Präsentationstraining: When Technical Excellence Isn’t Enough

Kunle Orankan
Jul 22
7 min read

Updated: Oct 10

"The art of communication is the language of leadership." – James Humes

The Day Stefan Walked Out of the Boardroom

Six months of work. €500,000 in project value. A boardroom filled with decision-makers. And Stefan – a brilliant German IT architect – sat frozen.

He had solved the technical problem. He had rehearsed his points. The slides were ready.

But when it was time to present, his mind went blank. Silence. Shuffling papers. Awkward coughs.

After 90 seconds of panic, Stefan did what felt unthinkable:

He closed his laptop, stood up, and walked out of the room.

"I felt like I had failed not just the project, but myself," he told me later. "I knew the answer, but I couldn’t communicate it. That one moment set my career back by years."

And yet, Stefan’s story is painfully common.

Across Germany, highly competent technical professionals – many of them non-native English speakers – are held back not by a lack of skill – but by a lack of structure in their communication. Engineers, IT experts, consultants, and scientists – brilliant minds whose work drives companies forward – remain invisible at the exact moment they should be most visible.

This is precisely why investing in effective presentation training in Berlin is so crucial.. Mastering presentation skills for engineers and scientists is no longer optional.

The result?

Projects don’t get approved.
Stakeholders don’t understand the solution.
Colleagues with less expertise but better speaking skills advance faster.

Why Technical Expertise Alone No Longer Works

We’ve been trained to believe that great work speaks for itself. But in reality, your ability to explain your work is just as important as the work itself.

Here’s what our observations and industry trends show:

The Invisible Expert Syndrome: Many German professionals express struggling to communicate their expertise clearly in high-stakes meetings, a challenge often amplified for non-native English speakers. It's a common sentiment among technical professionals that they feel more confident solving complex problems than explaining them, especially in English presentations.
The result: Outstanding contributors can remain stuck while more vocal colleagues advance.
Avoidance Leads to Anxiety: We've seen that a significant number of professionals actively avoid presentations. This creates a vicious cycle: less practice → more anxiety → worse performance.
Communication = Career Currency: Leadership roles increasingly require regular stakeholder presentations. In today's fast-paced business environment, effective internal presentations are a standard expectation. Without strong English presentations skills, even top performers may find leadership pathways challenging.

Science: Presentation Skills Are 100% Learnable

We often hear, “I’m just not a presenter.” But modern learning science says otherwise.

Just like programming, engineering, or finance, presenting is a skill – not a personality trait. Here's the science behind that truth:

Deliberate Practice Works

As Dr. Anders Ericsson’s research on skill acquisition shows, structured, focused practice – not natural talent – is the key to expertise. Your brain builds new neural pathways the more you rehearse using a structured framework.

The Framework Effect

Cognitive psychology proves that clear structure reduces cognitive load. When professionals use frameworks, they free up mental energy to focus on delivery, presence, and engagement.

The Confidence-Competence Loop

Research in human performance demonstrates a reinforcing loop: Structure → Confidence → Better Delivery → Positive Feedback → More Confidence.

Neuroplasticity at Any Age

Even seasoned professionals can rewire their communication habits. German learners, in particular, excel with this because they thrive in structured, methodical environments.

"We are humans, we learn by doing." – Kunle Orankan

Stefan’s Turnaround: From Walkout to Career Acceleration

Three months after that walkout, Stefan was back in a boardroom – similar stakeholders, similar stakes.

But this time, he didn’t panic. He led with clarity. He handled objections. He secured approval for a larger, €750K project.

What changed? He’d invested in a presentation skills course tailored for tech professionals in Berlin.

🔧 The 5-Step Presentation Framework Stefan Used:

Audience – Who's in the room, and what do they care about?
Purpose – What exactly do you want them to do or believe?
Opening – Hook attention in the first 60 seconds.
Body – Structure your technical points around benefits and logic.
Closing – End with confidence, clarity, and a call to action.

He stopped “explaining tech” and started solving business problems out loud. And the results were immediate:

More trust from leadership
Better alignment with teams
A new leadership role at a bigger company, now leading a huge team and managing multi-million Euro projects.

"Now people understand my value and I actually enjoy presenting.” – Stefan

The German Advantage: Why This Works So Well Here

Most communication training is built for extroverts. Not this one.

This system works best for:

Engineers, developers, analysts, consultants
IT professionals and others who prefer facts to fluff
Teams who think in frameworks and systems
Non-native English speakers who value clarity and structure

German professionals often outperform their peers after learning this system – not in spite of their analytical mindset, but because of it.

