One piece of presenting advice: put the ask upfront

As the year gets cranking, I wanted to share one simple observation from my work last year.

In 2025, I watched hundreds and hundreds of people present. Different organisations, different roles, different levels of experience. Boardrooms, town halls, studios. Some highly polished. Some quietly brilliant. Many not so hot.

In the ‘not so hot’ ones, there was one pattern I saw again and again. A lack of clarity on what exactly the presenter wanted from the audience.

So if I could offer just one piece of presenting advice, it would be this: include your ‘ask’ upfront.

Most presentations don’t fall short because of poor delivery. They fall short because the audience doesn’t know, early enough, what they’re listening for or why it matters.

Very often, the ask is there – but it’s buried at the end. Or it’s implied rather than stated. Or the presenter hasn’t fully clarified it for themselves.

Those of you who’ve worked with me before will know that when I talk about the opening of a business presentation, I’m generally wanting you to include four things:

• Impact – What am I going to say that motivates this audience to listen?

• Introduction – Do they know who I am and why I’m qualified to speak on this topic? (If they do, we can skip it.)

• Purpose – Why am I here, and what am I asking of them?

• Roadmap – Where am I taking them, and how long is it going to take?

The ask almost always lives inside Purpose. (The exception would be if it’s highly contentious. In that case you may well want to wait till you’ve built a stronger case.)

When an audience is clear on the purpose and the ask, something shifts. They listen with intent. They stay engaged because they know what they’re listening towards.

So a simple discipline I’d encourage is this: before you present anything – an update, an idea, a proposal, a briefing – be clear on the ask and make it explicit early. The ask might be a decision, alignment, endorsement, approval or preparedness. Even in presentations that are “just informational”, there is always a reason you’re speaking – and something you want the audience to walk away with.

Once you’re clear, say it. For example: “The purpose of this update is…” “What I’m asking for today is…” “By the end of this, I need you to…”

This doesn’t make your communication blunt. It makes it respectful – of people’s time, attention, and cognitive load.

Impact, Introduction, Purpose, Roadmap – the opening is the first thing we work on, because it’s where most presentations are decided. The Spotlight is where we teach it – in-house, for teams, anywhere in New Zealand. Tell us about your team.

Russell Pickering – founder of The Pickering Group, author of Step into the Spotlight.