Without Passion, life is colorless. I don’t mean zealousness, beating of the chest, or fleeting passion of the moment – I mean deep and genuine caring.

It is passion that drives a memorable presentation, whether it is in one-on-one conversation or a presentation to a group. Skillful and effective presentations are not merely descriptions of an interesting subject with some fancy PowerPoint slides. They reflect who we are within a particular context and what we believe.

Sometimes we are so passionate about our subject we try to cram in too much information, believing that we have to tell the audience everything we know. This is passion spinning out of control.

We get confused about what we should say, what should be in, what should be out. When this happens, just ask yourself “what are the three most important things about this subject that I want the audience to know?”. By limiting yourself to three ideas, you can create a focused, sharp, and compelling presentation.

Okay, that’s the easy part. Now what happens when you don’t care or have no passion for the subject, or you’re just bored because you’ve presented it so many times? The first thing you must ask yourself is “should I be the person presenting this?” If someone else should do it, then give it up and let that person do it. If it has to be you, here are some tips that might help.

Try to find something – even one thing – within the presentation that you truly care about. Then, build the presentation around that element. It may mean recreating the slides, or even designing a completely new presentation. If you cannot find anything that stirs your enthusiasm, then think about working with a coach.

A coach will ask you questions that will force you to justify what you’re saying. As a result, you will find new energy and new ways to talk about your subject. Often, you will find a fervor you didn’t know you had. When this happens, it is a delight for the presenter, the coach, and most important, the audience