

06. We're focused on helping.

Our focus is on helping the audience, not winning applause. We don't present or give speeches to become famous, get a promotion, or receive a standing ovation. We present to help, answer questions, and solve problems. Helping is our why. 

07. We prioritise preparation and practice.

We understand that practice is perfect. Practice kills nerves. We hard-bake practice into our calendars. We know that we become stronger and more confident through practice. We find and know ourselves with practice. In a world full of mediocrity, practising gives us a competitive advantage. We're more helpful and better placed to answer questions when we practice.

08. We know ourselves.

We know who we are. We're comfortable with ourselves and in ourselves. We permit ourselves to be authentic – we show ourselves and embrace our flaws, dialects, and quirks. We use them to our advantage.

09. We make presentations count.

Life is short. Our next presentation, speech, lecture or pitch could be our last. We embrace the opportunity to create moments of value for our audiences. We're all in. We enjoy it and have fun with it, and still, we take each presentation, speech and pitch seriously. Make it count.