As I work with professional speakers and other business professionals wanting to become successful at giving presentations, the question of what makes a good presenter comes up quite a bit. They want to be good and polished, but not “canned” and fake. Therefore, here are 5 characteristics of a successful presenter:
1) They know their strengths and weaknesses. Many people believe “humor” is a good characteristic. Humor is a good quality to have and a good quality to use in your presentation….if you’re funny. Let’s face it. Some people just aren’t funny. However, there are different types of “funny”. Some presenters are great at telling a joke, others have a dry sense of humor and are good at playing the “straight man”, others like using a sense of irony, while others use humor in their storytelling, and so on. Therefore, in any aspect of presenting, the best presenters know their strengths and use them, meanwhile working on developing or masking their weaknesses.
2) They are centered and grounded on the platform. As many people know, our body language communicates a great amount of information to our audiences. Even if a presenter has great content, the speech can still be a flop if their body language is distracting. If they do not have the ability to stay centered and grounded (have a commanding presence) on the platform and, instead, move aimlessly, have their hands in their pockets, rock back and forth on their feet, sway side to side, or even lean on the lectern, then the speech loses its power and a big part of the message is lost.
3) They’ve done their homework. Good presenters are diligent about getting the necessary information about their audience so that they can adjust the speech any way necessary. They will find examples and stories that best connect with each audience demographic. A presentation to the staff on the “front lines” should be slightly different than a speech to the executives and board members.
They know their speech. There’s no disputing that a speaker who uses notes isn’t as effective or impressive as a speaker who delivers a speech flawlessly without the aid of notes. Therefore, another characteristic of successful presenters is having the diligence of putting in the work to memorize and rehearse the speech so that it is top notch.
They are emotionally connected to the content. The best presenters are able to take the content of their speech and find stories and examples that they can connect with emotionally and that illustrate and support the points within the presentation. Many professionals have to give presentations on “boring” topics. Everything from new tax laws, new employee policies, reviewing last year’s revenues, machine maintenance procedures, and so on. Great presenters are able to find the core message of the speech and use personal stories and examples within the presentation. No matter how “boring” the topic is, the best presenters can bring it to life.
