AI Can Design the Slides, But It Can’t Fix Stage Fright: 3 in 4 Workers Get Anxious Presenting, Canva Study Finds

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Postmedia has not reviewed the content. by Business Wire AI Can Design the Slides, But It Can't Fix Stage Fright: 3 in 4 Workers Get Anxious Presenting, Canva Study FindsAuthor of the article:Canva's Global 'The Presentation Paradox' Study Business WireWhen AI can build the slides, what sets the presenter apart? Canva’s new global study, The Presentation Paradox, finds it comes down to one thing: how you command the room.THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLYSubscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada.Exclusive articles from Barbara Shecter, Joe O'Connor, Gabriel Friedman, and others.Daily content from Financial Times, the world's leading global business publication.Unlimited online access to read articles from Financial Post, National Post and 15 news sites across Canada with one account.National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.Daily puzzles, including the New York Times Crossword.SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLESSubscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada.Exclusive articles from Barbara Shecter, Joe O'Connor, Gabriel Friedman and others.Daily content from Financial Times, the world's leading global business publication.Unlimited online access to read articles from Financial Post, National Post and 15 news sites across Canada with one account.National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.Daily puzzles, including the New York Times Crossword.REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLESCreate an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.Access articles from across Canada with one account.Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments.Enjoy additional articles per month.Get email updates from your favourite authors.THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK.Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.Access articles from across Canada with one accountShare your thoughts and join the conversation in the commentsEnjoy additional articles per monthGet email updates from your favourite authorsSign In or Create an Account91% use AI to build and draft presentation slides each month74% feel anxious presenting at work, with Gen Z most affected (90%)68% link strong presentation skills to a recent pay rise or promotion53% currently use AI as a presentation coach55% would let an AI avatar present for them86% say great presentations come down to human connectionSYDNEY — New research from Canva, the world’s leading visual communication platform, reveals an emerging paradox at the heart of one of work’s age-old skills: even as AI makes presentations easier to create than ever, nearly three in four professionals (74%) still feel anxious about presenting.Get the latest headlines, breaking news and columns.By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc.A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder.The next issue of Top Stories will soon be in your inbox.We encountered an issue signing you up. Please try againFew things are as entrenched as presentations, and decade after decade, they’ve defined how we communicate to clients, teammates, leadership, and beyond. Now, AI is changing them by making them faster and easier to create than ever. Nine in 10 (91%) workers use AI monthly to build slides, mainly for design (57%), brainstorming (56%) and drafting content (49%). 48% say it saves them more than an hour per presentation.As AI use grows, more than 100 million people create presentations on Canva every month, and it is one of the top use cases for the company’s ChatGPT and Claude integrations, giving Canva a unique view into what comes next. But while the tech is changing fast, one thing remains the same: presenting with confidence is still distinctly human.“It may be easier to whip up a presentation these days, but the part that matters most isn’t the slides. It still takes a person’s ability to persuade, teach, inspire, or move someone else to act. More than ever, the slides are there to support the presenter, not the other way around.”– Alli McKee, Head of Visual Suite, Canva.Canva’s new global study, The Presentation Paradox, explores how AI presentation tools are changing the way we work, finding that as slide creation gets easier with AI, presenting with confidence is becoming more important for climbing the career ladder. More than three in four professionals (77%) say presentation confidence has contributed to career growth in the past year, with 68% linking it to a promotion or pay rise.AI Helps Build Presentations, But Humans Win the RoomAs AI reimagines the entire presentation process, people are still figuring out where it can help, and where they still want to take the lead. Half (51%) now start every presentation with an AI draft, but when it comes to delivering it, things get more nuanced.Three in four (76%) use AI to prepare, but live delivery remains deeply human:86% say great presentations still come down to human connection and presence75% say building trust with