If you are ambitious and currently putting in long hours, working feverishly at your computer, in the persuit of your next promotion, you have chosen the most difficult route to realising your ambitions. It is easy to assume that if we show commitment to our employer by being the first in (and last to leave) each day, processing more work that our colleagues and generally working hard, that we'll get noticed and be first in line for promotion.

Recent research however, blows this strategy out of the water! They looked at the factors that influence bosses when making promotion decisions and indentified three that influence their decision the most. In reverse order of importance they are:

Knowledge - 10% Image - 30% Exposure - 60%

Let's take knowledge first. Why is it only 10%? Imagine that you take two days off work. On your return, you work really hard and not only complete that day's work, but also catch up on the two days that you have missed. Who is going to come up to you at the end of the day and say "Well done, you've completed three days work in one day". Who is going to notice, or even care. The knowledge you use to do your job is taken for granted. It's also known that if there are any deficiencies in your knowledge, it's a relatively easy training job to put right. This is not to say that your knowledge isn't important, just that it's taken for granted. You will, of course, soon hear from your boss if you get something wrong! If you are spending all day at your computer processing work, don't expect to get noticed or be identified as someone worthy of promotion.

Your image is three times more important. The confidence with which you deal with others, your interpersonal skills and your demeanor all influence others in the 'emotional ranking' that they subconsciously give you. They rate you as a good, average or weak person based on their perception of you. So, how you rate yourself (your self confidence) is three times more important than what you know.

Twice as important as your image is your exposure to others, particularly your bosses. If they don't know you, how can they rate your talents? Your ability to network effectively within your company is therefore of vital importance.

Now we get to the depressing bit. Think about where you spend the vast majority of your time at work. For most of us, it's sitting at our desk, processing work on our computer. An activity that gets us virtually nowhere in terms of realising our ambitions. That's why on many management courses they tell you not to send an email or telephone a colleague. Instead go and see them. And whilst you are there, talk to the people that work around them. All good advice to maximise your image and exposure, but there is one big problem. How many of us actually have the time to do this. If we are already incredibly busy, where is the motivation to take time out to go and see someone, when sending an email of telephoning them would be much quicker?

There is however, one easy way to hugely boost your image and exposure to others. Presenting to others is generally recognised as the 'big fear'. Most people would rather do anything than stand up in front of a group of people and deliver a presentation. This provides you with a huge opportunity. That opportunity becomes even bigger when you think about the quality of most business presentations you go to. I have been coaching people in presentation skills for over 20 years, so you can perhaps imagine the number of presentations I have sat through. Sadly, the vast majority are dull, boring, pointless and soporiphic. Someone giving a monotone commentary to fifty PowerPoint slides will never boost their image or exposure. In fact, they usually achieve the opposite!

It is not impossible for anyone to deliver a useful, interesting, engaging and dare I say, entertaining business presentation. Have a clear objective (what do you want the audience to do as a result of listening to you?) and structure what you say (copy the evening news for your structure). Leave out as much factual detail as you can. Just explain what you want your audience to do and motivate them to do it by providing them with the personal and specific benefits they will enjoy from doing what you want them to do. Remember, audiences are not interested in what you do. All they want to know is what you can do for them. Stand up to deliver your talk and do it with energy, enthusiasm and commitment. Use examples to illustrate your key messages, so that the audience can 'see what you mean' and finally, don't hold notes. Just have a card at the side of you with a few words reminding you of the points you want to make and the order of delivery. Show the audience that you are enthusiastic, persuasive and confident.

Anyone, with the right training, can achieve this. I've seen it over and over again. Volunteer for presentations, or find a reason to convince others that you should give one. Deliver your talk in a way that differentiates you from the normal mediocrity that audiences have to endure and in no time at all, you'll find that your name is on a shortlist for the next promotion!