Fast Company Daily Stop hiding behind your slides: Lead the room, don’t read to it
Oct 30, 2025
Judith Humphrey, founder of the Humphrey Group and author on leadership communication, shares her insights on effective presentation skills. She argues that slides can dilute a speaker's presence and suggests skipping them unless absolutely necessary. Humphrey emphasizes the importance of using your voice and body language as the main visuals. Keeping slides simple and focused, she advises presenters to state their messages clearly and end with a compelling call to action. Her approach aims to inspire rather than inform through visuals.
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Speaker Lost The Room
- Judith Humphrey recounts an executive who kept talking to an empty room because he was glued to his slides.
- The story shows how visuals can sever connection when a speaker focuses on slides instead of the audience.
Skip Slides Unless Necessary
- Avoid slides unless you have a strong reason to use them and your goal is to persuade or inspire.
- Use slides only when corporate culture, product visuals, or charts genuinely require them.
You Are The Best Visual
- You are the most compelling visual because your energy and body language communicate belief.
- Treat visuals as supporting characters while your presence delivers the message.