Carpenter and boatbuilder Douglas Brooks apprenticed under one of the last surviving traditional boatmakers in Japan.
The craftsman, in his eighties, demanded that Brooks follow one rule: no writing, no sketches. Just observation and repetition.
Brooks spent weeks watching, copying, failing, adjusting – absorbing a way of thinking.
In the process, he said he found something rare: a deep sense of craft.
He went to Japan to preserve a skill. He left with something more – the joy of doing the work well.
Psychologists Daniel Kahneman and Barbara Fredrickson studied how people remember experiences.
Their research revealed something simple and powerful: we don’t remember everything. We remember two parts – the peak and the end.
This is known as the peak-end rule.
It matters in public speaking.
You already know the importance of a strong conclusion.
But your audience also needs a moment during your talk that stands out – a peak.
It’s a moment that might surprise or delight your audience. But most of all, it sticks.
Skill builds confidence.
Confidence encourages action.
Action builds more skill.
That’s the loop.
At the start, you don’t feel confident.
So you practise. You improve. The task feels more familiar. Confidence grows a little.
Because you feel more confident, you raise your hand more often. You take on bigger challenges. You speak up. That gives you more experience.
More experience builds more skill.
More skill strengthens confidence.
The loop reinforces itself.
World-class violinist Joshua Bell played incognito in a Washington, D.C. subway station. He wore jeans and a baseball cap, standing by a trash bin as he performed some of the most complex pieces ever written.
Over a thousand people walked past. A few stopped. He made $32.
Just days earlier, Bell had sold out a concert hall where tickets cost hundreds of dollars. Same musician. Same music. Different setting – completely different response. That’s the power of context. And it’s the same with presentations.
I studied English for fifteen years before moving abroad. But on my first day in Ireland, I understood almost nothing. In all that time, I’d never actually had a conversation in English. (The Irish accent didn’t help either.)
That experience taught me something: learning happens in real situations.
You can read books, attend workshops and watch expert speakers. All of that helps – but only to a point. The real progress starts when you stand up and speak in front of an audience.
Here’s a simple way to make your presentations clearer:
Introduce your chart before you show the data.
When you present a graph – like a bar chart or line chart – start by showing just the axes. Explain what each one represents before revealing the numbers.
For example, if you’re showing sales growth over time, begin with a blank chart. Label the x-axis ‘Months’ and the y-axis ‘Sales’. Take a moment to explain what each axis means. Then add the data.
In 1960, a group of young African American students in Nashville led a series of nonviolent sit-ins to challenge segregated lunch counters. Their courage shaped history, supported by hours of preparation.
Under the guidance of civil rights leader James Lawson, they roleplayed real-world scenarios. They practised how to stay calm while being threatened or attacked. They rehearsed with intention – knowing the pressure they would face. When the time came, they were ready – because they had trained for it.
In Made to Stick, Chip and Dan Heath suggest a simple technique to make your message more memorable: ask “Why?” three times.
It helps you move past surface-level points and uncover what really matters to your audience.
Let’s say you’re presenting a proposal for a workplace wellbeing programme. Your audience is the company’s senior leadership team.
First “Why?”: Why is this important? Because it helps employees stay healthy. Second “Why?”: Why should leadership care about that? Because it can lead to fewer sick days and higher engagement. Third “Why?”: Why does that matter? Because those improvements affect performance, retention and the company’s ability to attract top talent. That third “Why?” gets to the level where your message aligns with their priorities.