The Spill over Effect: How One Skill Transforms Your Entire Career

Stefan's journey, from freezing in a boardroom to leading multi-million Euro projects, is a powerful example of the spill over effect, largely driven by an increase in generalized self-efficacy.

At its core, self-efficacy, as defined by renowned psychologist Albert Bandura, is a person's belief in their capacity to succeed in specific situations or accomplish a task. For Stefan, his initial success with structured presentations became a powerful mastery experience – the most influential source of self-efficacy. By successfully performing a task he once feared, he gained concrete evidence of his capability.

This specific belief didn't stay confined to the stage. It began to generalize, boosting his belief in his overall competence and ability to tackle new or difficult situations – what's known as generalized self-efficacy. He started to believe, "If I can conquer this, what else can I achieve?"

This heightened self-efficacy then spilled over into other crucial areas:

Increased Confidence: His newfound confidence in English presentations made him more assertive and comfortable in all professional interactions.
Improved People Skills & Teamwork: Being able to clearly articulate complex ideas translated into more effective collaboration with his team, clearer delegation, and better understanding from colleagues.
Enhanced Communication (Broader Context): The structured thinking he learned for presentations improved his overall communication – from one-on-one discussions to large team briefings. This led to more persuasive arguments and greater influence.
Increased Visibility & Leadership: As his value became undeniable through effective communication, he gained visibility. This, combined with his enhanced confidence and people skills, naturally propelled him into the leadership role he now excels in.

Essentially, by mastering one foundational skill, Stefan unlocked a reinforcing cycle of competence and confidence that positively impacted his entire professional trajectory. It's a testament to the idea that investing in core communication skills isn't just about presentations; it's about empowering your full potential.

Real Results from German Professionals

Over the past 18 months at Presentation School Berlin, we’ve trained engineers, IT teams, consultants, and senior managers – including many non-native English speakers.

Here’s what we’ve seen:

Career Advancement

Increased internal visibility
New leadership roles and promotions
Greater access to high-profile projects

Professional Impact

Projects approved faster
Stakeholder buy-in on first attempt
Fewer misunderstandings, fewer escalations

Personal Growth

From avoiding presentations to leading them
From “invisible expert” to “go-to communicator”
From anxiety to authentic confidence

“The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place.” – George Bernard Shaw

Ready to Master This System?

You don’t need to become charismatic.

You just need the right structure.

Corporate Training: Elevate Your Team's Impact

Want to transform your entire team’s communication? Our communication coaching for tech teams in Berlin is built to help and equip your teams with the skills for powerful English presentations. We are your go-to for communication training for IT professionals and other technical roles.

Our 3-Day Intensive Covers:

Full 5-step framework
Hands-on practice with real cases
Individual coaching + team feedback
Post-training resources and support

Perfect for:

Tech teams, consultants, engineers, analysts, and cross-functional project groups.

📍 Location: Presentation School Berlin or at your office in Berlin.

👥 Max Group Size: Up to 15 participants

📆 Investment: €13,500-€21,900 (for up to 15 people)

Team Coaching: For Focused, High-Impact Development

For teams (9 people) seeking highly focused and tailored development, our presentation coaching Berlin offers specialized intensive packages. These programs provide concentrated guidance over one day, ensuring every session is directly relevant to your unique challenges and goals.

This is perfect for:

Senior Leaders & Executives: Who need bespoke communication strategies for high-stakes English presentations.
Key Project Leads: Requiring immediate and targeted improvement for critical stakeholder engagements.
Small, Agile Teams: Looking for a rapid, impactful boost in their collective presentation skills.

👥 Max Group Size: 9 participants

📆 Investment: €4,500-€6,250 (for 1 day of intensive coaching)

Email: hello@presentation-school.com

Let’s talk about your team’s communication goals.

FAQs

Who is this training for?

This training is designed for technical professionals including engineers, developers, analysts, consultants, IT professionals, and senior managers who need to deliver results-driven presentations, especially in English.

Where is the training held?

Our training is held at our Presentation School Berlin location, Chausseestraße 86,

10115 Berlin, Germany. or on-site at your company's office in Berlin. We also offer online options for greater flexibility.

Do you offer individual coaching?

Yes. Our Personalized Coaching package is ideal for individuals or very small teams needing high-impact, tailored results fast.

30-Day Confidence Guarantee

Use the complete framework risk-free. If you don’t feel noticeably more confident and effective in your presentations within 30 days, you get a full refund – no questions asked.