The Presenter’s Time, Talent and Treasure

So how have your New Year resolutions been unfolding? Change is tough, as is forming new habits by adding in new concepts while removing old negative habits. Resolve requires consistency, patience, perseverance and application — all of which need extra energy on top of what we are already doing. As presenters we have time, talent and treasure at our disposal to take ourselves up a few rungs on the ladder to success every year, if we can break out of the pull of gravitational forces holding us to where we have always felt comfortable.

Why do presenters talk about “time, talent, and treasure” as the big three?

Because presentation success is leverage: time builds repetition, talent grows through nurture, and treasure buys acceleration. In all facets and periods of our lives, the ability to be persuasive is the big divide — we either live according to someone else’s plan or decide our own way forward. In today’s post-pandemic, highly complex, global and interlocking world, achieving goals usually requires the cooperation of others, whether you’re leading a team in Tokyo, pitching in Silicon Valley, or aligning stakeholders in Europe’s matrix organisations. Being persuasive brings people with us; being unpersuasive sends them looking for someone else who is clearer, calmer, and more convincing.

Do now: Choose one real presentation in the next 30 days and assign (1) practice time, (2) one talent skill to improve, and (3) one small investment to speed learning.

How does “time is life” translate into better persuasion in business?

Time is life, and what you do with it becomes your results — persuasion improves fastest when you invest time in deliberate practice, not hopeful winging-it. Most professionals are overloaded: meetings, email, deadlines, and the constant mental switching costs of hybrid work. That’s exactly why persuasion becomes the divider. A leader who rehearses can be concise, confident, and structured under pressure; a leader who doesn’t rehearse often rambles, over-explains, or freezes in Q&A. In Japan, where audiences often reward clarity, logic, and respect for time, rehearsal shows professionalism. In the US, where speed and confidence are prized, rehearsal makes you punchy and decisive. In both markets, practise turns nervous energy into calm authority.

Do now: Book three 15-minute rehearsal blocks this week and practise out loud, standing up, with a timer and one clear “next step.”

Is persuasive speaking an inborn talent, or is it learned?

It’s learned — the talent lies within you, and the trick is to unleash it through training and repetition. Many people (including “the old me” in Greg’s story) would run a mile if asked to present, because fear of embarrassment and humiliation overrides the benefits of this skill. But the beauty of being a presenter is you’re focused on one of the most important business and life skills: influencing decisions. The biggest obstacle isn’t intelligence — it’s not knowing what to do to master public speaking. Once you know how to structure your message, open strongly, build logic, and handle questions, confidence stops being a mystery and starts being a method.

Do now: Pick one skill to nurture this month (opening, structure, voice pace, Q&A). Record a 2-minute practice weekly and track one improvement metric.

What do people get wrong about improving presentation skills quickly?

They stay in denial — they avoid classes, coaching, books, and the vast body of proven knowledge, then wonder why progress is slow. The people who improve fastest “tap into the vast experience of others” and short-circuit the learning process. Denial looks like this: you avoid professional coaching, don’t buy the books or audio sets, ignore free podcasts, and tell yourself you’ll “just figure it out” next time. Meanwhile, competitors invest in frameworks and feedback loops. In multinationals, this might be formal training budgets and leadership programs; in SMEs and startups, it’s often self-funded learning plus fast experimentation. Either way, the pattern is the same: learning without application is entertainment, not growth.

Do now: Choose one credible learning channel (coach, program, book, or podcast) and apply one idea within 48 hours — applied knowledge is the only knowledge that counts.

How should you use free content (YouTube, podcasts, LinkedIn) without getting overwhelmed?

Treat free content like a firehose — valuable, but only if you filter it and apply it in a calculated manner. Content marketing is one of the greatest educational breakthroughs in human history: high-quality insight is now sitting in the public domain at no charge, and if you want to do something, there’s probably a YouTube video showing you how. That’s incredible — and also dangerous if you binge and never implement. The solution is disciplined selection: decide what you need for your next presentation, pick one lane (storytelling, slide design, executive presence, persuasion), and ignore everything else for 30 days. Then turn learning into habit: adopt the better way and make it your new default position.

Do now: For the next two weeks, consume only content that helps your next presentation and implement one technique per rehearsal session.

When should you invest “treasure” in training, tools, or coaching — and how much?

Not everything you need is free — invest treasure when it buys speed, feedback, and outcomes that compound over years. The content marketing logic is simple: you taste quality for free, then purchase what you need for depth. The real question is: do you have an ongoing education budget to polish persuasion skills? Where is the best allocation of treasure for the strongest outcomes? The old observation fits: do rich people have libraries because they are rich, or are they rich because they have libraries? Education is critical to personal growth — but in business it can’t stay as intellectual curiosity; it must be applied. Your “treasure” might be a presentation coach, a Dale Carnegie program, better recording gear for hybrid delivery, or a course that forces practice and feedback.

Do now: Set an annual persuasion budget (even small). Spend it on feedback-rich learning, then measure outcomes: approvals won, sales closed, projects accelerated, rework reduced.

Conclusion

We have time, talent and treasure to help us become better presenters, more powerful persuaders and boost our personal and professional brands. No matter if your New Year resolutions went off the rails already, it’s time to regroup and reset for the coming year. It is never too late to start again. The second time brings more context and perspective on where to apply yourself for greater success.

FAQs

How fast can I improve my presenting? With deliberate practice and feedback, most people feel noticeable improvement within 6–8 weeks.

What’s the simplest way to be more persuasive? Be clear on your main point, why it matters, and the specific next step you want from the audience.

Do I need to pay for training to improve? Not always — but investment speeds learning when it adds coaching, structure, and accountability.

What if I’m terrified of public speaking? Start smaller: short updates, then build time and difficulty while practising out loud and reviewing recordings.

Author credentials

Dr. Greg Story, Ph.D. in Japanese Decision-Making, is President of Dale Carnegie Tokyo Training and Adjunct Professor at Griffith University. He is a two-time winner of the Dale Carnegie “One Carnegie Award” (2018, 2021) and recipient of the Griffith University Business School Outstanding Alumnus Award (2012). As a Dale Carnegie Master Trainer, Greg is certified to deliver globally across all leadership, communication, sales, and presentation programs, including Leadership Training for Results. He has written several books, including three best-sellers — Japan Business Mastery, Japan Sales Mastery, and Japan Presentations Mastery — along with Japan Leadership Mastery and How to Stop Wasting Money on Training. His works have been translated into Japanese, including Za Eigyō (ザ営業), Purezen no Tatsujin (プレゼンの達人), Torēningu de Okane o Muda ni Suru no wa Yamemashō (トレーニングでお金を無駄にするのはやめましょう), and Gendaiban “Hito o Ugokasu” Rīdā (現代版「人を動かす」リーダー).

Greg also publishes daily business insights on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter, and hosts six weekly podcasts. On YouTube, he produces The Cutting Edge Japan Business Show, Japan Business Mastery, and Japan’s Top Business Interviews, which are widely followed by executives seeking success strategies in Japan.