A conversation with John Hughes – Executive Vice President, Products and Services
Presentation Skills. Executive Presence. Public Speaking. All names for a core set of leadership skills. And as John Hughes, EVP of Products and Services at SNP Communications, reminds us: the skills are critical in every leadership moment, every day.
Every time you speak, you’re presenting
“One of the biggest misconceptions,” shares John, “is that presentation skills only show up when you’re standing in front of a room.” In reality, they show up when you unmute in a Zoom meeting, answer a question on the fly, or introduce an idea for the first time. “If you aren’t home alone watching Netflix on your couch, you’re in a moment where your presence has an impact on others.”
John encourages us to think less about “presentations” and more about bringing a voice to an idea—in front of any audience, of any size.
EXECUTION ISN’T ENOUGH
Entrepreneur and author Seth Godin said: “There’s no shortage of remarkable ideas, what’s missing is the will to execute them.” And more than a decade later, ideas are everywhere. AI can help generate, teams can workshop, and decks can be beautifully designed by an internal (or external) team. The tools absolutely must be used. Technology must be leveraged so that we can make even more room for what can’t be outsourced:
Conviction.
“You can outsource idea generation,” John says. “You can outsource design. You can outsource writing. But you can’t outsource conviction. Your passion for an idea and how you communicate that passion.”
If you can’t speak to an idea clearly, confidently, and in real time, it erodes trust. People may nod in the meeting, but they won’t act afterward. It’s because change is not inspired by reciting a press briefing or reading aloud a curated message. Change is inspired by the leader’s conviction behind the words.
CLARITY BEATS VOLUME
“‘…and then they said the exact same thing I had just said, like it was a new idea.’ We hear that often in coaching.” shares John. Hearing someone else repeat what you’ve said, to a stronger reception: “It’s rarely about seniority or volume.”
It’s often about clarity.
Filler words. Over-explaining. Talking in circles. Hedging. Uplifting every possible angle instead of landing one clean point.
With attention spans shrinking, clarity reduces friction. The fewer words it takes to get to the point, the more likely the idea is to be remembered, and acted on. The work isn’t just saying the thing. The work is saying the right thing, in the cleanest way, at the moment it matters.
That is presentation skills.
FOUNDATIONAL SKILLS
“Presentation Skills got mislabeled as tactical, early-career,” says John. “Perhaps that’s why we have so many iterations of the title: executive presence, communication with influence, public speaking.”
But in a world where ideas are abundant, AI accelerates output, and clarity drives influence, the ability to bring a voice to your ideas is a critical, perennial leadership skill. It makes ideas real. Or, as John puts it more simply: “Every meeting is a presentation. Every answer to a question is a moment of presence.”
You don’t need a stage.
You do need conviction, clarity, and a commitment to the practice of presentation skills.