an audience is still a human’s job71% trust AI to build slides, but not to present or tell the storyAs AI levels the playing field on slide generation, it is also raising the bar for presenters. More than two-thirds (68%) say an AI-built deck can hurt a presentation if the delivery does not match.When Presentation Nerves Create an Alter EgoPerson-to-person connection wins the room, but it doesn’t always come naturally. Nerves kick in, and many workers say they become a different version of themselves to hide how unconfident they feel. Nearly all (95%) consciously change how they communicate when presenting, with 85% switching into a different “Presenter Persona.” Younger workers do it most: 94% of Gen Z and 90% of Millennials, compared to 70% of Boomers.For some, that alter ego is a performance boost: 67% say they become more extroverted and confident. For others, it has the opposite effect, with 53% reporting lower energy or becoming more introverted.Years of remote and asynchronous work have left many professionals used to communicating behind a screen, with fewer chances to learn how to read a room, hold attention, and practice presenting in person:74% feel anxious presenting, rising to 90% of Gen Z, compared to 56% of Boomers34% say remote work has left them out of practice51% feel more confident behind a screen than in a room, rising to 62% of Gen Z versus 32% of BoomersThat confidence gap may be holding some workers back at exactly the moment presentation skills are helping others climb the career ladder. Four in five (80%) say in-person presentation skills are a competitive edge in the AI era, and 54% say they signal leadership potential. Confident presenters are already reaping the benefits:68% link it to a recent promotion or pay rise77% say it has opened the door to more visible or high-stakes work77% say it has contributed to their career growth in the past yearAI’s Next Act: From Slide Builder to Presentation CoachWith more people working remotely, AI is becoming the new rehearsal room. People want to stay in control of the delivery, but that doesn’t mean preparing alone. More than half (53%) now use AI as a presentation coach:45% get feedback on a draft41% anticipate audience questions34% generate speaker notes28% role-play a boss or colleague to practice28% review recordings of themselves presenting18% use AI live during a presentation“In a perfect world, I wish AI could deliver the presentation for me; otherwise, I would like real-time feedback while practicing my presentation.”This advertisement has not loaded yet.This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.– Canva Research Participant, U.S.Some are also ready to let AI further into the room:55% would let an AI avatar present for them61% think AI will eventually coach them live during a presentation75% find AI-generated speaker notes on screen acceptable71% would let AI watch the crowd and suggest changes in real time65% would take real-time prompts through an earpieceAs AI reshapes how we present, Canva supports the entire end-to-end AI creation and presenting process, from the spark of an idea to final delivery. Built into Canva’s Visual Suite, Canva AI turns rough concepts into polished, on-brand slides through a simple conversation, while staying fully editable and collaborative. When it’s time to present, AI-powered speaker notes help guide what to say, timing insights help you stay on track, and remote control lets you move freely while presenting, all designed to help people communicate their ideas with confidence. For more information on how to access Canva’s Visual Suite, visit www.canva.com/canva-business/Methodology Canva conducted this research using an online survey prepared by Method Research and distributed by PureSpectrum among n=4,000 adults (age 18+) who are employees and have delivered a workplace presentation at least once in the last month. The survey included a sample of n=1,000 in each region: United States, LATAM (Mexico, Brazil), EU (Germany, France, Spain), APAC (South Korea, Indonesia). The sample was equally split between gender, with a spread of age groups, race groups, and geographies represented. Data was collected from June 18 to July 1, 2026.Launched in 2013, Canva is the world’s leading all-in-one platform for visual communication and collaboration. Built to empower everyone to design, Canva serves the creative and design needs of enterprises, small businesses, consumers, and students in more than 190 countries worldwide. Whether you’re a novice taking your first steps in design, or a creative professional seeking powerful tools, Canva ensures users have what they need to transform an idea into something beautiful. Underpinned by the world’s most comprehensive library of designer-made content, Canva is powered by a suite of products and proprietary AI tools that elevate how individuals and teams create, collaborate, and communicate with ease.View source version on businesswire.com: Notice for the Postmedia NetworkThis website uses cookies to personalize your content (including ads), and allows us to analyze our traffic. Read more about cookies here. By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.