Long before anyone takes their seat, their title arrives.
It slips in early, shaping the atmosphere, tightening shoulders, and quietly influencing how presenters behave. A title can make someone speak faster, stand stiffer, over‑explain, under‑connect, and forget entirely that the person in front of them is not a job description but a living, breathing individual with a life far bigger than the role they perform. It’s one of the quiet tragedies of modern communication: the moment a presenter sees a title, they stop seeing the person.
This is why so many presentations feel transactional, distant, and forgettable. The presenter is speaking to the responsibilities, hierarchy, and authority, not to the individual. They’re trying to impress the title rather than reach the person, and the moment they do, the connection evaporates.
This is the shift we teach in our Presentation Skills Training, and it’s the foundation of everything we do in Public Speaking Coaching: the ability to see the title but speak to the person.
The moment the room changes
You may have experienced this yourself.
You prepare for a high-stakes presentation, rehearse the slides, refine the data, and practise your transitions.
Technically, everything is in place, yet something still feels flat.
If you pause and ask yourself, “Who am I actually speaking to?”, the first answers that come to mind are often titles:
– “The board”
– “The senior leadership team”
– “The client’s executive sponsor”
– “The investors”
If you go one level deeper and ask, “Who are they as people?”, the energy shifts.
You may not know their personal stories, and you don’t need to; what matters is that you remember they have one.
They may be:
– under pressure to protect their team
– worried about making the wrong call
– juggling work with caring responsibilities
– proud of something they’ve built
– anxious about something they might lose
You don’t need the details to change your presence; you just need the awareness.
The moment you stop addressing “The Board” and begin speaking to a group of human beings making a tough decision, the atmosphere changes. Your tone softens, and your presence feels genuine again; you cease presenting to titles and start engaging with people.
Why titles create distance
When you speak to a title, you speak to the surface.
You speak to:
– responsibilities
– KPIs
– expectations
– the part of the person trained to evaluate, judge, and decide
You speak to the armour.
When you speak to the person who carries the title, you speak to something else entirely: people who want to understand, care and relate.
That’s why our public speaking courses focus so heavily on presence, intention, and emotional connection, because influence doesn’t come from authority; it comes from recognition.
The presenters people remember
Think of the last time someone presented at you. Do you remember the slides, jargon, formality, or distance?
Now think of the last time someone spoke to you. Not to your role, or title, just to you.
You probably remember:
– a feeling of being included
– the clarity of their message
– a sense that they were genuinely present
– the impression that they were speaking with you, not at you
That’s the difference between being heard and being remembered
You don’t need a dramatic story to understand this because you’ve experienced it from both sides.
You’ve been the presenter who tightens up in front of a big title, and you’ve been the audience member who feels invisible behind your own.
The shift is simple, but not easy: stop asking, “How do I impress them?” and start asking, “How do I reach them?”
Respect the title. Speak to the person.
This principle isn’t about ignoring hierarchy or pretending roles don’t exist.
Titles matter; they represent years of effort, sacrifice, and earned trust, so they deserve respect, but respecting the title is not the same as speaking to it.
Respecting the title means:
– acknowledging the weight it carries
– understanding the decisions attached to it
– recognising the responsibility it represents
Speaking to the person means:
– choosing language that is clear, not performative
– sharing ideas in a way that feels human, not mechanical
– remembering that every decision‑maker is also a person navigating a world far bigger than their job
Influence doesn’t come from impressing roles; it comes from reaching people.
This is the heart of powerful presenting. It’s the difference between information and impact, and between being heard and being remembered.
Presenting isn’t about performing, proving yourself or even about delivering information.
Presenting is about reaching people in a way that feels sincere, considered, and real.
When you see the title but speak to the person, you give your message a chance to matter, your audience a chance to feel seen, and yourself the chance to be remembered for the right reasons
If this resonates with you, or if you know someone who presents to titles instead of people, share it with them.
The world doesn’t need more polished presenters; it needs more present ones.
Image courtesy of Canva.com
