It Was, uh... Fine, Boss. Fine.

The FT's Rhymer Rigby asked a good question the other day.

When was the last time you saw a business presentation you enjoyed? Last year? Never?

It was back in early April for Jack, now that he thinks about it.

As Jack rolled into Rigby's story, he was initially afraid that it was yet another superficial 400-word summary piece on how to be a better speaker. For several paragraphs we are offered a series of superficial observations by UK speaking coaches about body language, eye contact and avoiding saying "ummm." Such stories are usually written because a bored reporter is also tired fending off the pesterings of a publicity-seeking presentation trainer.

But just when Jack was about to give up, Rigby quotes business shrink Sarah Sweet on why bosses don't get better at speaking, even though they do so much of it.

"People's constraints are often around position and authority. They feel that, because they have authority, they must be able to communicate well too. But it often isn't the case and, because they're important, they don't get honest feedback."

Rigby then makes the whole piece pay off by immediately adding,

"If someone has ever told you that your presentation is "fine", then you've probably experienced this."

Jack has observed that enjoyable presentations often have very little to do with oratorical skills or showmanship, but instead usually depend almost entirely on the speaker's ability to tell a good story, no matter what their personal style.

And speaking of stories, what were the odds of a Rhymer Rigby quoting a Sarah Sweet in anything other than a children's book?